The Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA) has announced the recipients of its 2023 Congressional Partnership Awards, U.S. Senator Susan Collins (ME) and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver (MO-5). In the 117th Congress, Sen. Collins and Rep. Cleaver led legislative efforts to enhance the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and CDBG-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) programs. Additionally, both have extensively advocated for federal resources supporting affordable housing, community development, and homelessness through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

“On behalf of COSCDA, we extend our sincere appreciation to Senator Collins and Congressman Cleaver for their leadership and commitment to federal community development programs”, said Deborah Johnson, COSCDA President and Director of Maine’s Office of Community Development. “Both have gone above and beyond to advance federal investments responsive to local infrastructure, housing, and related needs. We are especially grateful for their continued engagement on enhancements to CDBG promoting increased flexibility, streamlined administration, and more expedient assistance for underserved populations and disaster survivors.”

The COSCDA Congressional Partnership Award recognizes members of Congress for their outstanding contributions to federal programs benefiting state and local actions in community development. COSCDA established the award in 2023 to honor congressional champions of HUD Community Planning and Development (HUD-CPD) programs.

Senator Collins received the Congressional Partnership Award at COSCDA’s 2023 Program Managers Conference on March 20. A similar presentation for Congressman Cleaver is expected in the coming weeks.