Gov. Spencer Cox has declared the second week in April as Community Development Week in the state of Utah.

The proclamation recognizes the importance of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which is among the few flexible sources of federal funds that remain available to local governments for community development. Projects must primarily benefit low-income and moderate-income individuals.

For more than four decades, CDBG has provided communities throughout Utah with an important source of funds to address affordable housing, infrastructure, and community development needs. The CDBG program provides grants throughout the state to create local approaches that improve the physical, economic and social conditions in communities by providing vital resources. 

Since 1982, CDBG has provided $259,780,242 to fund 2,695 projects in small cities in Utah. Some of these projects include single family housing rehabilitation in four regions of the state - Six County, Bear River, Southeastern, and Uintah Basin. Additional projects throughout the state consist of culinary water projects, senior center improvements, ADA accessibility, street improvements, and land acquisition for affordable housing units.

The Housing and Community Development Division of the Department of Workforce Services administers the state’s Small Cities CDBG program, working with associations of governments to hold public meetings and hearings across the state to obtain citizen input on community needs.