CDFA Announces over $3 Million of CDBG Awards in New Hampshire

CDFA Announces Over $3 Million of Community Development Block Grant Awards in New Hampshire Communities

 Resources will allow for critical improvements to benefit people throughout the state.

(Concord, N.H.) April 16, 2020 – The New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) moved forward recommendations of more than $3 million of Community Development Block Grant funds to communities throughout New Hampshire, pending the final approval of the Governor and Council.  These critical resources will support housing, public facility and economic development projects in communities throughout the state.

“The projects will help improve the lives of many New Hampshire citizens,” stated Katy Easterly Martey, Executive Director of CDFA.  “This funding will allow our communities to make critical improvements that will have an immediate impact on the health, safety and quality of life for many of our most vulnerable citizens.”

Funding for the Community Development Block Grant program is provided to New Hampshire through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The following projects were recommended by the CDFA’s Community Development Advisory Board at its April 2, 2020 meeting and the Board of Directors on April 14, 2020, for Community Development Block Grant funds:

Cheshire County is recommended for a $500,000 award to undertake a substantial rehabilitation of Bennett Block, located at 32-34 Washington Street in Keene. Bennett Block is owned by Monadnock Affordable Housing Corporation (MAHC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of Keene Housing (KH).  The rehabilitation of the building will have a positive impact on the downtown Keene area in which Bennett Block is located, preserve permanently affordable housing for low and moderate-income households.

The City of Concord is recommended for a $77,000 award to make needed improvements to the heating system in this circa 1880 historic building in downtown Concord owned by Fellowship Housing Opportunities. The building is a multi-use structure with the organization’s administrative offices on the first floor, one handicapped accessible apartment on the first floor, and eight special-needs apartments for persons with disabilities on the second and third floors.

The Town of Somersworth is recommended for a $500,000 award on behalf of the Somersworth Housing Authority (SHA) for the Somersworth Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD). The three existing properties (169 units) will be converted from public housing to affordable housing and rehabilitated.

The City of Concord is recommended for a $357,290 award on behalf of the Crisis Center of Central New Hampshire (CCCNH) for improvement to their two Concord locations.  The first is their Emergency Shelter for victims and their children who are fleeing imminent danger and need a safe and confidential location to stay until they can be moved into permanent housing.  The second is their support center, in 2018, CCCNH took 5,885 crisis line calls on their 24-hour hotline, an increase of 130% from 2017. Other services they provide include: Court advocacy and support, referral to legal services, hospital accompaniment, emergency financial assistance, prevention education, social services advocacy, housing assistance, financial empowerment programs, support groups, and in-person support and safety planning. The projects at their two locations will include energy saving components and will be partly funded with Utility Rebates.

The Town of Tuftonboro is recommended for a $500,000 award on behalf of North Country Village Cooperative (NCV) for improvements to a water distribution system. NCV is a manufactured housing park with 57 units.  Funds will be used for construction and associated costs to make improvements to the water system and ensure the safety of the drinking water.

The City of Keene is recommended for $500,000 award on behalf of The Community Kitchen (TCK) to make additional building improvements to its facility at 37 Mechanic Street. These improvements will allow TCK to further its mission of providing hot meals and take-home boxes to low-and moderate-income individuals in Cheshire County.  The proposed project will make TCK a more sustainable organization and ensure they can administer their programs at full capacity well into the future.

The Town of Barrington is recommended for $500,000 award on behalf of Lee Oak Cooperative. Lee Oak is a 69 unit manufactured housing park. The funds will be used to make improvements to the Park’s infrastructure, including the water distribution system, water quality and septic systems and provide a long-term benefit to individuals of low and moderate-income.

The Town of Epping is recommended for $450,000 award to help offset the cost of building a new drinking water treatment plant to supply good, quality drinking water to existing connections. These improvements will allow the Town of Epping to adequately service residential and commercial users, plus add capacity to the system for future growth.

About the Community Development Finance Authority

The Community Development Finance Authority (CDFA) is a statewide nonprofit public authority focused on maximizing the value and impact of community development, economic development and clean energy initiatives throughout New Hampshire. The organization leverages a variety of financial and technical resources, including the competitive deployment of grant, loan and equity programs. Those resources include New Hampshire state tax credits, federal Community Development Block Grant resources and the CDFA Clean Energy Fund.

For more information about CDFA and its programs visit  www.nhcdfa.org or call 603-226-2170.

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