Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today awarded $16.3 million in grants to fight drug abuse and other crimes in public housing and HUD-assisted housing in Illinois.

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

• Alton......................................$98,700
• Aurora......................................$197,400
• Belleville…………...…………….$302,400
• Bloomington..……………………$189,900
• Carpentersville..…………………$497,033
• Champaign………………………$182,100
• Chicago…………………………..$8,909,970
• Collinsville…………………...…..$249,500
• Cook County...........................$1,112,820
• Danville…………………………..$493,648
• Decatur….……………………….$262,500
• DeKalb……………………………$125,000
• East St. Louis…….....……………$572,260
• Elgin………………………………$111,540
• Freeport…………………………..$134,400
• Henry County……..……………..$140,100
• Joliet………………………………$284,782
• Kankakee……........………………$100,200
• Knox County…………..…………$130,200
• Mount Vernon……………………$105,900
• Murphysboro……………………..$252,300
• Ottawa…………………………….$279,600
• Peoria………………………………$464,880
• Rockford…………………………..$546,780
• Springfield…………………………$276,000
• Waukegan…………………………$133,800
• West Frankfort……………………$205,800

"These grants are good news for some of the poorest families in Illinois 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 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 ILLINOIS

• Alton: $98,700 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Alton Housing Authority for programs to eliminate drug-related crime using a comprehensive strategy developed by AHA staff, tenants, Alton Police, community members and social service organization leaders.

• Aurora: $197,400 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Aurora Housing Authority to install security lights and fencing; entry door camera monitoring systems; site reconfiguration; community policing officer dedicated patrols; educational, cultural, recreational and sports youth activities; and drug education prevention and counseling programs.

• Belleville: $302,400 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the St. Clair County Housing Authority for its anti-drug program called "Project Rid Now!" which incorporates both an aggressive law enforcement effort and broad-based prevention programming.

• Bloomington: $189,900 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Bloomington City Housing Authority for increased police protection, community policing, additional security personnel, job training, educational and employment opportunities and violence prevention.

• Carpentersville: $249,956 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the private owner of subsidized housing at Sherwood Glen to establish a Neighborhood Networks Computerized Learning Center, as well as tutoring, and youth and parent activities. Another $247,077 from the New Approach Anti-Drug program will go to Fox View Apartments to pay for increased police patrolling.

• Champaign: $182,100 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Champaign County Housing Authority for activities such as Summer Day Camp and Summer Youth Employment programs; volunteer resident patrols; educational and recreational activities through the Family Resource Centers and coordination with local law enforcement.

• Chicago: The Chicago Housing Authority will receive $8,679,970 in Drug Elimination Grants for 13 different public safety and supportive service programs in 14 public housing developments. The Authority's strategic plan to control and prevent drug use and drug-related crime addresses both supply and demand reduction. In addition, $115,000 from the New Approach Anti-Drug Program will go Lavergne Courts Apartments, a privately owned subsidized complex, to continue and expand existing counseling, job placement, and after-school programs. Another $115,000 from the New Approach Anti-Drug Program will go to Washington Courts Apartments, a privately owned subsidized complex, to continue current programs and to establish new resident services and drug prevention and treatment activities.

• Cook County: $1,112,820 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Cook County Housing Authority for community policing, welfare to work job training, and a resale shop will be started to offer youth the opportunity to learn business skills.

• Collinsville: $249,500 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Madison County Housing Authority to expand community policing programs, youth computer skills classes, scouting; and initiatives that build the life and business skills of young adults.

• Danville: $322,200 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the city of Danville Housing Authority to continue its drug prevention efforts by expanding educational, vocational, and employment recreational/sports opportunities to its residents. Another $171,448 from the New Approach Anti-Drug Program will go to Green Meadow Apartments, a privately owned subsidized complex, to build a new fence and initiate trespass arrest and tenant award programs.

• Decatur: $262,500 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Decatur Housing Authority for programs and services designed to ensure safe living environments secure from the threat of drug and drug-related crime.

• DeKalb: $125,000 from the New Approach Anti-Drug program will go to the DeKalb Plaza Apartments, also known as Gideon Court Apartments, a privately owned subsidized complex. The funds will pay for physical improvements such as security cameras, fencing, exterior lighting, along with drug prevention activities such as field trips and economic development initiatives.

• East St. Louis: $572,260 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the East St. Louis City Housing Authority to fund the continuation and implementation of after-school recreation, tutorial assistance, rookie baseball league, and youth leadership programs. The Housing Authority also plans to utilize Tactical Drug Units and Neighborhood Watch programs to combat open drug trafficking.

• Elgin: $111,540 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Elgin Housing Authority for programs to physically enhance security, reimburse law enforcement and drug-prevention activities.

• Freeport: $134,400 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Freeport City Housing Authority to fund additional law enforcement, security personnel, and drug prevention programs.

• Henry County: $140,000 Drug Elimination Grant to the Henry County Housing Authority to fund a comprehensive plan of additional law enforcement, physical improvements to enhance security, and resident/youth service programs.

• Joliet: $284,782 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Joliet Housing Authority for increased policing, and prevention programs including the hiring of three full-time service aides to operate on-site community centers to provide supervised recreational activities.

• Kankakee: $100,200 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Kankakee County Housing Authority for programs such as community policing, security measures, and resident-assisted prevention/intervention programs.

• Knox County: $130,200 in Drug Elimination Grants to the Knox County Housing Authority to fund an aggressive program to promote security through additional police service, drug prevention through educational programs and social interactions for children youth and adults, and intervention through a referral program, on-site therapy sessions and an after care program by Bridgeway Chemical Dependency Treatment Center.

• Mount Vernon: $105,900 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Jefferson County Housing Authority for programs to increase law enforcement and security guard patrols, and counseling and drug prevention services to residents throughout the county.

• Murphysboro: $252,300 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Jackson County Housing Authority for programs to increase the law enforcement presence in public housing including hiring a security officer to eliminate vandalism and other drug-related crimes. Additionally, the Housing Authority will employ a Drug Elimination Program Coordinator and contract with law enforcement for undercover services.

• Ottawa: $279,600 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Lasalle County Housing Authority for increased security from resident and police patrols, and to develop comprehensive drug prevention and intervention programs.

• Peoria: $464,880 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Peoria Housing Authority for programs to provide increased police services and offer a broader scope of education, training, and life skills counseling.

• Rockford: $546,780 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Rockford Housing Authority for programs that include targeted prevention and treatment services for families and physical improvements to enhance the safety and security of residents.

• Springfield: $276,000 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Springfield Housing Authority for programs to continue patrols by security personnel and by community policing, and educating residents on ways to detect, prevent and combat drug-related problems. In addition, housing will be offered to a select number of security personnel and community police officers as another way of increasing the law enforcement presence in the community.

• Waukegan: $133,800 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Waukegan Housing Authority for programs to carry out a comprehensive strategy of prevention and intervention; increased police and security; and various activities supported by the Resident Council, Housing Authority staff, and community organizations.

• West Frankfort: $205,800 in Drug Elimination Grants will go to the Franklin County Housing Authority for programs that include youth activities, reimbursement to local law enforcement for extra patrols, and physical improvements to improve security.