TUCSON, Ariz. — Tucson’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) is gearing up for a round of community input on its budget plans.
The department is launching P-CHIP; the People, Communities and Homes Investment Plan. A planning process that will lead to the creation of a document that will help the city guide HCD department funding over the next five years.
“We do get federal funding to help invest in human services to really help improve the lives of individuals and families. So that's the people part. The communities part looks at improving neighborhoods and non-profit groups that work with low to moderate income individuals. And then the last one is focused on homes and making sure that everyone has a safe place, decent home and affordable,” said Ann Chanecka, the HCD deputy director.
The goals of P-CHIP: to hear feedback from the community and making this a community-driven process, and to make clearer some of the funding the department receives and where it goes.
“So this plan, we'll try to tie together some of the data, some of the other planning processes, and really try to be a road map for, for housing and community development in terms of where we go over the next five years,” said Chanecka.
HCD wants Tucsonans to go to their website, check out the presentations there and participate in its survey and budget tool.
“There is a survey to get general ideas of priorities, but then there's a budget tool to try to drill down, to get more input into what the community thinks is most important. We heard that people wanted more detailed say in how the city allocates the money. We're trying to take that input and drill down a little bit further and hear what people have to say,” said Chanecka.
The first round of community input will stay open until around Thanksgiving. HCD will take that information, make a draft, release it by December, and open the floor for folks to comment on it once again.
