OFFICE OF HOUSING & COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

The City of New Bedford’s Office of Housing & Community Development [OHCD] is a resource for city-wide programs, plans and possibilities in New Bedford. Comprised of Housing and Community Development divisions, the OHCD’s work focuses on a wide variety of federally-funded activities that strengthen the city and help develop strategies to increase the growth and prosperity of New Bedford’s residents.

________________      The Housing Division administers a range of programs geared towards assisting folks with homeownership, rehabilitation, accessibility, emergency repairs and lead paint. Funding for these programs comes from both the federal government and state-wide programs, all of which are intended for households in low-moderate income ranges.

________________      The Community Development Division relies on federal dollars from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development [HUD] in undertaking a wide range of community-based activities ranging from street improvements and demolitions to economical development and public services. Information specific to the City of New Bedford’s efforts around ending homelessness may also be found at the City of New Bedford Homeless Service Provider’s Network website at www.nbhspn.com.

This website is a great resource of community-based programs, plans and possibilities in New Bedford. Regardless of which division you begin exploring, you will find ideas, activities and accomplishments that are integral to downtown and neighborhood revitalization activities for the City of New Bedford.

FY2023 DRAFT CAPER IS NOW AVAILABLE!

The City of New Bedford’s Office of Housing & Community Development announces the publication of its DRAFT CAPER for FY2023.  This FY2023 CAPER is available for public comment from September 10th – September 25th, 2024. This CAPER reports on the status and outcome of programs, activities and budgets that took place between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024 for the following federal programs:  Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), HOME Program and any CDBG-CV and ESG-CV (COVID-19) funding arising out of the CARES Act that was expended during FY2023.

CLICK HERE FOR A COPY OF THE FY2023 DRAFT CAPER

Any and all comments regarding the Fiscal Year 2023 CAPER received in writing by Wednesday, September 25, 2024 shall be considered in preparing the final report.  Please contact the Office of Housing & Community Development by email at OHCD@newbedford-ma.gov with any questions or any public comment.

 

COC competition now underway!

https://www.bristolcountycoc.com/rfp-released-for-2024-coc-competition-round/ 

OVERVIEW
The Bristol County Continuum of Care (BCCC) which is the MA-505 CoC, acting through its Collaborative Applicant, the City of New Bedford’s Office of Housing & Community Development (OHCD) released its 2024 Request for Proposals (RFP) that includes both instructions and applications for new and renewal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) on August 10, 2024. The link to the RFP is provided through the BCCC website at https://www.bristolcountycoc.com and is available here:

RFP for New/DV Bonus and Renewal CoC Projects 2024
NEW and DV BONUS APPLICATION 2024
RENEWAL APPLICATION 2024

The BCCC local competition deadline has now passed.

The CoC continues to strongly encourage those from tribal organizations as well as those who work closely with historically marginalized communities to participate in the CoC application process and throughout the year!

FUNDING
The Bristol County CoC is eligible to apply for two tiers of funding as well as CoC Bonus funding (up to $562,319) and DV Bonus funding (up to $702,889). Total Preliminary Pro-Rata Need including a CoC Planning Grant is $4,685,992.

Questions concerning this notice may be directed to Jennifer Clarke, AICP Deputy Director, OHCD via email at Jennifer.Clarke@newbedford-ma.gov.

 

BUILDING NEW BEDFORD

On Wednesday, March 29, 2023, Mayor Jon Mitchell announced Building New Bedford: Strategies to Promote Attainable Housing for All in a Thriving New Bedford, a comprehensive housing plan that outlines actions the City is taking to stimulate new housing development, reactivate underutilized properties, and relieve housing instability and affordability concerns for City residents. The plan also serves as a call to action to New Bedford’s surrounding towns to increase their development of multi-family housing in order to contribute to solving the region’s housing shortage.

The Building New Bedford plan is comprised of 22 measures the city is taking to address the regional housing crisis, organized into six main areas:

 

 

Throughout the plan, the city articulates its objectives in fast-tracking housing development across income levels, removing regulatory barriers to housing development, facilitating the restoration of vacant, underutilized, and/or city-owned properties to be used for housing, encouraging first-time homebuyers, supporting those with urgent affordability concerns, and setting an example for all municipalities in Greater New Bedford in addressing the region’s collective housing challenges.

Click here to access the online version of the plan.

 

ANALYSIS of IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING CHOICE IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT

The Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice has its origins with the Fair Housing Act of 1968.  This plan sets forth the City of New Bedford’s commitment to taking meaningful and measurable actions to break down barriers to fair housing choice and affirmatively further fair housing throughout the City for all protected classes.

Click here for the final analysis of impediments

the FY2020-2024 consolidated plan and fy20 annual action plan is now available.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FINAL PLAN

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN AND ACTION PLAN

The Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) has created a 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan and FY20 Annual Action Plan. This provides a snapshot of community needs in New Bedford and will establish a framework for how federal funding the city receives from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will be spent over the next five years and, through the Action Plan FY20, the coming fiscal year.

CLICK HERE TO SEE FLYER FOR MORE INFORMATION

We welcome your comments at OHCD@newbedford-ma.gov