Peabody, Haverhill, North Shore HOME Consortium will convene three Community Meetings

Notice of Community Meetings and Request for Public Comment

The City of Peabody and the City of Haverhill, in cooperation with the North Shore HOME Consortium, an organization comprised of thirty cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley and the North Shore, will convene three Community Meetings in preparation for the creation of their Five-Year Consolidated Plan for the period from 2025 through 2029 and its One-Year Annual Action Plan for the Program Year 2025. The City of Peabody and the Consortium are hoping to receive comments from interested parties concerning 1.) The use of HOME funds for the development of affordable housing in the North Shore HOME Consortium region; and 2.) The use of CDBG funds in the Cities of Peabody and Haverhill , over the next five years. The Consortium’s member communities include: Amesbury, Andover, Beverly, Boxford, Danvers, Essex, Gloucester, Georgetown, Hamilton, Haverhill, Ipswich, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Merrimac, Methuen, Middleton, Newburyport, North Andover, North Reading, Peabody, Rockport, Rowley, Salem, Salisbury, Swampscott, Topsfield, Wenham, West Newbury and Wilmington. These meetings are being held to obtain information from the public on how needs have changed in the region from the prior years and to evaluate how well the Cities and the Consortium are carrying out the goals set out in the prior Consolidated and Action plans. After the conclusion of the community meetings, a draft of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan and Annual Action Plan will be created and made available for public comment. At that time three additional public hearings will be held to obtain feedback on the document. The public comments received will then be incorporated into the final draft of the Consolidated Plan and the Annual Action Plan, which will then be submitted to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Community meetings will be conducted for the purpose of receiving comments on local housing and Community Development needs at the following dates and locations:

(All of these locations are accessible.)

On Tuesday, February 18th at 11:00 a.m. At the Haverhill Public Library Milhendler Room, 99 Main Street, Haverhill, MA 01830;

On Wednesday, February 19th at 10:00 a.m. At the Newburyport Public Library, 94 State Street, Newburyport, MA 01950

*And on Thursday, February 20th at 5:30 p.m. At Peabody City Hall, Lower-Level Conference Room, 24 Lowell Street, Peabody*

*This meeting may also be attended virtually via Zoom. To Join the Zoom Meeting, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81869141744?pwd=450Gu23sGCP9QoK3LXhuVNUEJiaxi2.1
Meeting ID: 818 6914 1744 Passcode: 641159

Or call in via One tap mobile: 16465588656, ID: 81869141744#, Passcode*641159#

Citizens, all interested parties, representatives from the City of Peabody and from the Consortium’s member communities, and nonprofit providers are urged to participate in these hearings. Written comments are also encouraged, and may be addressed, on or before February 21, 2025, to: The Department of Community Development, 24 Lowell Street, Peabody, MA, 01960 or lisa.greene@peabody-ma.gov or stacey.bernson@peabody-ma.gov.