CUOMO AWARDS $3.1 MILLION TO HELP ELDERLY AND DISABLED PEOPLE IN 26 STATES CONTINUE LIVING INDEPENDENTLY AT HOME

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today awarded $3.1 million in grants to help low-income older people and people with disabilities get health care, meals and other supportive services they need to continue living in HUD-subsidized housing in 26 states.

Public housing authorities and other owners of HUD-subsidized housing will use the funds to employ service coordinators who will help the elderly and people with disabilities in HUD housing get the supportive services that enable them to live independently.

"These grants will help older Americans and people with disabilities stay out of nursing homes and institutions and continue living in their homes," Cuomo said. "They will help families stay together and improve the lives of some of our most vulnerable citizens."

The grants will go to 41 Public Housing Authorities in these 26 states, with the total grants for each state listed:

Alaska	$29,164	North Carolina	$55,000
California	$50,400	Nebraska	$396,150
Connecticut	$112,320	New Jersey	$131,580
Florida	$35,000	New York	$92,942
Georgia	$148,097	Oklahoma	$71,916
Illinois	$137,010	Pennsylvania	$81,988
Indiana	$38,290	Rhode Island	$137,160
Massachusetts	$283,492	South Carolina	$88,214
Maryland	$62,127	Texas	$12,975
Maine	$38,969	Virginia	$273,659
Michigan	$52,000	Vermont	$30,000
Minnesota	$196,100	Washington	$483,983
Missouri	$39,461	Wisconsin	$106,405

Using service coordinators to act as community service liaisons for seniors and disabled people is part of President Clinton's Housing Security Plan. Goals of the plan include:

• Helping seniors remain in their own homes and connected to their families and communities.

• Expanding affordable housing opportunities for lower income seniors.

• Improving the range and coordination of affordable housing and supportive service combinations available to seniors.

Each year, HUD assists approximately 1.5 million elderly low-income renter households with public and assisted housing and tenant-based rental assistance designed to provide decent, safe, and affordable housing opportunities.

As part of its Fiscal Year 2000 budget, HUD seeks to expand the Service Coordinator program and has requested an increase of $35 million for a total of $50 million.

As the U.S. population ages and the number of older Americans grows, there will be an increased need for programs to help the elderly continue living independently in their homes. According to the Census Bureau, there were 34.1 million people age 65 years or older in the United States in 1997.

One in eight Americans is a senior citizen today, compared with only one in 25 at the dawn of the 20th century. The Census Bureau estimates that 20 percent of Americans will be older than retirement age in 2030, compared with less than 13 percent today.

HUD SERVICE COORDINATOR GRANTS

State	Housing Authority	Grant
Alaska	Alaska Housing Finance Corporation	$29,164
California	Housing Authority of the City of San Buenaventura	$50,400
Connecticut	Housing Authority of the City of Bridgeport	$64,260
	Housing Authority of the City of New Britain	$58,060
Florida	Riviera Beach Housing Authority	$35,000
Georgia	Housing Authority of the City of Augusta	$103,600
	Housing Authority of the City of Carrollton (Lead)	$45.497
Illinois	St. Clair County Housing Authority	$33,320
	Winnebago Housing Authority	$54,950
	Bloomington Housing Authority	$48,740
Indiana	Fort Wayne Housing Authority	$38,290
Massachusetts	Cambridge Housing Authority	$192,561
	Somerville Housing Authority	$49,036
	Brookline Housing Authority	$41,895
Maryland	Anne Arundel County Housing Authority	$30,992
	Housing Authority of Cumberland	$31,135
Maine	Brewer Housing Authority	$38,969
Michigan	Saginaw Housing Commission	$52,000
Minnesota	St. Paul Housing Authority	$196,100
Missouri	St. Louis Housing Authority	$39,461
North Carolina	Greensboro Housing Authority	$55,000
Nebraska	Housing Authority of the City of Omaha, Nebraska	$396,150
New Jersey	Morris County Housing Authority	$41,203
	Atlantic City Housing Authority	$90,377
New York	Village of Hempstead Housing Authority	$58,000
	Plattsburgh Housing Authority	$34,942
Oklahoma	Tulsa Public Housing Authority	$71,916
Pennsylvania	Lancaster City Housing Authority	$43,648
	Altoona Housing Authority	$38,340
Rhode Island	Woonsocket Housing Authority	$71,580
	Cumberland Housing Authority	$32,790
	North Providence Housing Authority	$32,790
South Carolina	Columbia Housing Authority	$38,214
	Spartanburg Housing Authority	$50,000
Texas	Fort Worth Housing Authority	$12,975
Virginia	Cumberland Plateau Regional Housing Authority	$225,000
	Newport News Redevelopment and Housing Auth.	$48,659
Vermont	Barre Housing Authority	$30,000
Washington	King County Housing Authority	$247,733
	Seattle Housing Authority	$236,250
Wisconsin	Housing Authority City of Milwaukee	$106,405

Content Archived: January 20, 2009