What Is CDBG-DR?
The Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, managed by the United States (US) Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provides eligible recipients with federal funding for long-term disaster recovery. This program supports recovery activities and helps communities develop housing and infrastructure programs for long-term recovery needs.
Funding Availability
CDBG-DR funds are allocated in response to certain major declared disasters. HUD evaluates unmet recovery needs from federal data and distributes funds to eligible states, local governments, and tribal entities.
How Can You Use These Funds?
Historically, CDBG-DR funding has been primarily utilized to restore housing in disaster-impacted areas. Eligible activities for housing recovery include:
- Rehabilitation, reconstruction, or new construction of single-family or multi-family units;
- Small rental repair programs;
- Homebuyer assistance and home elevation programs; and
- Buyout programs for properties in high-risk areas.
Additionally, CDBG-DR funds can be leveraged to enhance resilience and reduce the impact of future disasters. Other key areas eligible for investment include:
- Infrastructure improvements;
- Economic revitalization projects;
- Public services support; and
- Strategic planning for long-term recovery and mitigation.
Hagerty Can Help
Our team brings extensive expertise in managing CDBG-DR grants, with a proven track record across some of the most significant disaster recovery efforts. Our experience spans major events, including Hurricanes Katrina (2005), Sandy (2012), Harvey (2017), and Ida (2021), as well as notable wildfires such as the Tubbs and Camp wildfires in California (2017-2018).
To date, Hagerty has supported over $4 billion in CDBG-DR projects across the nation, including:
- Lee County, Florida – Hagerty is helping the County develop its Action Plan for $1.1 billion in CDBG-DR funding allocated in response to Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in September 2022. Additionally, we are supporting the County’s Long-Term Recovery Task Force (RTF) and assisting with cost recovery and project formulation under various Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) programs.
- State of California Housing and Community Development – Hagerty is supporting infrastructure program implementation and performing tier-one environmental reviews for the State’s $124 million CDBG-DR program. Additionally, we helped develop the Unmet Needs Assessment for California’s $1 billion CDBG-DR program following the Camp wildfires.
- Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – Hagerty is helping the Commonwealth develop an Action Plan for $38 million in CDBG-DR funding to address unmet needs resulting from Hurricane Ida damage.
- State of Nebraska – Hagerty assisted in developing and securing approval for a CDBG-DR Action Plan for the State’s $108 million grant and continues to provide ongoing grants management, monitoring, and compliance services.
- State of North Carolina – After Hurricane Matthew, we supported the development of an Action Plan and program implementation strategy, including program policy and intake processes for the State’s $230 million CDBG-DR funding.
- New York City – Following Hurricane Sandy, Hagerty played a pivotal role in managing $4.2 billion in CDBG-DR funding, including Action Plan and Substantial Action Plan Amendment development. Additionally, we assisted with the City’s successful $176 million grant application through HUD’s National Disaster Resilience Competition (NDRC).
- Boulder County (CO) Collaborative – Hagerty worked alongside local communities after the 2013 Colorado flooding to establish a collaborative partnership, managing $63 million in recovery funding, including Action Plan development, program design, and grants management.
Achieving Recovery Goals With CDBG-DR
At Hagerty, we are committed to delivering a comprehensive approach to disaster recovery and community development. Our mission is to help clients launch effective programs while building infrastructure that supports long-term resilience and recovery goals.
Our dedicated team offers expertise in:
- Infrastructure and Resiliency Programs Implementation
- HUD Environmental Compliance
- Housing Solutions
- Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting System (DRGR)
- FEMA and Other Federal Matching Programs
- Policy and Procedure Development
- Economic Development Programs
- Monitoring and Compliance
- Housing Intake Strategy
- Action Plan and Amendment Development
