City Government

Community Development

  • Director:   Kurt Sauer
  • Phone: (570) 208-4135

PROGRESS ON MILL STREET - Affordable homes take shape

July 23, 2009 - Framing and roofing work have been completed on the second home at the Mill Street project site.


Constructed on the site of the former S&S School, these two single-family homes will create a quality housing opportunity for middle income buyers. A positive addition to this established Wilkes-Barre neighborhood, the Mill Street Homes will bring new energy to a vacant parcel of land.
Each of homes will feature three-bedrooms and will be Energy Star certified, offering homeowners long-term affordability and performance. Focusing on sustainability, the homes were built with durable, low-maintenance products that are less-toxic in order to ensure good indoor air-quality. They will also be oriented to allow for future solar electric and solar water heating systems. The site of the homes is within easy pedestrian access to neighborhood businesses, mass transit and playgrounds.


For more information on the Mill Street Homes project, please contact the Mayor's Office at 208.4152.



The Office of Community Development is in charge of the funding and operation of the following programs within the City:

1. Community Development Block Grant Program

The program provides annual grants on a formula basis to entitled cities and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low and moderate income persons.

CDBG funds may be used for activities which include, but are not limited to:

  • acquisition of real property
  • relocation and demolition
  • rehabilitation of residential and non-residential structures
  • construction of public facilities and improvements, such as water and sewer facilities, streets, neighborhood centers, and the conversion of school buildings for eligible purposes
  • public services within certain limits
  • activities relating to energy conservation and renewable energy resources
  • provision of assistance to profit-motivated businesses to carry out economic development and job creation/retention activities


2. Emergency Shelter

Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) awards grants for the rehabilitation or conversion of buildings into homeless shelters. It also funds certain related social services, operating expenses, homeless prevention activities, and administrative costs.

Grantees may use ESG for the conversion, major rehabilitation, or renovation of buildings as emergency shelters. They may also use ESG for shelter operating expenses, essential services (supportive services concerned with employment, health, drug abuse, and education), or homelessness prevention activities. Grantees may use up to 30 percent of a grant for essential services and homelessness prevention activities. They may request a waiver on the cap on essential services. With the exception of homelessness prevention activities, grantees must use the property as a homeless shelter for a specific period.

3. Home Investment Partnership Program

Participating jurisdictions may choose among a broad range of eligible activities, using funds (referred to as HOME funds) to provide home purchase or rehabilitation financing assistance to eligible homeowners and new homebuyers; build or rehabilitate housing for rent or ownership; or for other reasonable and necessary expenses related to the development of non-luxury housing, including site acquisition or improvement, demolition of dilapidated housing to make way for HOME-assisted development, and payment or relocation expenses.

For this year, OCD has received the following funding amounts from the United States Department Housing and Urban Development:

Community Grant information available soon.