County Celebrates National Community Development Week

Highlighting the Successes and Importance of Federal Grants

April 21, 2025 – National Community Development (NCD) Week is an annual celebration of the lasting impact and achievements of the Federally-funded Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Programs. This week highlights the critical, locally-led projects and services that these programs support, while emphasizing the ongoing need for Federal investment to sustain their success.

This year marks the 51st Anniversary of the CDBG Program, and Los Angeles County (County) is proud to champion awareness, education, and advocacy for these essential community resources. This milestone honors the vital role CDBG has played in the growth of neighborhoods and communities, while also acknowledging the dedication of community-based organizations, County departments, and participating cities that assist low- and moderate-income residents across the County.

For over five decades, the CDBG Program has served as a cornerstone for community empowerment, funding initiatives to address infrastructure, affordable housing, and economic development needs. Recognized as the most successful Federally-supported local Program ever authorized by Congress, the County, through the Los Angeles County Development Authority (LACDA), administers the largest CDBG Urban County Program in the nation, covering both unincorporated areas and 47 participating cities.

The County’s CDBG Program consistently exceeds the Federal requirement to allocate 70% of its funds to benefit low- and moderate-income individuals. In the past Fiscal Year, the Program allocated a total of $30.5 million, with more than 99% of these funds directly supporting qualified low- and moderate-income individuals.

The CDBG Program’s success lies in its flexibility, enabling local governments to address a wide range of community needs, such as housing rehabilitation, public services for seniors, youth, and those experiencing homelessness, economic development initiatives, improvements to public facilities, and affordable housing.

Additionally, for 32 years, the HOME Program has provided crucial funding to ensure safe, affordable places to live. Since its inception in 1992, the County has successfully invested over $340 million in HOME funds to support innovative housing projects for low-income families. The HOME Program’s leverage capacity is particularly impactful, with a leveraging ratio of 5.4 times for rental projects, resulting in over $1.1 billion in local housing investments since 1992.

The LACDA’s Executive Director, Emilio Salas, states, “Our agency works diligently each year to gather input from community members and businesses to identify local needs and recommend strategic investments that strengthen communities. During NCD Week, we celebrate our mission to Build Better Lives and Better Neighborhoods, as it drives the effective delivery of CDBG- and HOME-funded Programs to individuals, families, and businesses across the County.”

While the achievements of these Programs are critical and highly needed, they face challenges due to past budget cuts, which have resulted not only in funding reductions but also in flat funding that fails to keep pace with rising costs. For Federal Fiscal Year 2025, the CDBG Program will allocate $3.30 billion, and the HOME Program will receive $1.25 billion. We urge you to join us in advocating for the preservation of these programs by telling Congress how vital CDBG and HOME are to your community. Click here to find your U.S. House and Senate representatives.