overview of cdgb disaster recovery
TRANSCRIPT
Overview of CDBG Disaster RecoveryMarch 31, 2015; 8:30 a.m. – Noon
Vince Lintz, Program Manager
Leslie Bean, Housing Manager
Agenda
• Introduction – Poll Audience
• Difference in Regular CDBG and CDBG-DR
• Eligible Activities
• Waivers
• Unmet Needs Assessment
• Action Plan
• Public Participation
• Program Implementation
• Best Practices
• Lessons Learned
• Document Guide
Difference in Regular CDBG and CDBG-DR
• The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. Beginning in 1974, the CDBG program is one of the longest continuously run programs at HUD. The CDBG program provides annual grants on a formula basis to general units of local government and States.
• CDBG –DR is appropriated by Congress as a special CDBG appropriation in response to a particular disaster. The funds are to help cities, counties and State recover form Presidentially –declared disasters. The funding may be awarded months or even up to a year after the disaster. This program allows even more flexibility.
Difference in Regular CDBG and CDBG-DR
• Regular entitlement and state non-entitlement CDBG programs are managed by the funded entities respective HUD CPD Field Office .
• Any HUD CDBG –DR disaster awarded project over $ 500 million has direct oversight by HUD headquarters. Those less than $500 million are also managed by their HUD CPD Field Office.
Difference in Regular CDBG and CDBG-DR
• HUD’s CDBG was authorized under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act (HCDA) of 1974 as amended . It was the consolidation of eight different programs under communities competed nationally for funds.
• The Development of viable communities providing decent Housing ,suitable living environment and expanded economic opportunities.
Eligible Activities
• Each funded CDBG activity except for program administration and planning must meet one of the following National Objectives :
– Benefit low and moderate income (LMI) persons
– Aid in the prevention of or elimination of slums or blight
– Meet urgent need
Eligible Activities
• CDBG –DR funding is used for recovery efforts involving economic development , housing , Infrastructure and prevention of any further damage to affected areas . An important thing to remember is the duplication of benefits from other funding source such as Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Small Business Administration (SBA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers to name a few. The cumulative amount of assistance cannot exceed the total need . This duplication can happen when assistance is received from multiple funding sources.
Eligible Activities
• National Objectives for CDBG-DR
Just like the regular CDBG program any funded activity must meet one of the 3 program National Objectives :
Benefit ( LMI) persons of low and moderate income
Aid in the prevention of slum or blight
meet an urgent community development need
Eligible Activities
• Action Plans and Citizen Participation
• All eligible governments must develop and submit an Action Plan for Disaster Recovery before they can receive CDBG –DR funding. The Action Plan will describe all the needs, strategies, and projected uses of the Disaster Recovery funds.
• Disaster Recovery waivers may include a streamline citizen participation process relative to the Action Plans there fore removing the se plans from the grantee’s regular Consolidated Plan assessments.
Waivers
• Under the CDBG-DR appropriation laws, the secretary may waive, or specify alternative requirements for, any provision of any statute or regulation that he secretary administers ( as long as the waiver would not be inconsistent with the overall purpose of Title I of the Housing and Community development Act of 1974)
• Past waivers can be obtained by going to
• www.onecpd.info/cdbg-dr
• Peer CDBG –DR grantees or their websites
• Contacting your CPD representative
• Vince…
Waivers
• Other Federal Requirement waivers under CDBG-DR
• Valuation:
• Payment for pre-flood values for buyouts in floodplain may be based on either pre-flood or post flood values.
• In using CDBG-DR funds the grantee must uniformly apply whichever method they choose.
• One for One replacement waiver:
• One for one replacement of low and moderate income units is waived . Units damaged by the disaster and you are using CDBG-DR funds to demolish because the units are not suitable for rehabilitation.
Waivers
Relocation Assistance Waiver
• Section 104(d) relocation assistance requirements are waived to the extent they differ from the URA and its regulations at 49 CFR 24 following waivers to buyouts and other activities assisted by the funds covered FR-5250-N-01 and included in an approved Action Plan.
Unmet Needs Assessment (Submit before action plan or before)
• Write the assessment after receive FEMA assistance
• Use data from FEMA Assessments
• Prioritize Remaining Need
• Area Wide vs. individual benefit
Unmet Need Assessment
• After every disaster a CDBG Disaster grantee must:
– 1. Determine what the overall effects of the disaster
– 2. Prioritize and develop a plan to respond to most critical needs not being addressed with other sources
– 3. Implement the plan completing activities in an efficient and timely manner
Unmet Needs Assessment
• At a minimum you should asses the three main cores of recovery:
• Housing
• Infrastructure
• Economy
• By doing this will determine how you best allocate the CDBG-DR funding
Unmet Need Assessment
• Periodic Data Updates
• It is important to note that following a disaster, data is in a constant state of improvement, moving from estimated to actual. Shortly following a disaster, data is very preliminary, involving greater degrees of estimation. As conditions become more accurately accounted for at a detailed level, damage estimates become increasingly more accurate. Grantees will need to collect data periodically and evaluate any changes to confirm that their initial assumptions remain relevant. However, it is understood that jurisdictions must make decisions at various points throughout the recovery process, using the best data available at
Unmet Needs Assessment
• Post-Disaster Continuum
• There are typically three overlapping stages to post-disaster efforts: immediate response, short-term recovery and long-term recovery. Response efforts include the initial efforts accurately focused on the health and safety of individuals and the environment in the days and weeks following an incident. Short-term recovery begins to move a community from crisis to transitional support by repairing infrastructure or providing transitional housing. Long-term recovery refers to the efforts undertaken to re-establish a health, functioning community that will sustain itself over time.
Action Plan
• Determine which activities best address your unmet needs
• Planning/Administration
• Citizen Participation
• Hard Copy Plan vs. DRGR Plan
• Distributing Funds
• Performance/Expenditure Schedule
Program Implementation
• Developing policies and procedures
• Staffing
• Documentation
• MIS
• MOU with applicable resources
• Communication with supporting agencies and politicians
• Quality Control
• Reporting
Best Practices/Lessons Learned(i.e. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)
• Develop program policies and procedures before starting program and accepting applications
• Conduct a test pilot of files
• Promote program through various avenues
• Train staff on a continuous basis
• Staffing
• Develop a robust tracking system
Best Practices/Lessons Learned(i.e. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly)
• Do not start program before receiving a “blessing” from interested parties.
• Do not assume that any person can be a grant manager and/or case manager
• Do not be afraid of change and admitting when you are wrong
• Take the time to implement the program you designed. Do not assume you will fix it in the end.
Document Guide(Index)
• http://www.hud.gov/ofices/cpd/communitydevelopment/programs/drsi/index.cfm
• Federal Register Notices
