Question: What types of organizations can submit grant applications to the Gwinnett County Community Development Program Office for the CDBG, HOME, and ESG Programs?

Answer:
Nonprofit organizations -Applications may be submitted by nonprofit organizations that

• Have a currently valid Tax-Exempt Status Certification, or 501(c)(3), from the IRS
• Demonstrate that they are incorporated as a nonprofit organization with the Georgia Secretary of State and in good standing
• Provide a listing of current officers and current members of their board of directors
• Provide a recent audit or audited financial statement of their organization which was prepared by an independent auditor
• Provide their most recent IRS Form 990 or 990EZ and attachments
• Provide a current business plan

Participating municipalities - All cities that are currently a part of the Gwinnett County Urban County HUD grant programs and are covered by an active cooperation agreement executed between Gwinnett County and the respective cities.

Gwinnett County departments - Any department of Gwinnett County Government.

Other organizations - Local public housing authorities, Gwinnett County Board of Health, and Gwinnett/Rockdale/Newton Community Service Board

Question: How can I find out if a potential project is eligible for any of the HUD grant programs received by Gwinnett County?

Answer: Each of the grant programs has regulations containing specified eligible and ineligible activities. However, to learn if Gwinnett County accepts applications for these types of activities, you may wish to examine the application manuals for the CDBG, HOME, and ESG programs that are available on this website. You may also wish to contact the Gwinnett County Community Development Program at (678) 518-6008 or gchcd@gwinnettcounty.com for an eligibility determination.

Question: Can I obtain a more complete description of the CDBG Program?

Answer: The Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) provides grant funds to large cities, urban counties (like Gwinnett County), and states to permit these jurisdictions to invest CDBG funds to address needs which were identified by the grantees through the Consolidated Plan process. The amount of annual funding received from HUD is determined by a formula which is applied to the total amount of CDBG funds available nationally. The use of the CDBG funds is quite flexible, permitting grantees to expend their grant funds for many different types of projects. At least 51 percent (100 percent for housing projects) of persons (beneficiaries) served by a CDBG-assisted project must be low or moderate-income, as defined by the maximum income limits provided annually by HUD. HUD also permits the following population groups to be automatically classified as low- and moderate-income, by definition: abused/neglected children, elderly persons (62 years or older), battered spouses, homeless persons, severely disabled adults (per U.S. Census definition), illiterate adults, persons living with AIDS/HIV, and migrant farm workers.

Organizations who receive CDBG funds must document the persons served and must verify their income if they are not among the groups classified above. Monthly reports must be submitted to Gwinnett County for a period of at least five years on each CDBG program carried out to document that the usage continues to be eligible under the CDBG program.

Read more about project eligibility.

Read more about the CDBG Program through the HUD website.

Question: How are HUD grant funds awarded to organizations selected for funding by Gwinnett County?

Answer: HUD requires that organizations/projects approved for funding by the Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners must execute a grant contract (Subrecipient Agreement) with Gwinnett County. This document contains program requirements, funding awarded, a description of the project receiving funds, timetables for performance, performance measures, and reporting requirements.

Question: Can you describe the recordkeeping requirements for these grant programs?

Answer: Organizations must follow recordkeeping requirements prescribed in the regulations of the respective grant programs, as referenced and specified in the Subrecipient Agreement. This includes demographic/income verification data on all clients served and/or documentation of homelessness, as appropriate.

Question: How are grant funds disbursed to subrecipient organizations by Gwinnett County?

Answer: Gwinnett County reimburses expenditures for CDBG, HOME, and ESG activities. The subrecipient organization expends its own funds on the eligible project(s) and subsequently requests reimbursement from Gwinnett County along with substantiating documentation.

The grant program year begins January 1; however, HUD often does not make the annual grant awards to Gwinnett County until sometime between February and June. Therefore, grant funds may not be available to reimburse subrecipients until late spring or early summer.

Question: How does Gwinnett County oversee the expenditure of its grant funds?

Answer: The Gwinnett County Community Development Program carries out a continuous process of oversight of HUD grant funds awarded to organizations, including desk audits and onsite monitoring of performance. Special technical assistance is also provided to organizations receiving grant funds for the first time, to ensure that the organizations are aware of all program requirements. Every request for reimbursement is carefully scrutinized for eligibility and accuracy.

Question: Does the Gwinnett County Community Development Program operate the Section 8 Rental Assistance Program?

Answer: The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) administers the Section 8 rental assistance program (officially known as the Housing Choice Voucher Program) for all of Gwinnett County. In some other jurisdictions, local housing authorities operate local Section 8 program, but this is not the case in Gwinnett County.

Property owners who wish to enroll rental properties in the DCA Section 8 rental assistance program, persons who wish to transfer a current Section 8 voucher from another geographic area, or who are seeking Section 8 rental assistance for the first time, visit DCA’s website or call (404) 327-7912  or (888) 858-6085.

Question: Where is the Gwinnett County Community Development Program office located?

Answer: The Gwinnett County Community Development Program office is not located in the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. The office is located at: One Justice Square, 446 West Crogan Street, Suite 275 in Lawrenceville, GA 30046.

Question: I am a homeowner in Gwinnett County and I heard that the County's Community Development Program operates a homeowner rehabilitation program. How can I get more information about this program?

Answer: The Gwinnett County Homeowner Rehabilitation Program is carried out with CDBG Program funds awarded to Gwinnett County by HUD. Read the Homeowner Rehabilitation brochure (PDF).  

Due to the limited availability of grant funds, the Gwinnett County Community Development Program is no longer accepting applications for the Homeowner Rehabilitation Program.  Please revisit this webpage for funding updates in the Summer 2013.

For more information, contact the Gwinnett County Community Development Program at (678) 518-6008 or gchcd@gwinnettcounty.com.

Question: I heard that some houses can be made more weather-tight using funds from a program known as Weatherization. How can I receive such assistance?

Question: Does the county have a down payment assistance program for families who wish to become first-time homebuyers in Gwinnett?

Answer: The Gwinnett County Community Development Program uses HOME Program monies to fund the Homestretch Homebuyer Down Payment Assistance Program. Read more about grants.

Question: How can I get information about becoming a Habitat for Humanity homeowner in Gwinnett County?

Answer: Gwinnett County Habitat for Humanity constructs affordable housing for sale to low-income families in Gwinnett County. HOME Program funds are awarded to Gwinnett County Habitat for Humanity to assist with the purchase of real property for home construction, to develop building sites for housing, and for down payment assistance for Gwinnett County Habitat for Humanity homebuyers. The HOME Program funds are loaned to the homebuyers as deferred payment loans where repayment is not required unless the homeowner sells or transfers ownership of the home or fails to occupy the home as their principal residence during the five-year loan period. For more information on Gwinnett County Habitat for Humanity, visit www.habitatgwinnett.org or call (770) 931-8080.