The Community Development Block Grant Program Revitalizes and Strengthens Our Local Communities
The Community Development Commission/Housing Authority of the County of Los Angeles (CDC/HACoLA) joined First District County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis to highlight the Pellissier Market Façade Improvement Project during 2018 National Community Development (NCD) Week.
Pellissier Market has been serving the unincorporated area of Pellissier Village for 61 years, establishing itself as a community staple and a local gathering place. With help from Supervisor Solis, CDC/HACoLA provided approximately $182,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and other funds for façade improvements that restored its social significance. The grand reopening on December 2, 2017, brought County leaders and community residents to celebrate the improvements made to Pellissier Market and La Placita del Pueblo.
When we build, invest, and leverage resources, our communities thrive. Thanks to CDBG, Pellissier Market has been revitalized for all community members to enjoy,” said Supervisor Solis.
The façade improvements, completed through CDC/HACoLA’s RENOVATE Program, exemplify the value CDBG brings to local communities. Among the improvements to Pellissier Market are exterior painting, a new accessibility ramp along the main entry with a landing surface and railings, mounting of outdoor entry lights and new front door. Further, the design of La Placita offers improved accommodations, such as an outdoor canopy for shading and refurbished benches.
Monique King-Viehland, CDC/HACoLA Executive Director said, “The purpose of the RENOVATE Program is to provide storefronts new character and stimulate investment in the business. Without CDBG funding, this program would be at risk of elimination, which would hurt Los Angeles County and communities across the nation.”
NCD Week, celebrated April 2 through April 6, 2018, offers the opportunity to promote the successes and flexibility of CDBG. For more than 40 years, it has provided cities, counties, and states an important source of funds to address their unique affordable housing and community and economic development needs. Through its long history, the CDBG Program has demonstrated time and again its value to local communities through various uses of funding and the results achieved. Without CDBG, many of these services and the ability to revitalize community facilities and businesses, such as this façade improvement program, would be at risk of elimination as funding from other sources are either not available, competitive, or are not stable.