Wareham will apply for $825,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to support sidewalk repairs, social services, and other projects this fiscal year.

At the Aug. 24 Select Board meeting, Jaime Rebhan-Buckminster of Community Opportunities Group, the consulting firm that has managed Wareham’s Community Development Block Grants for years, shared the projects to be included in the funding request.

The funds are restricted for projects in certain categories including those that benefit low or moderate-income people or prevent or eliminate slums and blight. 

A maximum of 20 percent of the grant — $165,000 — can be put toward social services. This year, that funding will be split among three recipients: The Family Pantry — Damien’s Place, Turning Point and a new Wareham Police initiative to help victims of domestic violence. 

Damien’s Place and Turning Point have been recipients of CDBG funds in the past, but this year, they will receive more funds than usual because very few organizations applied for funding. Rebhan-Buckminster said that the low number of applications was likely due to the pandemic — some services, like GATRA, are serving fewer people than normal, and others have received additional funding through covid relief.

Damien’s Place will use the funds to purchase food, pay rent for its warehouse space, and pay its pantry manager. Turning Point will put the money toward its program director’s salary, offsetting the cost of financial services, and helping those in need pay their rent and utility bills. 

The police department plans to use funds to increase its support of domestic violence victims by hiring a part-time outreach coordinator and purchasing some supplies. From June 2020 until Aug. 24, 2021, Wareham Police have made 269 domestic violence arrests, Rebhan-Buckminster said. She added that Police Chief Walter Correia told her that the number of domestic violence-related calls is likely about triple that number.

“It’s too much for his officers to handle and he needs an outreach worker,” Rebhan-Buckminster said. That worker could help connect victims with services, she said.

The grant will also put $415,000 to sidewalk improvements in Onset, specifically along Highland Avenue. Last year, the grant funded the replacement of nearly 2,000 feet of sidewalk in Bayview Park in Onset, including the section with the railing along Onset Avenue near the gazebo. That work will be completed as soon as possible, Rebhan-Buckminster said.

The grant will also fund an engineering study of the crumbling Cornwell’s building at 195 Main St. The town could choose to use funds from future grant cycles to tear down or otherwise remediate the issues at the building, Rebhan-Buckminster said.

The remaining funds from the grant will go to overhead costs. 

Wareham is considered a “mini-entitlement plan community,” which means the town does not compete for these grants. Instead, Wareham is eligible to apply for the funding and receive the money automatically because it has demonstrated high need. 

The final grant application will be submitted by Sep. 10.