Community Development Block Grants preserve hundreds of affordable housing units in Madison

As part of National Community Development Month, the City of Madison’s Community Development Division is highlighting some of the benefits Community Development Block Grants brought to the city in the last year.

Through federal Community Development Block Grant funding, the City of Madison awarded approximately $2 million in 2023 to help rehabilitate and preserve more than 300 affordable housing units as part of the Capital Improvements for Non-profit Housing (CINH) program.

Those funds went to multiple non-profit housing providers in the city, including Common Wealth Development, Madison Area Community Land Trust, Madison Development Corportation, Movin Out, and Porchlight.

In order to qualify, agencies had to be organized as non-profits under Chapter 181 of Wisconsin State Statute and more than half of the units in the proposed project had to house people with incomes at or below 80% of Dane County’s median income – which the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development defines as ranging from $62,600 for a single person to $89,400 for a household of four. 

Under the terms of the program, those receiving funding also had to own the housing and agree to maintain its affordability for at least five years after the projects were completed. Eligible projects ranged from rehabilitation for deferred maintenance, integral structural renovations, asbestos abatement and other safety measures, to energy and water efficiency improvements. 

Grants and loans to rehabilitate properties are not just limited to non-profits. Eligible owners of single-family homes that need rehabilitation can inquire with Project Home, while owners of rental property can get help through the City of Madison’s new rental rehab program.

You can learn more about funding opportunities and sign up for e-mail alerts when new funding opportunities arise on the City of Madison’s website.