Last night, Lasting Manatee had our first Community Input Meeting, held at Eternity Temple Church in the Palmetto/Washington Park area. It was well-attended with 50-60 residents. 

Many questions were raised about the timeline for assistance through grant-funded projects, as well as the nature of how the communities of Palmetto, Washington Park, and Rubonia will be able to get involved. To view a PDF of the slideshow presentation, please click here.

 In addition, we gave community members an opportunity to speak with staff members from Manatee County’s Community and Veteran Services department. Those in need of immediate assistance were able learn more about relevant programs such as the separate Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, as well as Elevate Florida. 

We received 33 feedback forms from those sharing their unmet needs during e meeting. These submissions will be used to inform the Action Plan’s Unmet Needs Assessment, as required by HUD, along with the unmet needs shared by the Municipalities and County Partners. 

We expressed that we will follow up with additional outreach to this community during the draft Action Plan’s public comment period, as well as after the Action Plan is approved by HUD to inform them of next steps. We are excited about the opportunity to further engage this community who was impacted so heavily by the storms.

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