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Using Federal Funds From The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Each year, the City of Aurora receives funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to address community development and housing needs in the City. The amount of funding that we receive is allocated through a formula based on the population and demographics of our community. The funds are appropriated by the U.S. Congress as part of the federal budget process.

In order to qualify for this funding, the City is required to develop a five-year Consolidated Plan using U.S. Census data and input from residents, local service providers, elected officials, and the general public. The Consolidated Plan prioritizes needs and sets goals for addressing those needs over a five-year period. Activities proposed for funding must meet at least one of three national objectives:

• Benefit low- and moderate-income residents
• Alleviate or eliminate slum or blight conditions
• Meet other community needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community where other financial resources are not available to meet such needs

Annually, the City engages the public in a process to craft a one-year action plan for the use of HUD funds, based on the priorities and goals outlined in the five-year Consolidated Plan. The Annual Action Plan is adopted by the Aurora City Council and submitted to HUD for approval. At the end of each program year, the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) is submitted to HUD, describing the activities that were funded and benchmarking results tied to the goals formulated in the Consolidated Plan.

Throughout each step in this process, citizen involvement and input is sought. A Block Grant Working Committee comprised of representatives from each City Ward, as well as the two at-large aldermen and the Mayor, meets once a month with Neighborhood Redevelopment staff for a progress report and discussion of concerns. The Block Grant Working Committee conducts public hearings on all proposed action items. The City Council approves all action items before documents are submitted to HUD for federal review.

All actions and reports are available to the public electronically via the City’s website; materials can be easily downloaded by clicking on the appropriate title under the heading “Important Documents” on this website. Paper copies of all documents are available at the Neighborhood Redevelopment office and at the three branches of the Aurora Public Library.

Please call us at 630-256-3320 if you have questions.