HUD AWARDS $700,000 TO SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AND A&M COLLEGE IN BATON ROUGE FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
$9 Million Awarded Nationally to 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities

NEW ORLEANS - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today announced the award of
nearly $9 million to 13 Historically Black Colleges and Universities to help revitalize neighborhoods near their
campuses, including $700,000 to Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge. Preston made the announcement at the 2008 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Week Conference in Washington.

"Historically black colleges and universities are anchors for economic development in their communities, and I'm pleased HUD can play a role in helping to support the neighborhoods that surround these important institutions of higher learning," said Preston. "HUD is proud of our partnership with these colleges and universities to help them improve neighborhoods, offer needed public services, and stimulate community development around their
campuses."

HUD's Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Program is designed to help these institutions address pressing community development needs in their communities. These needs include neighborhood revitalization, housing, and economic development, and other programs that benefit low- and moderate-income families.

The HBCU grantees awarded funding today will carry out a broad range of community and economic development activities that will help to stabilize their communities and cultivate redevelopment of residential and commercial properties. In addition, HBCU grants can be used to acquire real estate; to demolish abandoned housing; to help provide homeownership assistance; to support job training and placement; and to rehabilitate residential,
commercial or industrial buildings to correct code violations.

Southern University and A&M College will use its $700,000 HBCU grant to provide affordable housing for low- to moderate-income persons; to implement an entrepreneurship training and business start-up program for low-to-moderate income persons; and provide technical assistance to a community-based development organization for infrastructure development. This project will positively impact the residents of the target area, providing increased access to homeownership, increased minority-owned small and emerging businesses, and improved services
provided by area community based development organizations, resulting in a better quality of life. Additionally, this project will continue to strengthen the bonds between Southern University and surrounding community-based and faith-based organizations, increasing the capacity of each to better serve the low-and-moderate income persons residing in the target area surrounding the university.

Since 1991, HUD has awarded approximately $147 million to stimulate economic and community development in the neighborhoods surrounding the HBCUs. The HBCU Program is one of several initiatives administered by HUD's Office
of University Partnerships (OUP). Established in 1994, OUP is a catalyst for partnering colleges and universities with their communities in a shared search for answers to pressing urban problems. More information about OUP and its programs is available on the Internet.

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