Welcome to the El Paso County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) main page. Our program’s vision is to develop viable communities by ensuring a range of affordable housing choices, supporting necessary services and public infrastructure, strengthening the local economy, and mobilizing community resources to enhance collaboration and community partnerships. View the tabs below to learn more about our program and the funding cycle.
The application cycle opened on January 3, 2022 and will close on February 4, 2022, at 5 pm. To download the application and application directions, please go to the Applications and Eligibility tab.
If you are interested in learning more, you can sign up for any of the events below:
Location: 9 E Vermjo Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903/virtual attendance available
Date and Time: January 25, 2022, from 10:00 am to 11:00 am
Email chloelomprey@elpasoco.com to register
Location: Fountain Valley Senior Center, 5745 Southmoor Drive, Fountain, CO 80817
Date and Time: January 26, 2022, from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm
Email chloelomprey@elpasoco.com to register
Take the survey at the link below to tell our program about you would like us to focus funding for the next five years. Use the contact information at the bottom of this page if you’d like to learn more about this process.
Notice is hereby given that the El Paso County Economic Development Division will host multiple meetings in January 2022 to discuss the planning efforts underway to address developing a proposed five-year Consolidated Plan for years 2022-2026, a one-year Annual Action Plan for 2022, and a Citizen Participation Plan for the use of federal block grant funds.
These planning meetings will include:
MEETINGS WILL BE HELD AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS AND TIMES:
El Paso County Economic Development Office
Virtual/In-Person Hybrid Meeting
9 E Vermijo Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Email chloelomprey@elpasoco.com for the direct link
Or call in at:
719-283-1263
Conference ID: 419 329 928
Fountain Valley Senior Center
5745 Southmoor Drive, Fountain, CO 80817
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
5:00 pm- 6:00 pm
Both facilities are ADA-accessible and persons wishing to participate virtually will have access to closed captioning.
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (“ADA”), El Paso County will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities. Anyone requiring an auxiliary aid or service to participate in this meeting should make the request as soon as possible but no later than 24 hours before the scheduled event. Citizens who are deaf and hard of hearing may dial 711 or 800-659-3656 Relay Colorado (voice) or 800-659-2656 (TTY). Foreign language services, American Sign Language interpreters, and specialty printed materials may be requested at least 48 hours prior to the meeting.
All questions and requests may be submitted to Chloe Lomprey, Community Development Analyst, at 719-520-6249 or chloelomprey@elpasoco.com. For those unable to attend but wishing to submit a comment, please email the above address or mail your comment to the following: El Paso County Economic Development Department, 9 E Vermijo Ave., Colorado Springs, CO 80903.
CDAB meetings are currently held in the Economic Development Conference Room located at 9 E. Vermijo Avenue in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and start at 12:30 pm. The most recent CDAB meeting was on August 18, 2021. In compliance with state public health orders, meetings are currently being conducted virtually. Please use the contact information at the bottom of this page if you would like to request a direct link to future meetings.
The current CDAB schedule is as follows:
Additional meetings will be added as they are scheduled.
The El Paso County Economic Development department celebrated Fair Housing Month and Community Development Week on April 8 and April 9, 2021. Please see the slides from the webinars below.
Additional fair housing tools can be found under the ‘Fair Housing’ tab.
Please use the links below to download the application and application directions.
The application cycle opened on January 3, 2022, and will close on February 4, 2022, at 5 pm.
Please visit the Subrecipient Resources Tab to view guides and programmatic expectations that will help inform your application and develop a quality request.
The El Paso County CDBG program’s HUD designated program year runs from April 1 – March 31 of the following year. The application cycle generally opens in January. Check the events and notices tab for when application cycle dates are announced.
The low to moderate-income map link below is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development based on ACS data. For current recipients of funding and prospective recipients, this link is an excellent tool for scouting potential locations for projects.
Nationwide LMI Maps (To use the map, zoom in to El Paso County and select only the ‘LMISD by Block Group’ option. Click on Block Groups to view Low/Mod percentages. For more assistance, contact our office.)
El Paso County LMI Maps (These maps are zoomed in to specific Census Tract Block Groups in El Paso County that qualify for LMA benefit. For more information or specialty maps for persons with disabilities, please contact our office.)
El Paso County Assessor Real Property Search (Use this tool to check whether an address is inside or outside the city of limits of Colorado Springs)
CDBG funds can be awarded to local jurisdictions and non-profit organizations but not private individuals. Agencies with experience administering federal funding resources will likely have adequate internal controls and policies to successfully implement a CDBG funded project.
After confirming your agency’s eligibility for funding, please consider that the following guidelines must be met:
Please contact our office directly to discuss the eligibility of a specific program or project.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has outlined three clear objectives to be fulfilled by the CDBG program. Every project funded by CDBG funds must accomplish one of the three following objectives: address an urgent need, mitigate slum/blight conditions or benefit persons of low-to-moderate income. Additionally, mitigating slum/blight conditions or benefiting persons of low-to-moderate income can be accomplished through several different avenues. A visual breakdown of these objectives is presented below.
In addition to meeting a national objective, all projects funded by the El Paso County CDBG Program must meet at least one of the goals outlined in our 2017-2021 Consolidated Plan. Please note all goals denoted with an ‘AFH’ in reference to our Assessment of Fair Housing are considered high priority goals. An in-depth listing of all goals is linked below.
Before El Paso County CDBG Program projects may begin expending funds, they must first be approved by the Board of County Commissioners and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Projects are selected and submitted for approval on an annual basis, with the final approval from HUD usually occurring in July or August each year.
Click the links below to see current and past projects, as well as a few highlighted projects that have made an exceptional difference in our community.
Whether you are a first-time recipient of El Paso County CDBG funding or a federal funding old-timer, this page will help your agency keep your project in compliance with all associated requirements.
All funding applicants are highly encouraged to review the documents below in advance of submitting their application. These links will help you prepare an application that addresses the needs of the CDBG program and develop a deeper understanding of what to expect when developing a potential project.
El Paso County CDBG Subrecipient Record-Keeping Guide
Playing by the Rules Handbook CDBG Subrecipients
Sample CDBG Subrecipient Agreement
Not sure which reports you should submit, or when they’re due? Start off by reviewing the CDBG Reporting Schedule below. Additional questions can be directed to CDBG staff using the contact information at the bottom of the page.
CDBG Reporting Deadlines for Subrecipients
Reimbursement Request Form
Quarterly Subrecipient Report
Program Income Report
Annual Federal Expenditure Report
Project Completion Report
2021 CDBG Income Limits
Mandatory Forms for RFP/RFB:
Please contact us prior to the RBP/RFB publication to assist with pulling the appropriate Davis-Bacon wages.
Mandatory Items that must be completed before construction can begin on a project:
Mandatory Posters to be displayed on job site during construction:
Section 3 Compliance Guide (for projects with federal funding totaling $200,000 or more)
Section 3 Compliance Reporting Form (for projects with federal funding totaling $200,00 or more)
Note that CDBG-CV Reporting follows the same schedule as the CDBG Reporting Schedule and utilizes the same reimbursement request form.
Intro to CDBG-CV
CDBG-CV Quarterly Report
Duplication of Benefits Guide
Duplication of Benefits Awareness Sheet
CDBG-CV Public Utilities Q&A
To ensure these federal funds are used effectively and efficiently within our jurisdiction, El Paso County Economic Development thoughtfully, strategically, and with robust community participation completes several long-term planning, short-term action, and final performance evaluation documents. Please note additional information below:
2017-2021 Assessment of Fair Housing
2017-2021 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan
Assessment of Fair Housing (internal planning document)
2020 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan with Amendment 1
2021 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan
2019 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER)
2020 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER)
2020 Annual Performance Assessment
Additional historical reports available upon request
The El Paso County CDBG Program is committed to affirmatively furthering fair housing within our jurisdiction as delineated in our 2017-2021 Consolidated Plan goal AFH4. Our program hosts two free and open to the public fair housing events each year, which are posted under the Events and Notices tab as they are scheduled.
Want to learn more about your fair housing rights? Please see the resources below and feel free to reach out if you have specific questions or would like additional information.
Nov, 12 2020 Resources for Renters
Fair Housing For All English Booklet
Fair Housing For All Spanish Booklet
DMFHC Brochure: Fair Housing for Persons with Disabilities
DMFHC Brochure: Fair Housing for Families with Children
DMFHC Brochure: Fair Housing for HOAs and Cooperative
2017-2021 Assessment of Fair Housing
Regional Housing Needs Assessment (2014)
Need help filing a fair housing or employment complaint? The websites below can help you get started.
HUD’s Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Website
United States Department of Justice: Civil Rights Division
Colorado Division of Civil Rights
On April 1, 2009, El Paso County became an “entitlement community” and was awarded a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services.
The Community Development Advisory Board (CDAB) reviews matters of importance regarding the CDBG program and makes recommendations to the El Paso County Board of Commissioners concerning community development issues and use of CDBG funds.
The CDAB is comprised of 12 voting members, including a representative from each of the municipalities participating in the El Paso County Community Development Block Grant Program and a representative from each of the commissioner districts. Participating municipalities advise the Board of County Commissioners who they have designated as their representative. Commissioner district representatives are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners. Members are appointed for five-year terms, with terms initially staggered, and are limited to serving two consecutive five-year terms.
Please review the Events and Notices tab for upcoming CDAB meeting dates and times.
Chloe Lomprey
Community Development Analyst
9 E. Vermijo Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone: (719) 520-6249
chloelomprey@elpasoco.com
