City of Columbia recognizes National Community Development Week, stresses importance of federal funding

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — Monday kicks off “National Community Development Week” — placing a spotlight on the funding it takes to improve our local neighborhoods, and how federal dollars play a role.

First recognized back in 1986, Councilwoman Tina Herbert says this week also marks the 50th anniversary of community development block grant funding — federal dollars provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD.

The block grant funding is used to improve neighborhood initiatives around the city, including housing rehabilitation programs like SHINE, and gathering spots like Hyatt Park, T.S. Martin Park, Fairwold Park, and E.B. Sessions Park.

City of Columbia’s Director of Community Development Felicia Kilgore calls the funds a pillar of improvement for our local communities, saying the block grant also helps build better roads into low income neighborhoods, and supports affordable housing loan programs.

“Everyone needs a place to stay. As the city begins to grow and develop and improve, those workers working with those organizations in those restaurants in those hotels. Those are working class individuals. With the prices of homes now, the market has changed over the past few years. Affordable housing is even more important today. And so we’d like to be able to utilize those dollars to help maximize and support affordable housing unit,” Kilgore says.

“National Community Development Week” is intentionally held during the congressional appropriations process to help further shine a spotlight on the need for block grant funding.

Mayor Daniel Rickenmann calls funding the cornerstone for rebuilding here on a local level.

“It’s weatherization, it’s home ownership. It’s the opportunity for us to leverage these federal dollars really to rebuild our community. When you think about the flood in 2015, that was part of the funding to help rebuild some of these homes, so yea I think it’s key and we’re going to continue to ask our congressmen to really support it. And our state senators as well so we continue to get that funding,” says Rickenmann.