The overview
Round Rock City Council approved a plan July 11 to spend Community Development Block Grant funding for fiscal year 2024-25.
Over $642,000 was allocated to the city to implement programs for affordable housing, for suitable living environments or to boost economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals. As part of the program, Joe Brehm, community and neighborhood services director, said the city may use up to 65% of the funds toward city projects, while 15% can go to public services. An additional 20% of the funding can go to administering the grant.
The following projects and programs were approved to receive funding in FY 2024-25:
- Greenhill Park playground and shade structure: $240,000
- Community and neighborhood services home repair program: $177,453
- Program administration: $128,446
- Assist 850 households with food from the Round Rock Area Serving Center food pantry: $30,000
- Assist 120 residents with rent or mortgage assistance from the RRASC’s housing assistance program: $30,000
- Assist 100 children through Court Appointed Special Advocates: $20,000
- Assist 100 seniors with nutritious meals from Williamson-Burnet Counties Meals on Wheels program: $16,334
The Community Development Block Grant is a program by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help ensure affordable housing and services to vulnerable communities.
To be eligible for the CDBG funding, projects must meet one of three objectives, including:
- Benefit low- to moderate-income persons
- Prevent slum or blight
- Meet an urgent need
The RRASC has seen an increase in service demand in recent years, as the cost of living, groceries and transportation has exacerbated people's need for assistance, Executive Director Lori Scott told Community Impact in previous reporting.
After the nonprofit organization saw spike in its caseload between 2018-22, it spurred RRASC staff to seek additional space to house the center's clothing and furniture stores. Last September, the center broke ground on a new 16,000-square-foot facility at a cost of $7 million.
Diving deeper
Brehm said as part of the city’s home repair program, each home staff visit receives a full inspection. While a homeowner might initially apply for CDBG funding to go to a new HVAC unit or water heater, the city is able to stretch those dollars further.
"Since we’re already there and we’re deployed, it makes sense for us to try to identify any other safety or health improvements we can [make] to the house," Brehm said. "So often times one item turns into three or four."
Quote of note
"I’ve always been a big believer that government doesn’t need to be in the social service world," Mayor Craig Morgan said. "The way we do it is let the nonprofits that are the experts do it, but we also know that the Serving Center is expanding—Hope Alliance is expanding. That’s a good thing, but then that’s a bad thing because it tells us that the demand is getting greater."
