U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Recognizes Arlington’s Successes

By Office of Communication

Posted on December 27, 2018, December 27, 2018

The City of Arlington recently received an exemplary performance evaluation from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on the administration of $4 million in federal housing and community development grant funds.

The evaluation report provides an overview of accomplishments by the City of Arlington in the past program year. Key objectives of the annual report described the City's successful efforts in providing decent housing, suitable and sustainable living environments, homeless services and progress made in the Central Arlington Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area and East Arlington Target Area.

The federal funds were leveraged with approximately $20 million in public and private community resources to improve neighborhoods, housing opportunities and social services in The American Dream City. These projects align with the Arlington City Council priority to Champion Great Neighborhoods.

"The City of Arlington and partner organizations have worked together to meet the needs of thousands of Arlington residents," Assistant City Manager Jennifer Wichmann said. "Community Development Block Grants and HOME Investment Partnership funds increase housing opportunities, improve neighborhoods and provide much needed social services. The impact of these investments has made a significant difference for many residents in our community."

Accomplishments during the past year were noted in the following areas:

Housing Opportunities:

• Housing Rehabilitation grants were provided to 67 low- and moderate-income households.
• Homeownership Assistance grants were provided to seven first-time homebuyers
• Two hundred seventy-six individuals received a minimum of 10 hours of pre-purchase education and counseling, budgeting, home maintenance and foreclosure prevention training.
• Tenant-Based Rental Assistance was provided to 44 homeless families.
• The City's HOME funded Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) completed construction of a new home in the Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy Area.
• The City participated in the collaborative effort to address homelessness in Tarrant County, resulting in the award of $11,923,476 in Continuum of Care (CoC) funds.
• The Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) supported three shelters, which provided temporary shelter to 1,937 individuals, including 606 children and 1,331 adults.

Improve Neighborhoods:

• Provided Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to 19 non-profit organizations and two City departments serving approximately 13,021 Arlington residents during the program year.
• Code Enforcement completed 1,286 inspections at 734 unduplicated properties in the Central Arlington NRSA.
• A total of 43 students attended literacy classes and two passed the GED and 19 students participated in a job readiness program offered by Water From the Rock, a Community-Based Development Organization.
• Provided a range of youth services to 10,267 low-income youth through Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boy and Girls Club, Dental Health Arlington, Girls Inc., HOPE Tutoring, Arlington Parks Department Build A Dream Scholarship
• Sixty and Better provided meals and transportation to 200 seniors.
• Mission Metroplex provided access to transportation to 60 low-income clients.
• Dental Health for Arlington provided dental clinic services to 499 individuals and dental prevention services to 8,784 elementary students at Title 1 schools.
• The Women's Center of Tarrant County provided recovery and rehabilitation services to 92 victims of violent crime.
• The Center for Transforming Lives provided full-day quality childcare to 24 low-income children.
• The Arlington Library provided literacy opportunities to 383 adults to become proficient in reading and speaking English.

For more information, visit the Grants Management website.