Block grant will go toward Survival Center building

By Scott Merzbach
Staff Writer

Published on February 29, 2008

Despite calls for studying the development of a homeless shelter and funding local human service agencies, the bulk of the $800,000 coming from a Community Development Block Grant will go toward renovating the building that houses the Amherst Survival Center and Head Start program.

The CDBG application, recently submitted to the state's Department of Housing and Community Development, contains $480,000 for fixing up the former North Amherst school building, $160,000 to cover administrative costs of the Community Services Department, $85,000 to pay for an outreach worker with the Center for Human Development and $75,000 for child care tuition.

Though the Select Board held hearings at which residents, as well as board members, expressed concern about the contents of the proposed application, what was submitted to the state remained unchanged when it was signed by Town Manager Larry Shaffer for the Feb. 15 deadline.

This means no money from the CDBG is being allocated for determining how to get a single-room occupancy homeless shelter built, even though this use appeared to have support from the Select Board.

Select Board Vice Chairwoman Hwei-Ling Greeney said prior to Monday's Select Board meeting that she was disappointed no funding for the study was included in the grant application. "I wanted a feasibility study to explore options to house homeless individuals," Greeney said.

During the meeting, Greeney said it made no sense to have two public hearings that advocated for such funding and then not include it in the block grant. "I question the handling of this matter by our town manager," Greeney said.

Shaffer said at the meeting that the study will be done through $10,000 which will be taken from this year's Community Services Department budget. "In terms of funding, it can be done now," Shaffer said.

As a mini-entitlement community, Amherst is eligible to receive $800,000 in CDBG money a year for the next two years.

One of the other ideas brought up at the hearings was to transfer the town's funding for Not Bread Alone, the Survival Center, Family Outreach and Big Brothers/Big Sisters to grant funding. Shaffer says that cannot be done because of a 12-month "non-supplant" rule included in the CDBG.

However, Roy Rosenblatt, director of Community Services, said more of the CDBG money could go toward social service programs if the full $480,000 is not needed for the North Amherst school. The town could save money if the building does not need to be made fully handicapped accessible.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.