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 El Paso County Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program will be opening an application cycle for CDBG-CV (Coronavirus Relief) funding on July 6, 2021. The application cycle will be closing on August 6, 2021, at 5 pm. The application and directions will be made publicly available on July 6, 2021. This funding must be used to prevent, prepare, or respond to the coronavirus epidemic through direct client services such as employment training, rent/utility assistance, and mental health service. Current recipients of CDBG-CV funding, as well as first-time applicants, are welcome to apply. To be deemed eligible, please note that nonprofits must be able to provide proof of their 501(c)(3) status. Please note that first-time applicants to the El Paso County CDBG program must schedule a meeting with CDBG staff prior to submitting their application.
An informational session covering the basics of the CDBG program as well as the specific requirements of the CDBG-CV funding was held on Friday, July 9 at 9 am in person and virtual via Microsoft Teams. The slides from the presentation are available below. Please feel free to contact our office if you would like to set up a meeting to discuss a potential application.
CDBG-CV Informational Webinar Slides
Metered parking is available in the area. Please feel free to email chloelomprey@elpasoco.com or call 719-520-6249 if you have any questions.
Notice is hereby given that the El Paso County Economic Development Division will host multiple meetings on July 16 and July 20, 2021, to discuss the planning efforts underway to complete an update to the program’s 2016 Assessment of Fair Housing strategic planning document.
This update is part of the El Paso County CDBG program’s commitment to affirmatively furthering fair housing and holistically developing a comprehensive approach to addressing housing needs in El Paso County. This document will help the program take meaningful action to overcome patterns of segregation and foster communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunities.
The planning meeting will include:
• A brief overview of the CDBG program and 2016 Assessment of Fair Housing
• Corresponding data and maps
• Access to a survey to provide public input.
All meeting materials will be available online after the presentations for any members of the community who wish to participate but are unable to join.
In-Person meetings will be held at the following ADA-accessible locations:
Calhan Town Hall
556 Colorado Avenue
Calhan, CO 80808
July 16, 2021
10:00 am to 11:00 am
Pikes Peak Library District- Fountain Library Meeting Room
230 Main Street
Fountain, CO 80817
July 16, 2021
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm
In-Person/Virtual Hybrid meetings will be held at the following ADA-accessible location:
El Paso County Economic Development Department
9 E Vermijo Avenue
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
July 20, 2021
Morning meeting: 9:00 am to 10:00 am*
Call-in instructions: (719)283-1263, meeting ID 290 826 83#
Evening Meeting: 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm*
Call-in instructions: (719)283-1263, meeting ID 393 939 150#
*closed captioning available for virtual attendees
Light refreshments will be served at all in-person meetings.
If you would like to attend one of the virtual meetings via Microsoft Teams, please email ericleonard@elpasoco.com for a direct meeting link. Persons wishing to attend in person do not need to register but are welcome to email ericleonard@elpasoco.com ahead of time if they would like a meeting invitation for their calendar.
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 48 hours before the scheduled event. Citizens who are deaf or 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.
Any comments and questions can be directed to:
El Paso County, Economic Development Department
Eric Leonard, Housing Analyst
9 E Vermijo Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
719-520-6481, ericleonard@elpasoco.com
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 June 16, 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 2020 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.
CDBG-CV Application Instructions
Our next application cycle is anticipated to open in January 2022. Please feel free to reach out any time of year if you would like to learn more about our funding.
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 as well as develop a deeper understanding of what to expect when developing a potential project.
Playing by the Rules Handbook CDBG Subrecipients
Sample CDBG Subrecipient Agreement
Not sure which reports to submit, or when they’re due? Start off by reviewing the 2020 CDBG Reporting Schedule below. Additional questions can be directed to CDBG staff using the contact information at the bottom of the page.
2020 CDBG Reporting Schedule
Reimbursement Request Form
Quarterly Subrecipient Report
Program Income Report
Annual Federal Expenditure Report
Project Completion Report
2021 CDBG Income Limits
Note that CDBG-CV Reporting follows the same schedule as the 2020 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
In order to receive CDBG entitlement funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, El Paso County CDBG staff must prepare a series of annual and five-year reports for the federal agency’s review. All applicable reports for the current program year and consolidated plan cycle are posted here as they become available.
2017-2021 Assessment of Fair Housing
2017-2021 Community Development Block Grant Consolidated Plan
2017 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan
2017 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER)
2018 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan
2018 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER)
2019 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan
2019 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report (CAPER)
2020 Community Development Block Grant Annual Action Plan with Amendment 1
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.
On November 12, 2020, El Paso County will be hosting 2 Renter’s Resources webinars at 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Please email Eric Leonard at ericleonard@elpasoco.com to RSVP to the webinar.
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
