County housing agency 1 of 6 in nation lauded for block grants

LIHU‘E — The County of Kaua‘i was one of just six communities nationwide to receive the 2010 John A. Sasso National Community Development Week Award, a county news release states.

The award recognizes communities that exemplify the spirit of the Community Development Block Grant program by showcasing its good works through the activities and events held during National Community Development Week.

Jo Shimamoto, the County Housing Agency CDBG coordinator, and Sharon Kelekoma, a CDBG specialist, flew to Seattle to accept the award at the NCDA annual conference.

“It was an honor to receive the award and a great opportunity to meet other CDBG administrators and discuss the challenges that we face,” said Shimamoto.

The two CHA staff members also participated in plenary sessions regarding the U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s policy direction and program issues relative to CDBG and HUD programs, as well as training workshops.

Other recipients of the 2010 John A. Sasso award include El Paso, Texas; Greenville, N.C.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Quincy, Mass.; and Weymouth, Mass.

To be eligible for the John A. Sasso award, communities had to submit essays of 1,000 words or less describing the events and activities they hosted during the 2010 National Community Development Week celebration, along with media coverage generated.

Sasso was the founder and first president of the NCDA. Under Sasso’s leadership, NCDA rose to the forefront in securing effective and responsible housing and community-development programs for local governments.

NCDA is a national nonprofit organization comprised of 550 local governments across the country. The entities administer federally supported community- and economic-development programs, as well as housing and human-services programs, including CDBG and the HOME Investment Partnerships programs, the release states.