Clearly define HUD’s strategic mission and specific goals associated with it. Help us develop appropriate measurement tools for each of these goals. Create meaningful, standardized tables that will help us measure our progress on each of these goals, over time..

Use format similar to PIH plan. This will help both grantees and HUD stay focused on relevant issues.

The current regulations require two public hearings. Some cities which meet the regulations manage their CDBG program with no true citizen input (minimal attendance at deliberately boring presentations - no citizen comments). There are many successful and innovative ways to facilitate true citizen involvement, but the regulations must be strengthened to motivate cities to make the effort.

In both the guidance and the DIS, be sure to include issues related to Fair Housing and Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.

Consistently, I see that Fair Housing/Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing are left out of the 5-year and 1-year plans. HUD should include these issues in the guidance and requirements for both these documents, to insure ongoing work.

Encourage more local planning & develop a system so needs and priorities roll up to PJ's Con Plan

Continuums do not have access to CDBG and ESG funds, so it is difficult for them to plan new housing development. Have goals better coordinated would help acheive results in both plans.

It is essential that the public have the capacity to tailor the data and maps to conform to multiple perspectives regarding what constitutes the most important data, populations, needs, relevant geographic boundaries etc. The public must have the capacity to ensure inclusion of all populations and needs and to provide alternative sets of priorities to elected officials and others.

Technical Assistance should not only be provided based on subject matter (ie. through conferences), but on the scale of the grantee. PJs should have established networks with other PJs who can “mentor” each other on their strengths. These networks could be based on the size or identified problems the communities are concurrently facing.

The research required for smaller grantees is the same for larger ones have some sort of criteria based on the amount of funding generally received related to the amount of research necessary to complete the con plan.