Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today awarded $8,669,836 in grants to fight drug abuse and other crimes in public housing and HUD-assisted housing in Tennessee.

Tennessee's grants will be distributed to housing authorities and owners of HUD-subsidized housing for low-income families in the following cities:

• Brownsville...................................$48,900
• Chattanooga................................$932,100
• Clarksville………………………...…$153,000
• Cleveland……………………………..$77,800
• Cookeville……………………….……$174,000
• Crossville………………………….….$264,800
• Fayetteville……………………………$ 93,000
• Franklin………………………………$247,200
• Gallatin…………………………….…$131,400
• Jackson……………………………….$306,900
• Johnson City…………………………$523,114
• Kingsport…………………………….$171,000
• Knoxville……………………………..$1,143,420
• Lawrenceburg……………………….$90,600
• McMinnville…………………….…...$130,500
• Memphis………………………..…....$1,645,998
• Murfreesboro……………..……....…$ 276,800
• Nashville……………………….…….$1,681,680
• Oak Ridge……………………………$ 63,500
• Ripley………………………….……..$ 57,924
• Shelbyville………………………....…$129,000
• Springfield………………………..….$ 327,200

"These grants are good news for some of the poorest families in Tennessee and bad news for drug dealers who terrorize them," Cuomo said. "We will fight drug abuse with prevention and treatment programs and with a crackdown on drug dealers and other criminals. We are telling drug dealers in HUD housing to find another line of work or be sent to another type of subsidized housing - a prison cell."

Cuomo said the recent Congressional approval of the Department's $24.5 billion budget for the 1999 fiscal year, which he called "the best HUD budget in 10 years," will speed the transformation of public and assisted housing.

"HUD is transforming public housing from isolated ghettos of poverty, drugs, despair and crime into safe and economically integrated communities of opportunity," Cuomo said.

Nationwide, HUD is awarding $305.2 million in Drug Elimination Grants this year - more than in any previous year. The grants will be distributed in the next several weeks in this way: $280.6 million to 749 public housing authorities; $8 million to 39 Indian Tribes; and $16.6 million to 143 privately owned housing developments that receive HUD assistance.

Another 53 privately owned HUD-subsidized low-income housing developments will receive a total of $11.7 million from a similar program called the New Approach Anti-Drug Program.

Vice President Al Gore, Cuomo and Attorney General Janet Reno announced a four-part enforcement and prevention strategy to fight crime and drugs in public housing in June 1997. The grants announced today are one element of that strategy.

The Drug Elimination Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, based on the seriousness of the drug and crime problem facing a housing authority or assisted housing development, and the strength of local plans to address the problem. About 900 housing authorities, 60 Indian tribes and 500 privately owned housing developments applied for the grants being awarded this year.

HUD has awarded more than $1.6 billion in Drug Elimination Grants since 1989, including the grants being awarded this year.

In public housing, the Drug Elimination Grants are used for: drug prevention, intervention and treatment programs; reimbursing law enforcement agencies for providing additional security; hiring security guards and investigators; resident anti-crime patrols; and physical improvements to housing developments to enhance security - such as fencing, lighting and improved locks.

In assisted housing, the Drug Elimination Grants are used for: drug prevention and education programs; referrals to drug treatment and counseling; and physical improvements to developments to enhance security. Individual grants for assisted housing developments are limited to a maximum of $125,000.

The New Approach Anti-Drug Program (formerly known as the Safe Neighborhoods Grant Program) provides funds for improving security at HUD-assisted developments and in surrounding neighborhoods by: hiring security guards, paying for extra police patrols, assisting in the investigation and prosecution of drug-related criminal activity, and implementing security-related physical improvements.

HUD's budget for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 increases funding for HUD's key programs and renewals of Section 8 rental assistance by a total of more than $2 billion in the budget over 1998 levels. Spending was increased on most HUD programs and wasn't cut in any programs.

Legislation passed in the same bill as HUD's budget will:

• Transform public housing by reducing segregation by race and income, encouraging and rewarding work, bringing more working families into public housing, and increasing the availability of subsidized housing for very poor families. In addition, the bill improves living conditions in public housing, gives the poorest families neighbors who will be role models of working families, and reduces crime. The bill also allows HUD to continue to tear down the largest failed public housing projects and replace them with new townhouse-style developments.

• Expand the supply of affordable housing by enabling 90,000 more families to get Section 8 rental assistance vouchers that will subsidize their rents in privately owned apartments - the first increase in vouchers in four years.

• Increase homeownership by raising the limit on home mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration from the current range of $86,317 in low-cost housing areas to $170,362 in high-cost areas. The bill increases the loan limits to a range of $109,032 in low-cost areas to $197,621 in high-cost areas. The higher ceiling on FHA-insured home mortgages opens the door of homeownership to thousands of families needing FHA insurance to get mortgages, but locked out now because the current loan limits have not kept pace with rising home prices.

HUD ANTI-DRUG ASSISTANCE FOR COMMUNITIES IN TENNESSEE

Brownsville

• $48,900 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Brownsville Housing Authority for programs to reduce/eliminate drugs and drug-related crime and violence in the community and the surrounding neighborhoods.

Chattanooga

• $932,100 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Chattanooga Housing Authority for programs to fund a cooperative agreement with the city to provide community policing at CHA family development sites. Two-person community policing teams at each of five sites will work with residents to solve drug-related crimes and develop drug prevention strategies. The grant also allows the Authority to install fencing, additional lighting, and other security hardware at six of its largest sites. The funding will also augment drug counseling and youth activity programming.

Clarksville

• $153,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Clarksville Housing Authority for programs designed to rid public housing developments of drug-related problems by increased law enforcement, youth recreational activities and tenant leadership service.

Cleveland

• $77,800 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Cleveland Housing Authority to fund a City of Cleveland police officer to work full time in public housing. The Cleveland Boys and Girls Club will be funded to present programs designed to build self esteem, courage and leadership. A Youth Sports Program will allow CHA youth to compete in regular sports leagues and the Junior Patrol will help children find alternatives to drugs and crime. Physical improvements will include security lights, undergrowth removal and the closing of one end of a street.

Cookeville

• $174,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Cookeville Housing Authority to provide for increased law enforcement personnel to implement community policing strategies, including foot and bike patrols. Funding will also assist with the children and youth prevention programs and in promoting community involvement among residents.

Crossville

• $264,800 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Town of Crossville Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive drug elimination program. This includes providing additional security, youth programs, education and job training programs and counseling.

Fayetteville

• $93,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Fayetteville Housing Authority to continue a comprehensive program which includes providing police patrols and a scooter patrol for community policing as well as after-school and summer drug prevention programs.

Franklin

• $247,200 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Franklin Housing Authority to fund increased opportunities for PHA youth. This program provides for drug elimination through reduced structural barriers to law enforcement.

Gallatin

• $131,400 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Gallatin Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive plan combing law enforcement services, community awareness, citizen's watch program, physical improvements to enhance security and drug prevention programs designed to reduce the use of illegal drugs and violence and focus on alternatives.

Jackson

• $306,900 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Jackson Housing Authority to fund an integrated drug abatement program combing law-enforcement and drug prevention.

Johnson City

• $290,136 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Johnson City Housing Authority to enhance the Community Policing effort now underway and a comprehensive program addressing drug counseling and education. The program will employ an investigator for criminal and administrative matters and will involve local service organizations in prevention/education projects and will add a comprehensive Youth Sports Program.

• $232,978 in New Approach Grants will be used for an array of programs to combat drug- related activities in the East Johnson City neighborhood including Tyler Apartments. Activities will focus on law enforcement and drug prevention. Specific actions include establishing a police substation and providing capital improvements to enhance security.

Kingsport

• $171,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Kingsport Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive approach to the elimination of drug-related crime. It is composed of prevention, intervention and interdiction activities carried out by a community partnership consisting of local law enforcement, residents and service providers. Additionally, these funds will be used to increase employment and provide for job training and small business development opportunities.

Knoxville

• $1,018,420 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Knoxville Housing Authority for additional law enforcement, treatment and preventive-based services. Grants will be used for a Security Patrol program, to partially fund the SISTER treatment program, to fund a center which provides activities for inner-city youth, to fund a Crime Prevention Coordinator, to fund specialists for the Boys and Girls Club program and to partially fund a summer youth employment program.

• $125,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to private landlords of subsidized housing to fight the menace of drugs in their properties.

Lawrenceburg

• $90,600 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Lawrenceburg Housing Authority to fund the continuation of three major activity areas -- enforcement, prevention/referrals for treatment and enhanced security.

McMinnville

• $130,500 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the McMinnville Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive program. This includes maintaining an exclusive additional police patrol, security lighting and a prevention program.

Memphis

• $1,521,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Memphis Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive program which stabilizes gang trouble in Cleaborn Homes and creates a pilot policing program in Foote Homes.

• $124,998 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to private landlords of subsidized housing to fight the menace of drugs in their properties.

Murfreesboro

• $276,800 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Murfreesboro Housing Authority to fund Project GO, Project YIELD & C-Star, a program designed to address resident and agency goals to rid the public housing neighborhoods of drugs and crime. Law enforcement together with drug prevention services for youth and adults will be employed.

Nashville

• $1,681,680 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Metropolitan Development & Housing Agency to fund ACCORD: a community collaboration with opportunity, recreation and direction. This is a collaborative effort among agencies, local government, MDHA and public housing residents including law enforcement, community policing, drug prevention education and intervention.

Oak Ridge

• $63,500 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Oak Ridge Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive security and prevention-based approach to reduce/eliminate drug-related and other crime. Resident patrols, community police patrols as well as an on-site officer living in a de-programmed unit will be used to combat the problems of drugs and crime. There will be a community police station located on one site. It will also serve as a drug/crime education classroom. Beautification projects are also included in the plan.

Ripley

• $57,924 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Ripley Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive drug elimination approach through the implementation of the Community on Patrol (COP) program, increased Drug Prevention/Intervention through juvenile incentives.

Shelbyville

• $129,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Shelbyville Housing Authority to fund an expanded drug elimination program combining community policing, physical improvements and drug prevention activities.

Springfield

• $327,200 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Springfield Housing Authority to fund an aggressive program incorporating agency and resident initiative goals to strengthen and protect public housing neighborhoods. A combination of law enforcement and drug prevention measures will be employed.