City of Coeur d'Alene
Entitlement Recipient of the Community Development Block Grant from the
Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD)

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), one of the longest-running programs of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, funds local community development activities in order to benefit low to moderate-income residents and neighborhoods. The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. Beginning in 1974, the CDBG program is one of the longest continuously run programs at HUD. The CDBG program provides annual grants on a formula basis to 1209 general units of local government and States.

The City of Coeur d'Alene began receiving a direct allocation of CDBG funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in 2008. These funds have been utilized to improve the lives of Coeur d’Alene residents in a variety of ways, including the following: installation of ADA curb cuts, providing emergency minor home repairs, applying ADA accessibility improvements in homes and around town, and granting modest funding allotments to community organizations.

It is important to note that CDBG funds are purposed to benefit low-to-moderate income persons or households and provide benefit for struggling community locales. As a federal program, this program does have strict eligibility requirements, including the National Objectives listed below:

Aid in the prevention or elimination of slum and blight; or
Benefit to low and moderate-income persons;
Meet a certain community development need having a particular urgency.

Basic CDBG Process:

The City determines projects for funding under the grant through a combination of formal and informal processes:

For each year's funding allocation, City Staff identifies projects that would meet goals established in the City's Five-year Consolidated Plan. Those projects are proposed in the City's Annual Action Plan and are presented to the public for review and comment as part of its required and robust citizen participation process.
The City makes available a predetermined amount of grant funding to be awarded through a competitive process. Applications are solicited from the community and reviewed by an ad hoc Committee who makes recommendations to the City Council for final approval.
The City accepts, reviews, and considers requests for funding from community members, organizations, developers, businesses, et al regarding the priorities set forth in the Consolidated Plan. The City has an open door policy regarding discussion of large projects and determination of the priority of funding.

The City of Coeur d'Alene has a consolidated plan that will be updated every 5 years, which outlines the needs for the community and establishes goals and benchmarks for the program. Additionally, an annual action plan will be prepared each year, illustrating what projects/programs will be funded each year.

The City has prepared a robust citizen participation plan which outlines public comment periods and methods for amending the 5-year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan. The City asks Coeur d’Alene residents to please participate and attend public forums and public hearings. The City depends on public feedback and engagement to ensure that these community dollars hit the mark on community needs.

The City has an in-house Community Development Specialist on staff to administer its CDBG Grant. The CDBG Community Development Specialist is available by appointment, to answer questions, deliver application help and review, as well as to provide one-on-one technical assistance to applicants regarding funding proposals and eligibility requirements.

Staff Contact Information:

Sherrie Badertscher
Community Development Specialist
710 E. Mullan Avenue
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814
[email protected]
(208) 769-2382