Community Development

Relevant Committees

The Texas Community Development Block Grant Program (TxCDBG) plays a critical role in helping smaller communities in our region meet infrastructure needs in low- to-moderate income areas. Administered statewide by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), TxCDBG is the Community Development Block Grant Program for rural communities.

Communitites that are eligible for the TxCDBG funding are called non-entitlement communities, which are cities with populations under 50,000 and counties with populations under 200,000. They are called non-entitlement because entitement areas are eligible for funding from the federal Community Development Block Grant.

At the regional level, NCTCOG assists TDA in the administration of the TxCDBG Community Development Fund (CDF). The CDF provides grant funding to cities and counties for water, sewer, housing, and other improvements. 

Please visit TDA’s CDBG Announcements page for recent news about the program.
 

Rule Change to Scoring Methods for TxCDBG

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) adopted new rules on February 24th that change the process for creating criteria and scoring methods for the Texas Community Development Block Grant (TxCDBG). These rules dissolved the Regional Review Committee (RRC) that previously chose the criteria and prioritized project types for funding. TDA will convene a state committee, the United Scoring Committee (USC), to select the criteria. The list of criteria the USC will choose from is available here. The USC will have a representative from each planning region. The region is still responsible for determining the priority project types.

To determine priority project types, NCTCOG will hold a committee meeting with regional stakeholders, on April 14, 2020 at 1:30pm through video conference. Then there will be a public comment period over the selected prioritized project types ending with a public meeting on May 19, 2020 through video conference. The list of all project types that have been prioritized across the state and the default that will be used if regional stakeholders do not select first, second, and third level prioritized projects is available here.

 

Timeline

TxCDBG Prioritized Projects Committee Meeting
Tuesday, April 14, 2020
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Video conference information is available here

TxCDBG Prioritized Projects Public Meeting*
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
1:30 pm - 3:30 pm
Video conference information is available here

United Scoring Committee Training and Meeting
June 1-2, 2020
Corpus Christi

*Due to public health concerns, both HUD and the State of Texas have extended options for telephonic and virtual public meetings. For more information please visit https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-allows-virtual-and-telephonic-open-meetings-to-maintain-government-transparency

2019-2020 Texas Community Development Block Grant Program

Documents for the 2019-2020 Cycle

The guidebooks, guidelines, and application for this cycle are available below:


*Some of these documents may require the use of Internet Explorer to open.

Community Development Fund Eligible Communities

For more information, visit the links below or contact Olivia Kale at OKale@nctcog.org or 817-695-9213.

Community Development Fund 
Through the Community Development Fund, awards of up to $500,000 are available for projects that benefit at least 51% low- to moderate-income persons. Priority is given to projects that address water, sewer, and housing needs in the region. Most incorporated cities with populations under 50,000 and counties with populations under 200,000 are eligible to apply.

Congratulations to those in the North Central Texas region who received grant funding in previous cycles. The 2010-2017 recipients are listed below.

 

2017 Recipients

Alvord
Dawson
Emhouse
Farmersville
Ferris
Frost
Garrett
Graford
Grandview
Greenville
Kaufman
Kemp
Lipan
Milford
Mineral Wells
Pelican Bay
Quinlan
Rice
Richland
Rio Vista

2016 Recipients

Alvarado
Blooming Grove
Bridgeport
Campbell 
Celina
Chico
Corsicana
Crandall
Glen Rose
Gaford
Hackberry
Joshua
Kaufman County
Kerens
Palo Pinto County
Scurry
Stephenville
Tolar
Venus
West Tawakoni

2015 Recipients

Alma 
Bardwell 
Barry 
Caddo Mills 
Celeste 
Commerce 
Dawson
Dublin 
Ennis 
Frost 
Hood County 
Italy 
Lone Oak 
Mabank 
Palmer 
Rosser 
Strawn 
Wolfe City
 

2014 Recipients

Anna
Aubrey
Boyd
Cool
Cresson
Emhouse
Farmersville
Garrett
Godley
Goodlow
Graford
Hackberry
Johnson County
Kerens
Melissa
Palo Pinto County
Quinlan
Springtown
Terrell
 

2013 Recipients

Alvarado
Bardwell
Bridgeport
Celeste
Chico
Corsicana
Ellis County
Ferris
Frost
Grandview
Greenville
Hunt County
Italy
Kaufman
Mabank
Palmer
Pelican Bay
Stephenville
Tolar

2012 Recipients

Caddo Mills
Dawson
Emhouse
Hackberry
Hawk Cove
Kerens
Maypearl
Newark
Palo Pinto County
Red Oak
Reno (Parker County)
Rice
Rio Vista
Sanger
Strawn
Terrell

2011 Recipients

Aurora
Bardwell
Boyd
Bridgeport
Cleburne
Commerce
Cool
Dublin
Goodlow
Graford
Kaufman County
Milford
Pelican Bay
Springtown
Venus
West Tawakoni
Wolfe City

2010 Recipients

Anna
Aurora
Blooming Grove
Dawson
Garrett
Godley
Graford
Greenville
Hood County
Lipan
Lone Oak
Parker County
Pelican Bay
Rhome
West Tawakoni

Other Funds

Funding Sources for Improvement of Water/Sewer Systems, Other Public Infrastructure, and Housing
The Texas Community Development Program (TCDP) provides grant funding to cities and counties for improvement of water/sewer systems, other public facilities and infrastructure, and housing. The non-entitlement portion of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). The Texas Community Development Program includes the funds listed below.

Community Development Fund

The Community Development Fund is available on a biennial basis through regional competition for assistance to eligible cities and counties to address public facilities and housing needs. Eligible activities include infrastructure projects such as sewer and water system improvements, street, bridge, and drainage improvements, and housing rehabilitation.

For more information, contact the Environment & Development Department at 817/695-9210.

Planning and Capacity Building Fund

Funding is available on a biennial basis through a statewide competition to provide assistance to eligible cities and counties for planning activities that assess local needs, develop strategies to address local needs, build or improve local infrastructure capacity, or that include other needed planning elements. The planning process undertaken with these funds should result in an improved local capacity to identify long and short-term needs and to develop implementable strategies to address the identified community needs.

Small Town Environment Program(STEP) Fund

Funds are available for grants on a direct award basis to cities and counties to provide grant assistance to cities and communities recognizing the need and willingness to solve water and sewer problems through Small Towns Environment Program (STEP) self-help techniques. The STEP approach to solving water and sewer needs recognizes affordability factors related to the construction and operations/maintenance of the necessary water or sewer improvements and then initiates a local focus of control based on the capacity and readiness of the community's residents to solve the problem through self-help.

By utilizing the community's own resources (human, material and financial), the necessary water or sewer construction costs, engineering costs, and related administration costs can be reduced significantly from the cost for the installation of the same improvements through conventional construction methods. TCDP staff will provide guidance, assistance, and support to community leaders and residents willing to use self-help to solve their water and sewer problems.

Disaster Relief/Urgent Need Fund

The Disaster Relief Fund assists communities on an as-needed basis for recovery from natural disasters, such as a drought, flooding, or tornadoes, where the Governor has proclaimed a State disaster or has requested a federal disaster declaration. Depending on the nature and extent of the damage caused by the natural disaster, priority for the use of TCDP funds is the restoration of basic human needs such as water and sewer facilities and housing.

Assistance is available through the Urgent Need fund for projects that include activities to address water or sewer urgent needs that have resulted in either death, illness, injury, or pose an imminent threat to life or health within the affected applicant's jurisdiction.

Economic Development

Supports rural business development, retention and expansion by providing funds for public infrastructure, real estate development, or the elimination of deteriorated conditions.

Renewable Energy

Grants for renewable energy technologies to help rural communities reduce energy costs for their water and wastewater treatment facilities.

Texas Capital Fund

This fund offers grants to eligible communities for economic development needs by providing infrastructure and real estate improvements in support of businesses willing to create/retain jobs. The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) administers this program. For more information, visit the TDA's website at (512) 463-7476, (800) TELL-TDA (835-5832).

Housing Fund

The Housing Fund is available for infrastructure development to support affordable housing activities through the Housing Infrastructure Fund and for housing rehabilitation activities through the Housing Rehabilitation Fund.

  1. Housing Infrastructure Fund: Funds are available to provide grants on a direct award basis for the infrastructure development to support the construction of affordable single family and multifamily low to moderate income housing. The funds may not be used for the actual construction costs of new housing.
  2. Housing Rehabilitation Fund: Funding is available annually through a statewide competitive process for grants to cities and counties to provide loan or deferred loan assistance for the rehabilitation of existing owner-occupied and renter-occupied housing units and, in strictly limited circumstances, the construction of new housing that is accessible to persons with disabilities. Application selection and scoring criteria for this fund will place some emphasis on housing activities that are targeted towards the provision of accessible housing for persons with disabilities. Housing units that are rehabilitated under this fund must be brought up to HUD Section 8 Existing Housing Quality Standards or local housing codes.

 

For More Information

For more information about funds available through the Texas Community Development Program, visit the TDA using the contact information above.

For more information about the North Central Texas Council of Government's (NCTCOG) involvement in TCDP, contact the Environment & Development Department at 817/695-9210.

Fair Housing

The 1968 Fair Housing Act protects people from discrimination.

You cannot be denied access to a home solely on the basis of color, race, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or your familial status (children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women, and people securing custody of children under the age of 18).

The Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) and the Texas state Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) are committed to affirmatively furthering Fair Housing in conjunction with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA).

Affirmatively furthering Fair Housing is a requirement of the CDBG program and TDA requires units of general local governments applying for CDBG funds to successfully affirmatively further Fair Housing.

More details regarding Fair Housing in Texas and the Fair Housing Act may be found on the TDHCA website at the following link: http://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/housing-center/fair-housing/index.htm

NCTCOG's Fair Housing Brochure

Fair Housing Facts

In recognition of April as Fair Housing Month, the Department of Housing and Urban Development provides the following facts concerning the Fair Housing Act:

  • The Fair Housing Act protects everyone. No one can be denied housing because of their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability.
  • The assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968 prompted passage of Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, known as the Fair Housing Act. The bill was signed by President Lyndon Johnson on April 11, 1968.
  • Within one year of its passage, HUD began receiving 1,000 complaints a year. By 1988, complaints leveled off to about 5,000 a year.
  • In 1989, additional amendments were implemented to strengthen the Fair Housing Act. They extended the act to cover discrimination based on disability and family status and added new enforcement mechanisms. These new provisions stimulated a dramatic increase in complaints. By the mid-1990's, HUD was receiving 10,000 complaints a year.
  • HUD works with some 80 state and local agencies to review and investigate fair housing complaints In the last 9 years,
  • HUD and its partner agencies have resolved nearly 25,000 complaints.
  • HUD and its partner agencies found 4,000 cases of real discrimination.
  • Two-thirds of the housing discrimination cases investigated by HUD resulted in positive outcomes for the complainant.


Here are some of the protections we enjoy because of the Fair Housing Act:

  • Apartment managers cannot deny housing to blind people just because they have seeing eye dogs.
  • Apartment buildings with 4 or more units, built after March 13, 1991, must be accessible to people with disabilities. If the building has more than one story, but no elevators, then the ground floor units must be accessible. If the building does have elevators, then all units must be accessible.
  • Apartment owners and managers must approve reasonable modifications to apartments and common areas to accommodate people with disabilities, as long as those tenants pay for the modifications.
  • It is not permissible to ask whether an applicant for an apartment has a disability or to ask about the nature or severity of the disability.
  • An Administrative Law Judge can order landlords who discriminate to pay penalties.
  • Mortgage companies cannot discriminate when making loans. HUD is proud of the fact that nearly 120 mortgage lenders have gone a step farther by signing a Fair Lending Agreement, to promote the principles of the Fair Housing Act.


To file a fair housing complaint, contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development toll free at 1-800-669-9777.

Fair Housing Information Sources

The State of Texas is committed to Fair Housing. Following are some of the sources of information and/or assistance:

  • Office of Fair Housing and Equal OpportunityRoom 5116 
    Department of Housing and Urban Development 
    451 Seventh Street. S.W. 
    Washington, D.C. 20410-2000 
    (202) 708-2878


For the National HUD Discrimination Hotline, call 1-800-669-9777, or for the hearing impaired, call TDD # 1-800-927-9275

 

Fair Housing Links