Hollywood residents discuss community needs

Members of the Hollywood community recently got together at City Hall to offer suggestions on community needs to the Community Development Advisory Board. The topic of discussion was how the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and HOME funds will be spent.

The money will be used to provide rehabilitation services for housing, administrative costs and debt service, according to Clay Milan, community development manager. The City was seeking input from residents on needs in Hollywood.

During the meeting, residents said there is a need to improve infrastructure in neighborhoods and that too much money is being spent on administrative costs. One resident said money should be spent to improve the north central area of Hollywood. There is concern about blight in the north central area. There is also concern about the City’s homeless population, with one resident saying more effort needs to be made to help the homeless find living accommodations.

Currently, six agencies receive money from the CDBG. The City has allocated $75,000 to be divided among agencies that can offer programs benefiting people in need in Hollywood. This could include job readiness programs or life skills training. It could also include after-school tutoring programs.

The City has $1,090,177 in CDBG funds and $379,000 in HOME funds currently. It is not known how much the City will have in the next fiscal year.

Author: Amanda Jones
Author: Amanda Jones

Amanda Jones specializes in social media marketing. She holds a Master's degree in Social Media Management from the University of Florida and a Social Media Professional Certificate from the University of Miami.

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