Business View Magazine - November 2016

Business View Magazine - November 2016 93 NCDA’s immediate precursor was an association called the Model Cities Director Association, which was cre- ated to help implement the Model Cities Program of the late 1960s. “It was meant to help inner city areas with their slum and blight issues,” she says, “as well as provide other services – recreation, infrastructure, the razing of blighted buildings.” In 1974, when the federal government’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program was enacted into law, Model Cities was absorbed into the new entity. “CDBG basi- cally combined several existing block grants from dif- ferent agencies into one program that’s now centered in HUD,” she explains. “So, our members go back to the ‘60s.” Those members of the NCDA are local government agencies that receive direct funding from HUD for their own city’s or town’s CDBG programs. “Some of our members also administer a couple of other HUD pro- grams that work in tandem with CDBG,” Watson says. “For example, the Home Investment Partnerships pro- gram is an affordable housing block grant. Our mem- bers also administer HUD’s Homeless Assistance pro- grams. The Emergency Solutions grant is a homeless block grant that funnels into city and state agencies to help with emergency shelter needs. And then, there’s something called the Continuum of Care program that provides permanent and transitional housing.” Another program, according to Michael Look, a CDBG manager for the City of Seattle, and the NCDA’s current President, is HOPWA – the Housing Opportunities for Persons with Aids program. “It’s another block grant of flexible funding for cities and other jurisdictions to use to provide housing services for people with AIDS,” he states. As a member-based organization, Watson defines the NCDA’s main focus as one of education. “We have two primary conferences where members can come together and learn about the latest updates in their program areas, as well as learn from their peers in AT A GLANCE WHO: The National Community Development As- sociation WHAT: A non-profit organization comprised of local governments that administer federal grant programs WHERE: Washington, D.C. WEBSITE : www.ncdaonline.org