COLORADO SPRINGS — The Colorado Springs Community Development Division, led by manager Steve Posey, detailed how they plan to spend 6.2 million dollars of grant money this year.
“We did receive CARES Act funding last year through both the Community Funding Block Grant Program and through the Emergency Solutions Grant Program,” Posey said.
That funding helped people in the community find a place to stay and be safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Those community development block grant funds we have used primarily to help people stay housed during the coronavirus pandemic. The Emergency Solutions Grant Funds we have used primarily to operate what’s called a homeless isolation shelter,” Posey said.
This year's action plan focuses on providing more housing for the low-income community.
“Their incomes are not going up, but the housing costs here in Colorado Springs continue to go up,” said Posey.
In addition to housing, the funds are also being used to help small businesses that were unable to access funds in the past.
“We’ve got an ongoing program, a very small targeted economic development assistance program that’s going to help some of those entrepreneurs stay in business and hopefully hire a few more people and see their businesses grow,” Posey said.
Looking ahead they plan to focus their investment into high poverty neighborhoods using these three programs, using the relief funds from the Cares Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.
“We will also be making funds available to encourage development of additional housing, specifically multi-family housing here in Colorado Springs,” said Posey.
