Citizen Participation
In line with federal guidance, LOCD-DR has implemented processes to ensure that subrecipients foster collaborative citizen engagement processes to achieve equitable recovery for all affected communities, while prioritizing vulnerable populations and underserved communities, including residents of low and moderate income, slum and blighted areas and in areas where funds are proposed to be used.
Generally, citizen participation efforts provide:
- Reasonable and timely access to local meetings, information and records relating to the proposed method of distribution
- Opportunity to participate in the public hearing process, learn more, ask questions and share perspectives
- Encouragement of participation by vulnerable populations and underserved communities
- Technical assistance as requested
- Avenues for non-English speaking residents to learn more and participate
- A formal procedure to effectively gather public complaints and grievances
Subrecipients looking for a sample Citizen Participation Plan may download one here.
Citizen Participation Plans
Community Engagement Toolkit
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Engagement Toolkit aids CDBG-DR subrecipients in implementing equitable practices through an enhanced citizen participation process for administered disaster recovery programs. The primary goal of citizen participation is to provide residents—especially low- and moderate-income residents of the community where grant-funded activities will take place—with the opportunity to actively participate in the planning, implementation and assessment of the programs and projects.