AMHERST — In what might be a record number of applicants, 10 local social service agencies are seeking more than $400,000 in Community Development Block Grant money available from the town.
The CDBG Committee, which can provide $175,000 of the $875,000 grant to up to five nonprofits who handle social services, is in the process of determining its recommendations that will go to Town Manager Paul Bockelman.
Unlike social services, there is only one project for non-social services, with $568,750 to go to the third phase of building a multi-use path along North Pleasant Street north of the University of Massachusetts campus. Another $131,250 will go toward administrative purposes.
Amherst is receiving the block grant from the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities after being designated a mini-entitlement community.
For members, who on Feb. 19 got five-minute presentations from each applicant and written information, there are serious challenges.
Nat Larson said he’s not sure there have ever been as many as 10 organizations applying for money.
“It’s a difficult process to whittle it down to five, and then of those five to allocate scarce funding,” Larson said.
Committee member Suzanne Schilling said the committee rarely funds the full amount of any agency’s requests.
The largest request comes from Craig’s Doors: A Home Association, Inc, which is asking for $76,000, with the second most the $71,966 sought for the food pantry at the Amherst Survival Center.
Then, in descending order, are $50,000 from Family Outreach of Amherst, $40,000 from Amherst Community Connections, $37,000 from Big Brothers Big Sisters, $35,000 from the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, $30,000 from the Amherst Mobile Market, $25,000 from Community Legal Aid and $20,000 apiece from Center for New Americans and The Literacy Project.
One of those organizations that has benefited annually from CDBG funding is the Amherst Survival Center.
Executive Director Carleen Basler said the food pantry is its largest program, serving individuals from 13 towns, and the 138 Sunderland Road site provided 1.3 million meals in 2025. “Our goal has been and continues to be getting more food to more people,” Basler said.
Similarly, Big Brothers Big Sisters has depended on CDBG support. “Funding has been critical to our operations for many years,” said Executive Director Susan Nicastro.
The organization is serving 84 children this year and recently expanded its site based mentoring to 24 students, with a Lunch Buddies program launched at Wildwood School.
Family Outreach of Amherst Program Director Laura Reichsman said town support is more important than ever.
“Poor people have never been attacked like they are now. Never,” Reichsman said, adding that if an Amherst resident loses housing now, getting it back is almost impossible.
Center for New Americans Executive Director Laurie Millman said Amherst has a higher percentage of students whose primary language is not English than the state average, illustrating the importance of the programs to improve language and civics skills.
Her organization helped organize a resource fair last year to help local Haitians find connections.
Rossana Salazar, who chairs the board for the Amherst Mobile Market, said the enterprise is rooted in dignity and equity and providing fresh produce to low-income residents.
Those not receiving money last year also made their appeals.
Caitlin Connors, fundraising and campaign manager for Amherst Community Connections noted that first-time renters have significant barriers to get housing due to high rents and housing scarcity in Amherst. The money it requested would go toward helping anyone navigating housing for the first time, such as those leaving prison or emerging from homelessness.
Jennifer Dieringer, managing attorney at Community Legal Aid, said other communities have used CDBG to support the legal help, such as eviction defense in housing courts and those whose Section 8 housing vouchers are at risk.
Alvin Nguyen, comnmunity engagement coordinator for the Massachusetts Fair Housing Center, said the agency already works with 31 households in Amherst to avoid homelessness.
Colleen Kucinski, executive director of The Literacy Project, said the programs run both virtually and from St Brigid’s Church hall in downtown Amherst.
Shari Carlson, executive director of Craig’s Doors, said the organization’s work is for permanent supportive housing for 15 adults, emergency shelter for 73 adults and serving 207 individuals in 2025.
The intent is to use money to provide survival gear given out at its resource center, like sleeping bags, tents and blankets, and to stabilize and expand resource center staff. The organbization has already seen a 40% spike in demand for services and expects to serve 700 individuals in 2026.
The committee will next meet March 5, when it could unveil rankings, with a final decision March 19.