Community Bridges to receive CDBG award recognizing Center for Hope

During Community Development Week, Community Bridges, a Mesa-based nonprofit agency, will receive this year's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project award at the Arizona statewide CDBG celebration March 30 in Casa Grande. The award is in recognition of Community Bridges' Center for Hope. Mesa's Community Revitalization and Tempe's Housing Services divisions nomination Community Bridges for the award.

"Community Bridges Board of Directors and staff are thrilled that the Center for Hope has received this recognition," said Dr. Frank Scarpati, CEO of Community Bridges.

The Center for Hope serves pregnant or post-partum women with substance abuse problems, many of whom are victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse. The $3.2 million facility, the only one of its kind in the East Valley, was funded through a variety of sources including $575,000 in CDBG funds from Mesa's Community Revitalization Division.

"The Center would not be in existence today if not for CDBG contributions from the cities of Mesa, Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale, Chandler and Glendale, Maricopa County and the Town of Gilbert," said Scarpati. "This true collaboration will help generations to come."

Community Development Week is recognized throughout the country and highlights the diversity and impact of CDBG-funded projects on communities.

This year's national theme is CDBG: Communities on the Rise. The Arizona Department of Housing and the Arizona Chapter of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials will sponsor the event in Casa Grande.

The City of Mesa has participated in the federal CDBG program since 1975, and during the past 30 years has been allocated more than $72 million for activities that provide public benefits for low- and moderate-income individuals, households, businesses and neighborhoods.

For more information about the City's CDBG program, call Mesa's Community Revitalization Division at (480) 644-2645. For more information about Community Bridges or the Center for Hope, call (480) 831-7566.