The City of Gloucester today announced that it had award more than $145,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to eight organizations in support of housing, healthcare, small business and youth employment programs in the community. The 2015 CDBG Program, which is funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is an important element of the social safety system in Gloucester that leverages community partnerships and creative, innovative delivery of services to provide the highest level of benefits to residents.
“Gloucester is proud to support worthy organizations with CDBG funds,” said Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken. “These groups have been excellent partners with the City and provide needed services to the community for housing, social services, job training, and small business growth.”
The 2015 CDBG recipients include:
Cape Ann YMCA Youth Employment Program $35,000.00
This entry level employment program for young adults entering the job market entails the “Y” recruiting, training, supervising and employing more than 100 Gloucester teens and young adults. Work performed includes community clean up and disposal, basic landscaping, infrastructure maintenance and other tasks assigned through collaborative partners. The season begins on July 1 and continues through Labor Day weekend.
Action, Inc. Home Health Aide (HHA)/Nurse Aide Training $25,000.00
The highly successful Action Home Health Aide program is an employment training program that has helped increase economic opportunity for unemployed and/or underemployed for low- to moderate-income Gloucester residents. In the most recent year, Action provided Home Health Aide training and direct placement and retention to 53 students through local home healthcare companies. In the coming year, Action is adding a new program to train 10 residents who previously completed HHA training as Nurse’s Aides.
Grace Center $15,000.00
Grace Center offers case management services for homeless and low-income adults in crisis. The Center operates as a daytime drop in center, and offers a variety of services, including case management and assessment for needs such as health, housing, food and clothing, fuel assistance, and transportation. Grace Center, which addresses a severe need in the community, served 192 clients in the past year. The Center will expand to five days per week.
Cape Ann YMCA “ACCESS” Program $10,000.00
The YMCA “ACCESS” program provides scholarships for children and families to participate in YMCA programs through a variety of free or reduced memberships and programs that include, but are not limited to: summer camp, swimming lessons, instructional classes and more. The program anticipates serving 100 youths this year.
Gloucester Housing Authority (GHA) $14,000.00
Gloucester Housing Authority (GHA) Cape Ann Homeownership Center counseling program offers pre- and post-foreclosure home counseling, in-house first-time homebuyer classes, one-on-one counseling and online first-time homebuyer lessons. The program is certified by CHAPA’s Massachusetts Collaborative and meets mandatory requirements of the City of Gloucester’s First Time Homebuyer (FTHB), per HOME regulations. The Cape Ann Home Ownership Center, which assisted 145 clients last year, is the only certified program of its kind on Cape Ann.
Backyard Growers Community Gardens $10,000.00
Backyard Growers, doing business as CA Business Incubator, Inc., is a provider of community garden services to low-income areas. Backyard Growers will construct a new community garden at the Veteran’s Way housing complex on the site of the former Riverdale youth garden, five garden beds at the McPherson Park housing complex and improvements to existing community gardens at Pond View Village.
Wellspring House, Inc., Adult Learning Initiative (ALI) $9,832.00
Wellspring House’s ALI serves local, low-income unemployed and underemployed adults who want to prepare to enter into college or who seek new skills to become more competitive in the job market. The eight-week, full-time adult basic education program helps 45-50 low-income employees find better jobs and self-sufficiency.
Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC) $8,000.00
Healing Abuse Working for Change (HAWC) is a domestic violence crisis intervention and prevention program that supports victims of domestic violence through a satellite office in Gloucester. HAWC served 127 clients last year by providing safety planning, referral and advocacy. HAWC’s High Risk team support program also collaborates with police, batterer intervention agencies, the probation department and others in the legal system.
Cape Ann Interfaith Commission (CAIC) Homes Fund $5,000.00
The CAIC Homes Fund offers low income individuals and families with assistance for first or last month’s rent or security deposits. The all-volunteer organization’s efforts prevented and reduced homelessness in 23 households last year.
Open Door Food Pantry $4,000.00
Open Door’s Keeping Our Community Healthy by Connecting People to Good Food program offers free groceries and produce to low-income and underserved people. The program, which operates at varied hours Monday through Friday, offers a “choice pantry” to meet individual nutritional needs. Last year, Open Door served 4,423 individual Gloucester residents.
About the City of Gloucester
America’s oldest seaport, the City of Gloucester is known throughout the world as an authentic, working waterfront community, a place of spectacular natural beauty, and home to a diverse population of about 30,000 residents. An important center for the fishing industry, Gloucester also is proud of its vibrant cultural life and rich art heritage as one of the premier art colonies in the United States. In addition, the city is a destination for thousands of visitors who visit the harbor and its beaches during the summertime. In recent years, Gloucester has been actively diversifying its traditional maritime economy, adding leading small research institutions such as the UMass Amherst Large Pelagics Research Laboratory and the Ocean Alliance to the array of local businesses and state and federal agencies working in the city. Recent advancements in Gloucester include new investments in marine robotics and new product development from the fishery.
Media Contact: Community Development Director Tom Daniel, 978-281-9781
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