The City of Knoxville's Community Development Division has developed a new five-year Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development for the years 2005 to 2010. In this plan, we identify the needs of low- to moderate-income citizens and neighborhoods and set priorities for how we can focus Community Development's efforts to most effectively meet those needs. Most of the funding for Community Development programs is provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. These funds can be maximized by coordinating Community Development activities with those of other City departments and with other partner agencies in Knoxville.

To develop the new Consolidated Plan, Community Development conducted extensive surveying of citizens and partner agencies to understand their views and perceptions. We also worked with Metropolitan Planning Commission staff to compile local housing and economic data. Several public input meetings were held to collect citizen comments. The Community Development staff also met with various community organizations to collect further public input. The data and public comments were compiled and used to set priorities and identify specific community needs and concerns.

The Consolidated Plan includes an assessment of current housing and community development needs in Knoxville's low- to moderate-income communities. It also identifies priorities, strategies and goals for use of funding provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) and HOME programs.