Hatch Supports Community Development Block Grants

HATCH SUPPORTS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS

Recognizing the significance they are to local communities, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) has spoken out on behalf of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), an agency facing a proposed $1 billion funding slash - one-fourth of its budget. Hatch sent a letter this week to Sen. Judd Gregg, chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, in support of the CDBG program.

"While I support the President's efforts to rein in the budget deficit, I don't believe we should balance the budget on the backs of local communities," Hatch wrote in the letter. "Utah's communities rely on CDBG funding to help revitalize their neighborhoods, and these cuts will severely impact the very communities that need the funding the most."

CDBG helps state and municipal governments with some of their most serious community challenges, including economic development and affordable housing. Use of the grants is flexible, allowing local officials to assess where the funds are needed most. In Utah, almost $23 million in CDBG monies benefited programs from St. George to Logan in Fiscal Year 2005. Services included neighborhood revitalization, renovation of historic areas, job creation, and elimination of urban blight.

"These grants provide communities with vital resources," Hatch said. "The flexibility of the program empowers local leaders to call the shots, and the results have been outstanding."

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