NC receives over $12 million in community block grants

More than $12 million was awarded to communities in eight North Carolina counties by the North Carolina Department of Commerce (NCDOC) from the department’s Community Development Block Grant — Neighborhood Revitalization (CDBG-NR) program. The grants fund housing and public improvements for moderate- and low-income individuals. 

“Strong neighborhoods depend on affordable homes and economic opportunities,” said Gov. Josh Stein, in a press release. “These grants will enable local leaders to improve housing and public spaces, helping families build stability and supporting long-term economic growth for North Carolinians across the state.”

Avery County is receiving the largest allocation of $5 million, and Jackson County received the next biggest allotment at $2.5 million, according to the press release. The town of Bethel in Pitt County, the town of Elm City in Wilson County, the town of Nashville in Nash County, and the town of La Grange in Lenoir County each received $950,000. The town of Wallace in Duplin County received $556,400, and the city of Sandyfield in Columbus County received $143,412.

“History shows that block-grant style neighborhood aid often struggles to deliver lasting results,” Kelly Lester, policy analyst at the Center for Food, Power and Life at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. “These programs funnel taxpayer dollars through layers of government with little evidence they sustainably improve affordability or economic mobility. Instead of repeating a model with a mixed track record, North Carolina should focus on policies that actually work, such as reducing zoning and permitting barriers, lowering construction costs, and allowing private investment to respond to community needs. Without addressing those fundamentals, block grants risk becoming expensive, short-term interventions rather than engines of real neighborhood revival.”

The Community Development Block Grant Program is a program of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It is partially administered by the North Carolina Department of Commerce’s Rural Economic Development Division. According to a press release, the program requires that at least 70% of CDBG grants be used to fund projects that benefit low- and moderate-income households.  

“Grants from the Neighborhood Revitalization program help advance our long-standing mission to improve the economic well-being and quality of life for all North Carolinians,” said Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley in a press release. “These funds will help Hurricane Helene-impacted areas as well as other rural communities improve economic prosperity for their residents.”

The program uses a formula-based approach to provide annual grants to states, counties, and cities for the development of urban communities to provide sustainable living environments and decent housing and “expanding economic opportunities” for low and moderate-income individuals, according to HUD. 

Earlier this year, HUD approved a $1.4 billion Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) for western North Carolina. 

“NC receives over $12 million in community block grants” was originally published on www.carolinajournal.com.