Knoxville Celebrates Community Development Week and 25 Years of Providing Decent, Safe, Affordable Housing

Mark Rigsby, Community Development, City of Knoxville (Assistant Cmty Development Director), Robert (Samaritan Place resident), Ed Ellis (HUD) Field Office Director, Sister Mary Christine Cremin, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, Becky Wade, Director, Community Development, City of Knoxville, Sam Cole, ACC Construction.

Ed Ellis, Knoxville Field Office Director, addresses crowd at "Raise the Roof" event.

The City of Knoxville showcased current projects and hosted a series of events this week, with its nonprofit partners, that highlighted this year's theme titled "CDBG: 42 Years of Building Strong Communities, HOME: 25 Years of Providing Decent, Safe, and Affordable Housing."

In 1974, the Community Development Block Grant program was created by Congress under President Gerald Ford through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the HOME program was created in 1991 to support the development of decent, safe and affordable housing.

"As our city grows and the economy strengthens, there in an increase in the demand for housing. In community development, we focus resources to strengthen neighborhoods and to improve access to decent and affordable housing for lower-income families," said Becky Wade, the City's Director of Community Development. "Community Development Week gives us a chance to highlight the continuing need for housing assistance and services, along with other work of our staff and our local partners."

Ed Ellis, Knoxville's Field Office Director spoke to the attendees of Wednesday's "Raise the Roof" event, held at Catholic Charities' Samaritan Place, to celebrate the installation and completion of the roof, leveraging $70,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding (CDBG), and  recognize the case management activities (using a Homeless Grant Contract of $10,000). In the last few years, Knoxville has provided Catholic Charities $28,000 in HUD Emergency Solutions Grant Funding (ESG) to renovate the kitchen, install new flooring, and buy new mattresses and furniture.

"We're happy to be able to work so closely with the City of Knoxville leadership, which continues to do so much to help residents in our community, and with organizations such as Samaritan Place…as it is a very special place for Knoxville's homeless senior population" Ellis said.

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