•  
  •  

Home / Community & Economic Development / Community Development / CDBG/Home

CDBG/Home

CITY OF BETHLEHEM
PUBLIC NOTICE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM
HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM
2024 PROGRAM YEAR

Posting Date: March 28, 2024
 
Notice of Postponed Public Hearing

The City of Bethlehem previously provided notice that a public hearing on the 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership Programs (HOME) Annual Action Plan (“Annual Action Plan”) would be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 7:00 PM, in the Town Hall Rotunda located at 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018, at the start of the City Council meeting.

This April 2, 2024 hearing has been postponed to a future date to be announced.

Due to federal legislative delays, HUD has not yet released the City’s 2024 CDBG and HOME allocations. The City must include its actual CDBG and HOME allocations, as released by HUD, in its approved Annual Action Plan. Because the Annual Action Plan approval process cannot continue until actual allocations are released, the April 2, 2024 hearing is postponed to a future date to be announced.

If your organization is to receive a program year 2024 CDBG or HOME award, City staff will contact your organization and provide project-specific information on how this revised timeline may affect the timing of your award and availability of funds. We recognize that this timeline uncertainty may cause program complications and we appreciate your patience. 

This notice is issued in accordance with CDBG and HOME regulations. The City of Bethlehem does not discriminate based on disability. If you are in need of language translation services or reasonable disability accommodations related to the written Annual Action Plan, providing comments to the Annual Action Plan, or attending the public hearing, please contact Trevor Gross at tgross@bethlehem-pa.gov or 610-865-7085. City Hall is wheelchair accessible. Handicap parking is available at the primary entrance to City Hall at 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018.

CITY OF BETHLEHEM, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUREAU.
First floor, 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. Phone: (610) 865-7085
 
 
CITY OF BETHLEHEM
PUBLIC NOTICE
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM
HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM
2024 PROGRAM YEAR

Posting Date: March 7, 2024
 
Notice of Public Hearing
Notice of Annual Action Plan Comment Period
 
Notice is hereby provided that a public hearing on the 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Home Investment Partnership Programs (HOME) Annual Action Plan (“Annual Action Plan”) will be held on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at 7:00 PM, in the Town Hall Rotunda located at 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. The hearing will begin at the start of the City Council meeting.
 
The City of Bethlehem is initiating planning for the Annual Action Plan as part of its application for funding to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The CDBG allocation for Program Year (PY) 2024 is estimated to be $1,416,000 and HOME funds are estimated at $455,000. Actual allocations may differ. CDBG Funds may be used to assist persons with low to moderate incomes, remove slums and blight, or address urgent needs. HOME funds may be used for homeowner rehabilitation, homebuyer activities, financing the acquisition and/or rehabilitation or new construction of homes for homebuyers or rental housing, and providing tenant-based rental assistance (if applicable).
 
The draft Annual Action Plan is not yet available for public review. The Annual Action Plan will be available at the following locations during a public comment period, anticipated to run from Friday, March 15, 2024 through Monday, April 15, 2024:
  1. The lobby area of City Hall, 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018 (see the door monitor at the front desk);
  2. Bethlehem Public Library, Main Library, 11 West Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018 (see the front desk, telephone number 610-867-3761);
  3. Bethlehem Public Library, South Side Branch, 400 Webster Street, Bethlehem, PA 18015 (see the front desk, telephone number 610-867-7852); and
  4. on the City’s website at the following address:
https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/CityOfBethlehem/media/DCED-Media-Library/CommunityDevelopment/2024-Draft-Annual-Action-Plan-for-Publication.pdf
 
Written comments on the proposed Annual Action Plan may be emailed to Trevor Gross (tgross@bethlehem-pa.gov), with copy to Robert G. Vidoni (rvidoni@bethlehem-pa.gov), or delivered to the Community Development Bureau, 10 E. Church St., Bethlehem, PA 18018 before the close of the comment period. Comments may also be provided by phone by calling Trevor Gross at 610-419-1447.
 
This notice is issued in accordance with CDBG and HOME regulations. The City of Bethlehem does not discriminate based on disability. If you are in need of language translation services or reasonable disability accommodations related to the written Annual Action Plan, providing comments to the Annual Action Plan, or attending the public hearing, please contact Trevor Gross at tgross@bethlehem-pa.gov or 610-865-7085. City Hall is wheelchair accessible. Handicap parking is available at the primary entrance to City Hall at 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018.
 
CITY OF BETHLEHEM, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BUREAU.
First floor, 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018. Phone: (610) 865-7085
 

NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION AND CIVIL RIGHTS COORDINATOR

The City of Bethlehem does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex in administration of its programs or activities, and does not intimidate or retaliate against any individual or group because they have exercised their rights to participate in actions protected, or oppose action prohibited, by 40 C.F.R. Parts 5 and 7, or for the purpose of interfering with such rights.

Trevor Gross, Grants Specialist, is responsible for coordination of compliance efforts and receipt of inquiries concerning non-discrimination requirements implemented by 40 C.F.R. Parts 5 and 7 (Non-discrimination in Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Assistance from the Environmental Protection Agency), including Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended; Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; the Age Discrimination Act of 1975; Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; and Section 13 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (hereinafter referred to collectively as the federal non-discrimination laws).

If you have any questions about this notice or any of the City of Bethlehem’s non-discrimination programs, policies or procedures, you may contact: Trevor Gross, Grants Specialist, City of Bethlehem, 10 East Church Street, Bethlehem, PA 18018; (610) 419-1447; tgross@bethlehem-pa.gov.

If you believe that you have been discriminated against with respect to a City of Bethlehem program or activity, you may contact the Grants Specialist identified above or visit our website at https://www.bethlehem-pa.gov/  to learn how and where to file a complaint of discrimination.
 
Training Library
HOME Resource Library

The City of Bethlehem accepts applications for HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) funding on a rolling basis. The HOME Program is administered by HUD and was established in 1990 to assist low-income households. 

HOME funds are intended to: Increase the supply of quality affordable housing for lower-income households; Expand nonprofit housing provider capacity; Strengthen government capacity to provide housing; and Leverage private-sector investments in housing.

The program funds a variety of eligible housing activities including direct rental and purchase assistance and building, acquiring, and/or rehabilitating affordable housing for rent or ownership.

Organizations with potential HOME projects are encouraged to contact the City to discuss their plans. Call or email Robert Vidoni, Housing and Community Development Administrator, at 610-997-5731 or rvidoni@bethlehem-pa.gov if you would like to discuss potential projects. 

The City's HOME application is available on its Neighborly portal at https://portal.neighborlysoftware.com/BETHLEHEMPA/participant

Additional information can be found at the links below. 
 
Plans and Reports
Environmental Reviews

HUD makes publicly available environmental review records categorized as environmental assessments, CEST and CEST that converts to Exempt. Click here to access HUD's website and the City's environmental reviews.

CDBG Application

Applications for the City of Bethlehem's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program are currently closed. Applications for 2025 CDBG funds are expected to open in the fall of 2024. 

HOME Application

Applications for the City of Bethlehem's HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) are reviewed on a rolling basis.  Apply online through Neighborly:

Neighborly.jpg

Fair Housing
Equal Housing Opportunity logo

Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), as amended, prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of dwellings, and in other housing-related transactions, because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity and sexual orientation), familial status, national origin, and disability. It also requires that all federal programs relating to housing and urban development be administered in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing.


North Penn Legal Services is the City of Bethlehem's Fair Housing partner. More information about Fair Housing is available on North Penn's website, and on the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's website. 

Complaints
Persons who believe they have experienced discrimination in housing rental, sales, or financing because of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, disability, or familial status can contact any of the following entities:

North Penn Legal Services
Bethlehem Office
559 Main Street, Suite 200
Bethlehem, PA 18018
Housing discrimination line: 610-317-5322
https://www.nplspa.org/

City of Bethlehem Fair Housing Officer
Jennifer M. Swett
JSwett@bethlehem-pa.gov 
610-865-7099

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint

 

Program Contacts

Robert G. Vidoni, Esq. , Housing & Community Development Administrator, rvidoni@bethlehem-pa.gov
Trevor Gross, Grants Specialist, tgross@bethlehem-pa.gov, 610-419-1447