Waltham HUD funding focuses on improving Boys and Girls Club, Koutoujian Park

A redesign of the Waltham Boys and Girls’ Club is the largest item in the city’s recently published draft plan for how it will use its federal Community Development Block Grant funding this year. 

The CDBG program, run by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, distributes grants to municipalities for housing, public works and community aid programs. This grant funds improvements in quality of life for low- and moderate-income residents and for vulnerable populations, such as survivors of domestic violence and people experiencing homelessness. 

The city is soliciting public feedback on the CDBG draft plan it released on April 10 after a public meeting the previous day. The public comment period closes on May 10, after which the plan will be sent to HUD. Once the city finalizes its contract with the agency, partner organizations can sign their own agreements with the city and begin receiving CDBG funds by July.

The city got $846,875 in funding this year — $24,697 less than last year. In fiscal year 2021, Waltham received $978,390, while in 2024 the city received $871,572.

Despite the city’s fears, the federal government did not cut CDBG funding in last year’s federal budget. Assistant Director of Planning/Sustainability Frank Nakashian said the decline in funding is mostly due to changing demographics around the country; HUD allocates the CDBG budget based on the sizes of low-income populations.

Nakashian said that the Planning Department chose which projects to fund based on the five-year plan it compiled last year based on resident feedback. 

The department can spend only 15% of its CDBG funding on non-construction-related public service projects. This year, it proposes to fund 13 applications, all from organizations with which it has partnered before. The largest non-construction community service allocations are going toward the Community Day Center and Opportunities For Inclusion. The list also includes services such as homework help, youth engagement programs, meal programs for homeless people,  ESL classes and assistance paying for utility bills.

The applicants estimate these projects will help 6,873 people, 96% of whom live in Waltham’s South Side and 83% of whom are from low- to moderate-income households. 

These estimates do not include residents who will benefit from the $273,466 allocated for planning design work by the Boys and Girls Club. It estimates, once complete, the building will serve around 3,000 people. The next-largest line item is $220,000 toward the city’s repayment of a federal Section 108 loan for the conversion of the former Woerd Avenue landfill into a playground and public park named for Jack Koutoujian.

About 6.7% of the block grant goes to a city program to fund home renovations for homeowners and renters. Most of this program, said Nakashian, is funded by revenue from rebates when previous recipients of this grant sell their homes. Approximately 23.5% of CDBG funding goes to administration costs, covering a proportion of the salaries of Planning Department staff who head up the program and Housing Department staff who oversee home rehabilitation.