Business View Magazine - September 2016 57
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
:
