City of Madison Honors Community Development Partners, 50 Years of Community Services
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The City of Madison’s Community Development Division capped off National Community Development Week by celebrating 50 years of investing in people and building community at an event at the Warner Park Community Recreation Center on Thursday evening.
Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and Community Development Division Director Jim O’Keefe joined several alders and City staff in thanking the dozens of community non-profits for their work focused on housing, basic needs, crisis intervention and prevention, youth employment, older adult services, childcare, and more at the event.
This year marks 50 years since Madison received its first Community Development Block Grant funds from the federal government, which City leaders at the time decided to supplement with city tax dollars. After an initial investment of about $300,000 to support 15 non-profits in 1975, that City support has grown to about $11 million to support 60 agencies today.
For Madison, those are more than line items on a budget. They’re proof that the City of Madison chooses to care about its people.
The Community Development Division believes that building community does not happen accidentally – it's built with intention, partnership, and care. In the spirit of those values, Community Development Division leaders recognized several community organizations at Thursday’s event that have been significant partners in Madison’s legacy of investing in people, including:
- Common Wealth Development
- Habitat for Humanity of Dane County
- Movin’ Out
- Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development
- Urban League of Greater Madison
- Project Home
- Madison Area Community Land Trust
- Operation Fresh Start
- City of Madison Urban Planner Linda Horvath and the City of Madison Planning Division
- Satellite Family Child Care System and Reach Dane
- Neighborhood Centers Coalition
Those organizations, and the hundreds of other groups that have received federal and City funding over the last half century, have continued to work every day to make Madison a better place. They have built a strong foundation that allows us all to address the challenges we face today and set the City up for success for the next 50 years of community development.
