HUD Secretary Donovan Announces Additional Aid for Sandy-impacted Communities

Left to right: NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan

HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan visited New York City on Friday, March 15 to announce a number of model programs that could be used to help communities get Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds more expeditiously to residents struggling to rebuild, repair or restore their homes after Hurricane Sandy. The Secretary made the announcement in lower Manhattan where he was joined by Senator Chuck Schumer and Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"Providing these ready-made programs to communities will help them get resources where they are needed more effectively and efficiently," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, who also serves as Chair of the Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force. "We are committed to working with our federal, state, local and tribal partners to get assistance to families who are struggling to rebuild as quickly as possible."

The Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, signed into law by President Obama on January 29, included $16 billion in CDBG-DR funding. HUD announced the first allocation totaling $5.4 billion to five states and the City of New York eight days later. HUD will announce additional allocations in the coming months. HUD has worked closely with state and local partners to identify opportunities to expedite this assistance.

The model programs that were announced cover three likely areas of need that communities would use CDBG-DR funding to meet: Housing Rehabilitation (www.onecpd.info/resource/2853/cdbg-dr-toolkits/#HORehab), Housing Counseling, and Housing Buyouts (www.onecpd.info/resource/2853/cdbg-dr-toolkits/#Buyout). They could be funded with the first round of CDBG-DR funding or with subsequent rounds and could be used by state, local and county governments applying for CDBG-DR funding. HUD has worked closely with a range of federal, state and local stakeholders to develop these programs and is committed to working with them as needed to help communities meet their unique needs.

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