City disperses fed grants of $8.8 million

Judy Odierna

Thursday, March 20, 2003 | 8:41 a.m.

The Las Vegas City Council approved more than $8.8 million in federal grants for housing and social service programs Wednesday.

Community Development Block Grants make up more than $4.2 million of the money, followed by $3.4 million in Federal and State Home Investment Partnership funds and Low Income Housing Trust Funds.

Grants to Housing Opportunities For Persons With AIDS will mean at least 12 local programs helping people with AIDS will split more than $900,000. At least 12 local agencies such as Catholic Charities, Shade Tree and the Salvation Army will split $144,000 in funds from the Emergency Shelter Grant for homeless programs.

The allocations are always less than the requests, but that is because the city receives a limited grant amount from the federal government, officials said. Neighborhood Services Director Sharon Segerblom said the city does not determine how much money it gets -- the grant money is based on the population and the number of residents in poverty.

Which local agencies benefit from the dollars and how much they get is determined by a board of 24 citizens who spent three months reading each organization's application and interviewing them.

Only a certain percentage of the city's take from the federal government can be spent on particular functions. Fifteen percent of the Community Development Block Grant money can be spent on social services, for example, Segerblom said.

The City Council also awarded $25,000 to be dispersed to 25 youth groups that participate in the city's Neighborhood Association Partnership Program. Community groups will match the funds by giving the youth groups an additional $181,000.