BAINBRIDGE – Today, Congressman Dave Joyce applauded Lake County Commissioners John Hamercheck, Ron Young and Jerry Cirino for their creative use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding provided by the CARES Act to help small businesses negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the CDBG Program supports a variety of local development initiatives such as homeownership, housing rehabilitation, infrastructure improvements and economic development projects while encouraging additional local investment.

 

On March 27, 2020, Joyce voted for the CARES Act, which provided $5 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for HUD’s Community Development Fund, which funds the CDBG Program. The legislation specified that at least $2 billion of that funding go to the CDBG Program. In total, Ohio received $37,436,106 in supplemental CDBG funding, of which Lake County received $822,275. The commissioners are committing $700,000 of that funding to small business relief programs.

 

“The Community Development Block Grant program is one of the most effective tools we have to help grow local economies and improve the lives of millions of Ohioans,” said Joyce. “I’m proud to support this program as a member of the House Appropriations Committee and commend the Commissioners for utilizing these funds to help small businesses struggling in the aftermath of this pandemic.”

 

“Our small businesses have long been a pillar to our County’s prosperity,” said Commissioner President John Hamercheck. “From providing meaningful employment opportunities to supporting little league baseball, local businesses are a critical component of Lake County’s post COVID-19 rebound. The programs announced today will provide zero interest loans and small businesses grants to assist our entrepreneurs as they reopen their operations.”

 

“The Commissioners want to assist local, small businesses so that we can maintain the employment levels we need to have a vibrant economy in Lake County,” said Commissioner Jerry Cirino. “We look forward to making these funds available.”

 

“Small businesses create about 90% of the Lake County’s new job growth,” said Commissioner Ron Young. “At the same time business is the foundation of what makes America work. Whether the question is how we can meet the needs of infrastructure, schools, the unfortunate, police family stability, church funding, or even defense, business operations are the answer. Government should protect and support the needs of our business community.”

 

Specifically, the Commissioners are distributing $700,000 between two small business relief programs: the Lake County Microenterprise Emergency Relief Grant Program and the Lake County Emergency Working Capital Loan Program. You can learn more about the Commissioners’ efforts and how this funding will support small businesses here or at www.lakecountyemergencyreliefloanfund.org.  

 

Earlier this Congress, Joyce voted to provide the CDBG program with a $100 million increase from its previously enacted level, funding it at $3.4 billion for Fiscal Year 2020. Every $1.00 of CDBG funding leverages another $4.09 in additional public and private investments. Specifically, over the past nine years, CDBG has:

• helped over 1.4 million low and moderate-income Americans through single-family, owner-occupied rehabilitation, homeownership assistance, energy-efficient improvements, and lead-based abatement;
• created or retained 401,992 jobs for low- and moderate-income Americans through a variety of economic development activities;
• benefited over 139 million low- and moderate-income persons through public services such as employment training, meals and other services to the elderly, service for abused and neglected children, and assistance to local food banks; and
• helped over 45 million low- and moderate-income Americans by making community development improvements including to senior centers, childcare centers, and centers for people with disabilities.

 

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