Community Development receives John A. Sasso award
June 27, 2016
On Friday, June 24, 2016, the National Community Development Association (NCDA) recognized the Community Development department as one of the winners of the 2016 John A. Sasso National Community Development Week Award during a special luncheon at the 47th NCDA Annual Conference in Milwaukee, WI.
The award was created as a means of recognizing community efforts to promote and celebrate the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program during National Community Development Week which was celebrated this year on March 28 – April 2, 2016. National Community Development Week provides the opportunity for grantees, sub-recipients, beneficiaries, State and local partners, and the community to unite to celebrate and recognize CDBG and HOME by showcasing projects and educating the community and Congressional Members on program benefits.
NCDA is a non-partisan, national non-profit membership-based organization that represents local government departments across the country that administers federally-supported community and economic development and affordable housing 2 programs. NCDA is an association of people committed to assist local governments to achieve high quality, locally responsive programs for making communities better places in which to live and work, particularly for low- and moderate income people.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of National Community Development Week and the 16th anniversary of the John A. Sasso National Community Development Week Award. CDBG and HOME Allocated through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the CDBG and HOME programs form the bedrock of federal assistance to local communities. Both programs have been shrinking in recent years due to federal budget cuts. Since FY 2010, CDBG has been cut by over 20% while the HOME program has been cut by over 50%; causing reductions in local programs that provide community development and affordable housing assistance. National Community Development Week and the John A. Sasso National CD Week Award provide the opportunity to draw national attention to the programs.
The National Community Development Week Awards are named in honor of John A. Sasso, NCDA’s founder and leading force in nationally promoting CDBG, NCDA, and its members. In 1970, John Sasso became the first President of the Model Cities Community Development Directors Association (MCCDDA). MCCDDA eventually became the National Community Development Association after passage of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, which created the CDBG program. John began his tenure in the field of community development as a Planner for the City of Pawtucket, RI. He retired from NCDA in 2000.
The City of Columbia was recognized due to the “pop-up stations” that were hosted in each of the City’s four council districts. At these stations, Community Development Department staff greeted residents; handed-out information on CDBG and HOME funded projects and informed the public about current CD programs and events. The City also planned a special media blitz involving street banners, social media posts, website announcements, press releases, end-of-week cookout downtown, and a large press conference with news media, program beneficiaries, elected officials, and other dignitaries.
In the weeks leading up to National CD Week, a Mayoral proclamation was written, printed, and framed, press releases were drafted and approved, talking points were transcribed for a City Talk advertisement, and a segment was taped. A digital invitation was produced and sent via e-mail blast to City employees, City Council members, sub-recipients, and beneficiaries. A banner for the pop-up stations as well as a new street banner was also designed.
The City’s Public and Media Relations Department sent out information about National CD Week to local media outlets, uploading it to the City’s website and posting it on the City’s Facebook and YouTube sites as well as on Instagram and Twitter. Columbia’s National CD Week culminated in a press conference attended by State and local elected officials, neighborhood leaders, and news and print media. During the week-long National CD Week celebration, Community Development staff physically spoke to more than 400 Columbia residents, many of whom were previously unaware of CDBG and HOME and their benefits to the community.
For more information, please contact Community Development at (803) 545-3373.
