Featured Projects: Ionia Whipper Home Department of Housing and Community Development Director Leila Finucane Edmonds (left of center) recently signed a $305,371 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) agreement with the Ionia Whipper Home (IWH). The grant will pay for predevelopment work on a new 3,200 square foot educational/residential facility in Ward 5 for abused, abandoned, and neglected young women ages 12 to 21. Shown (left to right) are Virginia Dietrich, president, IWH Board of Directors; DHCD Director Edmonds; Joan P. Hurley, executive director, IWH; John Mercer, esquire, IWH; and Guyton Harvey, DHCD, project manager. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides the District with CDBG funds on an annual basis for the development of decent housing, neighborhood revitalization, and the expansion of economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. The DHCD leverages the federal and local funding it receives to support programs that benefit specifically targeted households and communities with the low incomes and individuals with special needs, such as homeless individuals.