Talbot County Government is serving those most in need in the county through two important programs – the Maryland Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) both of which are administered through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development. Mary Kay Verdery, Grants Administrator for Talbot County, is helping to manage the programs which are helping low-income families in a variety of ways.
The Maryland Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) is a federally funded program designed to assist county and municipal governments with activities directed toward neighborhood revitalization, housing opportunities, economic development, and improved public facilities and services. CDBG funded projects must be for eligible activities under Program regulations and must meet one of three national objectives:
- Benefits persons of low-and moderate-income
- Eliminates slum and blight
- Meets an urgent need of recent origin that threatens public health and safety
CDBG funds are provided primarily as gap funding for projects selected by the jurisdiction to meet community needs. CDBG funds provided must meet a national objective and additional Maryland objectives and applications are accepted on a competitive basis. The maximum amount Talbot County may request, for a single project or cumulative projects, is $800,000.
“The CDBG funds can be used for acquisition of property, demolition of structures, rehabilitation of structures (both residential and non-residential), construction of public facilities, and public services. The funds are directed toward the low to moderate-income families and affordable housing and economic opportunities,” states Verdery.
In the past seven years, CDBG grants have helped such organizations as The Neighborhood Service Center, Talbot Interfaith Shelter, St. Michael’s Senior Center, Habitat Choptank, Early Headstart, Chesapeake Multicultural Resource Center, St. Michaels Community Center, Upper Shore Aging, and Mid-Shore Pro Bono.
For the FY23 grant cycle, five local non-profit organizations submitted formal letters seeking County Council consideration. Of the five letters of interest received, two projects were found to be the best fit for CDBG funds, and the other three were referred to other sources for potential funding. Because CDBG funds are primarily a gap funding source, applicants must be ready to go with the project they submit because DHCD wants the funds to be spent in a certain timeframe. Applications are ranked based on various factors such as public purpose, project impact, project management, and local commitment/leveraging of other funding sources.
Talbot County has partnered with Habitat for Humanity Choptank (Habitat Choptank) on a FY23 CDBG application which is seeking $100,000 to renovate a home located in the historic area of Easton at 122 S. Locust Lane. Funds will be used to support the demolition, stabilization, and interior and exterior rehabilitation of an existing single-family home located in the historic area of Easton, known as “The Hill.” The property was purchased by Habitat Choptank in January 2022. Habitat Choptank’s affordable home program serves those in Talbot County who earn between 35% and 65% of the HUD-defined Area Median Income which equates to between $35,385 and $65,715 annually. Additional funding opportunities for this project include a Community Legacy grant and Town of Easton American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds.
Pictured are the before and after photos of one of Habitat Choptank’s projects in St. Michaels, Maryland.
“Our Brooks Lane Neighborhood Project in St. Michaels involved Habitat Choptank partnering with Talbot County in the use of CDBG funds to support the site work/infrastructure needed to build seven quality affordable homes on land that was donated to Habitat Choptank. This project built more than homes for first-generation home buyers…it built a neighborhood and a community of hardworking families. Our continued partnership with Talbot County around the rehabilitation of 122 S. Locust in the Hill District of Easton is a testimony to the County’s commitment to building community through neighborhood revitalization, providing another avenue to make high-quality affordable homes available at a time when they are so desperately needed while preserving and honoring the resiliency of this historic community,” comments JoAnn Hansen, Executive Director, Habitat for Humanity Choptank.
Talbot County has also partnered with Building African American Minds (BAAM) on a FY23 CDBG application for $347,138 for the construction of an Academic Center located at 31 Jowite Street in Easton. The new three-story, state-of-the-art facility is located in the Town of Easton in a low-to-moderate income service area. The facility will continue to provide after-school and summer programs for first through fifth-grade students from Easton Elementary School and Easton Middle School. In addition, BAAM will expand programming to offer a workforce development program for youth and the community. Partnerships and programing include Chesapeake College and other community organizations that will provide educational programming for youth, parents, and the community in areas such as financial literacy and budgeting, job skills/enhancement training, GED courses, wellness, and arts programming.
“I am appreciative of the County’s support of BAAM’s CDBG grant application. If granted, these funds will help us with the construction materials needed to build our new Academic Center. Our new Center will be a state-of-the-art facility that will host all of our current programming and allow us to expand services. I am so thankful for all the support that BAAM has received over the years from our donors, partners, youth, and their families, and am excited for the opportunities and new partnerships that our new Academic Center will offer,” states Dina Gomes Daly, Executive Director, BAAM.
“I enjoy most the opportunity to work with so many different aspects of the community – the full spectrum from young children to seniors. Now, we have this opportunity to provide the ERAP funds to individuals so that we prevent eviction and homelessness. These are projects where you get to help the community,” Verdery adds.
The Talbot County Council received $2.4 million in the spring of 2021 to administer the Department of Housing and Community Development’s grant for the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) to ensure housing stability for families and individuals at risk of experiencing homelessness or utility cut-off. A sub-recipient agreement was finalized in August 2021 between Talbot County and Neighborhood Service Center (NSC), the County’s Community Action Agency, to administer the funds. The deadline for spending the first round of ERAP program funds is September 30, 2022. The funds cover rental and utility assistance and other housing and service-related costs and program administration costs. The Neighborhood Service Center (NSC) completes the screening to determine eligibility, issues the funds, and provides report information to the County. The second grant award of ERAP funds for Talbot County is $1.6 million and will be distributed beginning July 1, 2022.
“The hardest part at the very beginning was just getting the word out that we had these funds available. But once we were able to reach out to the local rental communities, we were able to contact a lot of individuals in the unserved or minority communities,” Verdery comments.
“The Neighborhood Service Center, since 1969, has worked hard to reduce poverty and homelessness by helping individuals and families become self-sufficient. In these unusual times, it takes out-of-the-box thinking and unfortunately a lot of money to keep individuals and families in their homes because the normal channels were closed due to quarantine regulations. Without the ERAP funds, we would have depleted all of our reserves almost immediately, putting many current programs in jeopardy. Talbot County has always stepped up to donate time, money, and resources, but this was a time when the need greatly surpassed what locals could donate,” states Frank Divilio, Talbot County Council member and board member of the NSC.
For further information on applying for CDBG grants annually, contact Mary Kay Verdery at 410-770-8002. Citizens can log onto the NSC website (nsctalbotmd.org) for applications and instructions for the ERAP Program or call the NSC at 410-822-5015.
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