Lorain County holds first public hearing on CDBG and CHIP funding

Lorain County Board of Commissioners held the first public hearing on Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Community Housing Impact Preservation (CHIP) funding on Tuesday, April 1. Garvin Carrington Matthews of the county Community Development Department presented program details, estimated county allocations and application deadlines.

The hearing covered statewide and county-level funding available under several state-administered programs for program year 2025, how local jurisdictions may apply, and program eligibility requirements. "It is estimated that Lorain County will receive $640,000," Matthews said, and he said $150,000 of that allocation is designated for projects in North Ridgeville. Matthews also said Lorain County is eligible for up to $300,000 in CHIP funding for program year 2025, and that the county and its partner cities—Amherst, Sheffield Lake, North Ridgeville and Oberlin—are together eligible for up to $1,200,000 under CHIP.

Why it matters: the CDBG and CHIP programs fund housing repairs, infrastructure and economic development projects targeted to low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents. County officials showed deadlines and program caps that local governments, nonprofits and developers must meet if they want to apply for competitive grants that could pay for street and sewer work, homeowner rehabilitation, rental property repairs and other…