The City and County of Durham have been successfully using CDBG/HOME federal grants to house the homeless, feed the hungry, and improve the quality of neighborhoods. Neighborhoods have seen crime reduced after homes were built and repaired with these funds. These funds support youth, job training, and gang reduction programs. The City of Durham's Department of Community Development has proposed deep cuts in these funds over the next 20 years to repay costly loans for one developer working on the Rolling Hills project. By signing this petition, you are asking the Durham City Council to commit to continued funding of affordable housing and community services across Durham by: 1. continuing to fund community services at the level of 15% of CDBG funds annually, 2. continuing to fund revitalization and rehabilitation of the North East Central Durham and Southwest Central Durham neighborhoods, 3. adding revitalization and rehabilitation of affordable housing in the Southside neighborhood, 4. not using CDBG or HOME funds to service debt on an expensive loan for McCormick Baron Salazar in Rolling Hills, and 5. developing a comprehensive long range funding plan for the goals above and for the revitalization of the Rolling Hills site. The hungry, homeless, and disadvantaged people of Durham want to call Durham home too. Please make this possible by continuing our existing successful programs in housing and community services.

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