Community funds head for Carson

Twenty years ago this month, I got lucky - I landed a state job.

Not just any state job. I was hired by the Governor's Office of Community Services.

The Nevada Office of Community Services was run by an eclectic and hardworking staff who managed a collection of federally funded programs that helped communities, agencies and individuals in urban and rural areas.

The energy assistance program helped low-income people stay warm in the north and cool in the south by paying their utility bills. We weatherized the homes of the elderly to keep out the chilly wind. A companion energy program channeled federal funds to school districts and other physical plants to improve energy efficiency. The Community Services Block Grant funded nonprofit agencies providing local social services. The state planning office tracked federal land and airspace grabs, and published county profiles and the state statistical abstract. There was even a small-business assistance program and loan fund to create jobs in rural areas.

We also served as an informal resource for rural communities. When a rural county commissioner had a problem, he called NOCS. We did our best to respond. While we were working on different programs under one roof, the staff shared the common goal of community service.

I was hired to help manage the state's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. That's a long bureaucratic name for a program that has worked wonders in Nevada's cities and towns by providing federal dollars for improvements to water and sewer systems, senior centers, and community facilities; for fire trucks, ambulances, and health clinics; and for essential planning, design, and engineering. All the rural cities and counties can compete for funds, but most projects must benefit low income people.

My job was to make sure that cities and counties understood the program, applied for funds, followed the rules, spent the funds, and completed projects on time. The extensive travel in rural Nevada was an added bonus. It was gratifying to visit a small community and see how the CDBG funds had made a difference, to meet people determined to improve the community no matter what, and to build relationships based on the shared goal of community development.

Carson City has been part of the state's rural CDBG program since it began in 1982. Now that the population exceeds 50,000, our city is entitled to receive CDBG funds annually directly from the feds - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - without having to compete with other cities and towns.

Carson City is in the midst of planning and outreach activities so that when the funds arrive in July, they'll be ready to give them out. According to HUD, "the objectives of the CDBG program are to provide decent, affordable housing, promote neighborhood revitalization, provide public facilities and services, and expand economic development opportunities for low and moderate-income individuals."

One of the benefits of becoming an entitlement city is that a portion of the funds can be earmarked every year for projects to support non-profit groups which provide social services. (This was not a practical option under the state's program.) Yesterday, Carson City staff conducted a workshop for nonprofit groups interested in competing for CDBG public service funds.

They are also planning to use this year's CDBG allocation for capital improvement projects (streets, sidewalks, parks, lighting, and energy retrofits are some possible uses of the funds). Capital improvement decisions will be part of the city's budgeting process this spring.

The CDBG program is meant to support community development by addressing the needs of low- to moderate-income residents. The challenge for Carson City in the next two years is to plan and develop an effective program which will identify and target those needs, involve the public, and build relationships to improve the quality of life for those who need it most.

To learn more about CDBG, contact Joe McCarthy with Carson City Economic Development/Redevelopment Department at 887-2101 ext. 1208.

There is no contact number for the Nevada Office of Community Services: it was dissolved in 1989, and its programs were distributed to other state agencies. While the programs continue to serve their purpose elsewhere, the focal point for rural community officials is gone.

But the camaraderie of the Office of Community Services staff lives on. Tonight, former staff will gather to tell stories about the past and celebrate the spirit of that former agency which will always be with us.

Abby Johnson consults on rural community development, public involvement and nuclear waste issues. She is married, lives in Carson City, and has one high school-aged child.Contact her at editor@nevadaappeal.com.