The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) today announced five federal 2018 Community Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery Workforce Development (CDBG-DR-WD) program awards totaling nearly $40.7 million to aid in continued recovery for California communities hardest hit by the devastating wildfires of 2018.

“Even after the housing and infrastructure are rebuilt, communities hurt by wildfire can continue to suffer from trauma and economic impacts for years to come. We are grateful to the Biden Administration for its ongoing support to help Californians rebuild their lives and economies. We will keep advocating for our communities and their access to disaster relief and recovery,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.

CDBG-DR-WD grants aim to support community development and help communities reach complete economic recovery after experiencing a disaster. Awarded programs must provide free job training and supportive services to low- to moderate-income (LMI) individuals in the community, with the goal of improving job placement opportunities for residents. Eligible applicants include local jurisdictions, nonprofit organizations, post-secondary education institutions, and Local Workforce Development Boards in areas designated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as Most Impacted and Distressed (MID). In the case of the 2018 California wildfires, MID communities include the counties of Butte, Lake, Los Angeles, Shasta, and Ventura.

“In addition to rebuilding housing and infrastructure, fostering economic recovery is critical after a natural disaster,” said HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez. “Following disasters, many communities face a challenge in finding people locally with the skills to rebuild better and with greater resilience. We are proud to partner with HUD to create these career paths for 2018 wildfire survivors and to help these hard-hit communities grow with an eye toward a strong and sustainable future.”

“CDBG-DR provides communities with important resources to help rebuild in the worst of times. With this investment, young people and others building job skills can focus on their futures. HUD is proud to work with the State of California to ensure resilience across their communities,” said HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development Marion McFadden.

In Butte County, the Town of Paradise is a community still grappling with long-term recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastating 2018 Camp Fire. The nearly $17.9 million grant will establish the Paradise Resilient Infrastructure and Sustainable Education Center (Paradise RISE) on the Paradise High School campus to train 500 local LMI residents in the construction trades—including specialized fields such as plumbing and electrical—or as certified nursing assistants. The award will fund facility improvements, workforce training, and supportive services for participants. Paradise RISE training providers and partners include the Paradise Unified School District, Butte College, and the Valley Contractor’s Exchange. The Northern Rural Training and Employment Consortium will provide participants with supportive and career services.

In Lake County, the Workforce Alliance of the North Bay (WANB) was awarded just over $4.7 million for the Lake Workforce Program to help better equip the region for long-term recovery and rebuilding efforts and enhance resilience to future disasters. Through the program, the Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance (TERA) will provide wildfire resilience workforce training including conservation field work, ecological management, and wildland fire and forest restoration management. The WANB will offer 100 Lake County LMI trainees a wide range of 14 supportive services, which are crucial for long-term success.

In Los Angeles County, a grant of just under $2 million will allow Tradeswomen, Inc. (TWI) and partner organization Women in Non-Traditional Employment Roles (WINTER) to provide training and employment opportunities for underserved populations in the construction trades—particularly focusing on women and other marginalized populations— through the Tradeswomen Empowerment Leadership Institute (TELi). TWI and WINTER’s additional partners include Equal Rights Advocates and Unity Christian Fellowship. TELi will combine classroom, hands-on, and hybrid learning environments with a broad range of individualized, holistic support services to prepare participants to enter the construction trades. The program also will provide access to online and in-person training and certificate courses for individuals seeking an apprenticeship in the construction trades.

In Shasta County, the City of Redding was awarded more than $8.6 million to launch its Workforce Recovery Training Program (WRTP) project, providing online, remote, virtual, and in-person training for 200 LMI residents. This project provides workforce training in trades essential to Shasta County’s disaster recovery, including general construction, culinary arts, emergency response, forest restoration and management, health care, clerical and education personnel, and entrepreneurial support. The WRTP will also offer participants 12 supportive services. The CDBD-DR-WD award will also be used to purchase three properties to serve as the training hub and a mobile unit to bring WRTP services to rural areas throughout Shasta County.

The County of Ventura received nearly $7.5 million to fund the VC HEAL project, offering workforce training for 215 LMI county residents in healthcare occupations, restoring healthcare infrastructure, creating job opportunities, promoting community well-being, strengthening disaster preparedness, and ultimately building a more resilient healthcare system and community. VC HEAL will acquire a mobile unit to reach out to communities that may have transportation barriers or difficulty accessing traditional job centers, vital for residents in rural areas of Ventura County. The mobile unit job center will also be used to target outreach efforts to specific residents or populations that have been disproportionately affected by the disaster or that have a high need for healthcare training. VC HEAL also will provide participants with supportive services.

Visit HCD’s website for more information on CDBG-DR-WD.