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 neighborhood projects.

Matthews walked commissioners through statewide totals and program-specific rules cited in the state notice published Feb. 26. He summarized statewide funding pools including $24,000,000 for CHIP, $15,000,000 for the Housing and Development Assistance Program (HDAP), $6,200,000 for the Homeless Crisis Response Grant Program, $3,000,000 for Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) and about $23,300,000 for the CDBG program. He also described subprograms and limits: neighborhood revitalization awards up to $750,000 with demolition capped at $100,000 or 25% of a project request; critical infrastructure and residential public infrastructure awards up to $500,000–$750,000 depending on the program; and the flexible grant and downtown subsets with separate timing.

Matthews explained national objectives that projects must meet to qualify under the HUD Ohio State-administered CDBG program: benefit LMI persons, eliminate slum and blight, or serve a limited clientele (examples: elderly persons, homeless persons, persons with severe disabilities, persons living with AIDS and migrant farmworkers). He described methods for documenting area-wide LMI benefit, including census tracts that are more than 51% LMI or door-to-door surveys for a defined neighborhood area if a census tract is not available.

Commissioners asked about program history and whether the county has consistently captured its full entitlement. "You went through a lot of stuff really quick there. Are you able to give us an outline of the all the what you read for the Lorain County eligibility? I would love to have that if that's possible," Commissioner Gallagher said. Matthews said staff would provide a more detailed breakdown and noted the department’s reorganization, saying economic development specialists will be assigned to specific communities to help identify projects and push applications.

Matthews cautioned that some programs are competitive and that eligibility does not guarantee award. He noted CHIP and CHIP Home are competitive and that the state may reallocate funds if applicants do not use awards. Key deadlines and timing Matthews cited include: CHIP applications due by 11:59 a.m. on June 25, 2025, with awards expected Sept. 1, 2025; critical infrastructure Round 1 applications due June 11, 2025; and the residential public infrastructure grant program accepting submissions beginning July 1. Matthews also described the New Horizons Fair Housing Assistance funding cycle (applications July 1–March 31, awarded once each three-month cycle) and said the county is eligible for up to $15,000 alone plus $5,000 per consortium jurisdiction, up to $30,000.

The county’s current practice and "sweet spots" for applications include street paving and sidewalk projects with local partners and homeowner rehabilitation through CHIP, Matthews said. He also noted challenges with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP3), saying rising construction costs and program income restrictions have made returning to that program more difficult.

A motion to close the hearing was made and seconded; Commissioners Riddell and Gallagher voted "aye" and the hearing was closed. Matthews said a second public hearing is scheduled for May 13 at 3:30 p.m.

The presentation and subsequent discussion focused on application timing, program eligibility rules and how the county will coordinate with member jurisdictions outside entitlement cities (Elyria and Lorain receive HUD funding directly), staff said. Matthews emphasized that some funds are allocations (guaranteed amounts the county will receive through the CDBG allocation) while other programs are competitive and require applications showing demonstrated need.

Next steps noted at the hearing: county staff will provide commissioners a detailed breakdown of eligible programs and prior-year awards, designated economic development specialists will work with local communities to identify candidate projects, and the county and partner cities will prepare CHIP and other competitive applications where appropriate.

Votes at a glance: a motion to close the public hearing was adopted (aye recorded for Commissioner Riddell and Commissioner Gallagher).