Harford County Department of Community Services to Hold Public Hearings; Comments on Annual Action Plan Sought

From Harford County government:

During June and July, the Harford County Department of Community Services will hold a series of public comment hearings on the department’s annual Action Plan. The Action Plan is written yearly and allows updates to be made to the department’s five-year Consolidated Plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Updates to items such as population and census data, which may change throughout the years leading up to the next planning cycle, are addressed via the Action Plan. The Department of Community Services is the lead agency responsible for administering programs covered by the Consolidated Plan and for drafting and submitting the Five-Year Consolidated and the Annual Action Plan documents. This annual plan includes information regarding resources (federal and other), activities to be undertaken, geographic distribution, homeless and other special needs, program-specific requirements, and other actions.

Goals and projects for the Annual Action Plan are based upon those identified in the Consolidated Plan. Current needs and priorities are discussed throughout the year, with specific input sought from a number of community resources. The meetings and funding process reviews provide the opportunity to gain community participation throughout the year.

The Annual Action Plan process will be presented and a needs discussion will take place at the following Public Comment Hearings:

– Monday, June 20 at 7pm – Havre de Grace City Hall (711 Pennington Avenue)

– Wednesday, June 22 at 11am – Highland Senior Center (708 Highland Road, Street)

– Thursday June 23 at 4pm – Bel Air Town Hall (39 Hickory Avenue )

– Monday July 11 at 7pm – Aberdeen City Hall (60 N. Parke Street)

– Tuesday, July 12 at 4:30pm – Edgewood Library (629 Edgewood Road)

– Wednesday, July 13 at 12pm – Department of Community Services (319 S. Main Street, Bel Air)

On Thursday, July 28, 2011, the Annual Action Plan will be available at all branches of the Harford County Public Library for public review.

The Action Plan input builds upon information gained during events hosted by the Department of Community Services during the consolidated planning process. Harford County seeks inclusive, extensive input from community stakeholders, including low-to-moderate income persons, non-profit and for-profit providers, government agencies, commissions, task forces, and concerned citizens. Members of these groups, recipients of their services, and Harford County citizens have the opportunity to provide input in the following forums: needs hearings, planning and survey groups, various focus groups, and public hearings. The Department of Community Services also partners with a number of provider groups resulting in studies and task forces designed to identify action items for the Consolidated Plan.

The Consolidated Plan outlines Harford County’s five year strategy that proposes how the county will use local, state, and federal resources, as well as funds from Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and the Emergency Shelter Grant Program (ESG), in an effort to help create decent housing, expand economic opportunity, and ensure a suitable living environment for low to moderate income persons and communities.

The Consolidated Plan is a result of a collaborative effort that features input from a variety of stakeholders, including participants from low to moderate income communities, community groups, non-profit organizations, government agencies, and business associations. The purpose of this collaboration is to identify goals and objectives to coordinate a response to the challenges our rapidly changing County will encounter over the next five years.

For more information, contact the Harford County Department of Community Services at 410-638-3389.