FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — The City of Fayetteville wants public feedback on how the community thinks it can best help low to moderate-income families for the 2023 Action Plan.

The Action Plan is a breakdown of how the city is proposing to spend $764,542 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Fayetteville’s Community Resources Administrator is Kelly Colebar. She said the city is looking to continue multiple programs that already rely entirely on the CDBG funds.

The city’s programs include sending workers out to low to moderate-income families’ homes and making sure they’re up to code and safe. Colebar said another program provides people who are elderly or disabled with transportation.

New to this year’s Action Plan is the Shelter Assistance from Extreme Weather or SAFE program.

“To provide additional resources when we have really, really hot or really, really cold weather that presents challenges for our homeless community,” Colebar said. “So the SAFE program is going to be a way to help out during those time periods.”

Colebar said various barriers are stopping low to moderate-income families from living comfortably, so just under $100,000 of the grant is set to help fund local nonprofits offering assistance.

For example, one proposed recipient is Welcome Health, which Colebar said offers free medical and dental care to the community. Another nonprofit in the Action Plan is CASA of NWA, which Colebar said offers services for kids removed from their homes.

“It’s really important because a lot of nonprofits struggle with funding by their nature,” Colebar said. “They turn to other organizations and resources. Grant funding is one of the ways that they keep their doors open and help people in the community.”

Along with attending Wednesday’s Public Input Meeting in the Fayetteville City Hall at 5:30 p.m., you can add your feedback to the Action Plan by contacting the Community Resources Department by mail, email or calling at 479-575-8260 until April 11.

A copy of the Action Plan can be downloaded here: https://www.fayetteville-ar.gov/648/Community-Development-Block-Grant-CDBG