The Community Development Department sees its role as an opportunity to assist and support agencies in successfully providing their contractual services while maintaining the highest possible quality and accountability. This department is responsible for overseeing and providing technical assistance to the subcontracted non-profit agencies.

Child Care Council Community Development currently administers a portion of the Public Services component of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the City of Houston. The City of Houston has been awarded these grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. The City has contracted with Child Care Council to administer these funds since 1994.

The purpose of the CDBG funds is to further the development of viable urban communities by providing preventive and resuscitative services to City of Houston residents of low and moderate income. The funds are distributed through Child Care Council through three programs:

Child Care Services (CCP)

The provision of quality child care and parental development services for working parents and parents seeking employment or attending training. Service providers seek to offer children enriching and nurturing experiences and their parents a relief from alienation and isolation among working parents.

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention (JDP)

The provision of educational, counseling, training and empowering opportunities to deter juvenile delinquency and emphasize character development. Specific areas of delinquency addressed by service providers include substance abuse, gang involvement, teen sexuality and pregnancy, school drop-out and educational remediation, unemployment and homelessness.

Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG)

The provision of services to prevent or eliminate homelessness and its effects while moving families closer to self-sufficiency. Service providers assist these persons by providing a milieu of services including basic shelter and transitional living, rental, utility and move-in assistance, medical, psychological, employment and substance abuse counseling, child care, transportation and support services.

Administration of CDBG Funds

Administration of the CDBG funds includes the following:

• Facilitating the selection process by a committee of volunteers 
  based on published criteria
• Presenting selected Service Providers to the City for final approval
• Providing orientation meeting for Service Providers to include 
  oral and written instructions for program compliance and reporting
• Providing technical assistance in service delivery and program reporting
• Negotiating, preparing and executing contracts
• Monitoring contract compliance and agency's progress by site visit(s) 
  and audit of program reports and billings
• Providing payments to Service Providers for documented services delivered
• Providing the City (and through the City, HUD) with the following 
  through monthly reports:
• The number of clients served, duplicated and unduplicated
• The client's demographics
• Contract progress and service delivery evaluations
• Accounting of distribution of funds

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