The Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations is alarmed by the remarks of Senator Pat Toomey on the U.S. Senate floor yesterday threatening Philadelphia’s $39 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocation and the allocations to other jurisdictions across the country.

CDBG represents a critical annual investment the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) makes to the City of Philadelphia to support a range of job creation, anti-blight, and affordable housing programs. CDBG funds help leverage other local and state resources to develop safe, affordable homes, which not only provide a roof over the heads of Philadelphia families, but also create jobs and improve neighborhood quality of life. CDBG funds are used to help single moms who have fallen behind on their mortgages, as well as grandparents who might otherwise lose their homes to a leaky roof they just can’t afford to have replaced.

CDBG is used to provide a hand up to our neighbors struggling to exit the cycle of homelessness by providing them with supportive housing.  CDBG helps create vibrant neighborhood shopping districts in disinvested areas, including keeping sidewalks free of litter, and a range of supports for small businesses so they can thrive and create neighborhood-based jobs. CDBG also supports the hardworking housing counselors that help people avoid mortgage and tax foreclosure by getting into payment agreements they can handle.

These programs matter because the people they serve matter – seniors, veterans, kids, single moms, working families, and our community’s most vulnerable.  They matter to the city we are and the city we want to be. They are a reflection of our civic virtues and shared commitment to one another. Threatening these resources to serve an unrelated goal is unfair to hardworking Philadelphians that rely on CDBG funds to create safe, healthy, and vibrant communities.

If Senator Toomey cares about the safety and security of Philadelphians, we ask him to join us in fighting for CDBG funding and encourage him, and all federal policy makers, to work with us to build a better tomorrow for all Philadelphians.  This is what our neighbors deserve, and expect, from our elected officials.

We urge you to contact Senator Toomey’s office and ask him to stop threatening our CDBG funding:

Local Office: (215) 241-1090
Washington, D.C. Office: (202) 224-4254
Email: https://www.toomey.senate.gov/?p=contact