Georgia Awarded $67 Million in HUD grants

Communities receiving funds will be notified over the next 30 days

ATLANTA – Governor Sonny Perdue announced today the award of $67 million in federal community development grants to Georgia for allocation to eligible communities around the state. This is part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) recently announced by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).

“Working with the assistance of our federal partners, we are helping many Georgia communities move forward on essential community development and affordable housing projects,” said Governor Sonny Perdue. “These funds will help Georgians rehabilitate housing, make infrastructure improvements and implement related projects that are the building blocks for a strong and growing state.”

HUD Regional Director Bob Young presented the popular “big check” to state of Georgia officials, including Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Mike Beatty, in a brief ceremony today. DCA works with HUD to administer and distribute CDBG funds. Georgia communities that will receive a share of the funds will be notified over the next 30 days.

“This funding helps breathe new life into neighborhoods.  By helping communities to improve their infrastructure, HUD is helping improve neighborhoods from the ground up,” said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson.

Since 1974, HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program has received approximately $120 billion for state and local governments to target their own community development priorities.  CDBG funds are distributed according to a statutory formula based on a community’s population, poverty level, age of its housing stock and extent of overcrowding housing.

The awards for fiscal year 2007 will be earmarked for five separate grant programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), Housing Opportunities for Persons With Aids (HOPWA) and American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI).

“For many communities, CDBG awards provide the funding that determines whether or not the project will move forward.  We continue to appreciate the collaboration on the federal, state and local levels that have allowed Georgia’s CDBG programs to be implemented in ways that make Georgians lives better,” said DCA Commissioner Mike Beatty.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD is available at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.