Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Independence Center warns Portsmouth that pause in CDBG funding threatens supports for residents with disabilities
Summary
Nicole Davis, executive director of the Independence Center, told Portsmouth council that an apparent halt in CDBG disbursements risks housing stability and community-based supports for dozens of local residents with disabilities and urged the city to keep funds available to community providers.
Nicole Davis, executive director of the Independence Center in Norfolk, told Portsmouth City Council on April 14 that a pause in Community Development Block Grant funding has already begun to affect services for Portsmouth residents with disabilities.
“My name is Nicole Davis and I’m the executive director of the Independence Center,” Davis said during the public hearing on the CDBG Annual Action Plan. She said the program has served 50 Portsmouth residents with individualized supports since July and provided information and referrals to 136 residents, helping 15 people access benefits, three secure employment and two obtain housing. She added that 12 residents received home modifications that allowed them to remain in housing rather than enter institutional care.
Davis warned that without continued CDBG allocations, residents who currently receive supports face increased risk of losing housing and of entering more costly, restrictive systems of care. “Without continued access to this funding, residents who are currently stable are at risk of losing housing and supports and access and advocacy,” she said, urging the city to continue directing CDBG dollars to community organizations.
The council conducted the hearing after discussing the annual plan in its April 13 work session. The public hearing record was closed the same evening after several speakers commented on the plan; council did not take a final vote on allocations at the April 14 meeting.
Why this matters: CDBG funds are commonly used for local housing stability and supportive-services programs. Local providers told council that timely disbursement affects not only direct services to vulnerable residents but downstream demands on emergency housing and long-term care systems.
What’s next: The council received the public comments on the record and will consider the Annual Action Plan as part of its budget and grant acceptance process in the coming weeks.
