BUSH ADMINISTRATION AWARDS $553 MILLION TO CALIFORNIA

• View a complete listing of the grants awarded today.

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez today announced communities across California will receive more than $553 million in federal assistance to stimulate local economies, promote affordable housing and help the homeless and persons living with AIDS.

"These grants do so much good for so many people," Martinez said. "This money helps communities do the critical work of stimulating business development and job growth, providing affordable housing and helping our most vulnerable neighbors."

The funding announced today is part of HUD's four block grant programs and includes:

• $355.4 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to fund local economic development priorities benefiting low- and moderate-income residents;
• $156.3 million in HOME funds to promote affordable housing programs for low-income families;
• $12.6 million in Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) to meet the urgent needs of the homeless;
• $18.3 million in HOPWA (Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS) grants to provide housing and related services to low-income people with HIV/AIDS and their families; and,
• $10.3 million in loan guarantees made under HUD's Section 108 Loan Guarantee Assistance Program

First awarded in 1974, CDBG funds enable state and local governments to target their own economic development priorities. Although the rehabilitation of affordable housing has traditionally been the largest single use of the grants, the program is also an increasingly important catalyst for economic development activities that expand job and business opportunities for lower income families and neighborhoods.

HOME (Home Investment Partnerships Program) is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households. Since 1992, more than a half million affordable housing units have been acquired, constructed or rehabilitated and nearly 70,000 tenants have received direct rental assistance. In addition, more than 200,000 new homebuyers have received assistance to purchase their first homes through the HOME program.

Emergency Shelter Grants, part of HUD's award-winning Continuum of Care initiative, help communities meet the basic shelter needs of homeless individuals and families. The grants also provide transitional housing and a variety of support services designed to move the homeless away from a life on the street towards permanent housing.

HOPWA grants expand housing opportunities, provide rental assistance, and support services to individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families. In addition, the HOPWA program also helps many communities develop strategic AIDS housing plans and fill in gaps in local systems of care.

HUD's block grant programs are distributed by formula around the country based on criteria including population, income levels, poverty rates and age of housing stock. HOPWA grants are distributed based on the number of AIDS cases as reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition to the formula grants announced today, Martinez also said that HUD will provide $10.3 million in loan guarantees to the communities of Apple Valley, Glendale and San Diego.

Apple Valley will receive $1.5 million to assist with the development of the Silverado Cinema Megaplex; Daly City is slated to receive $4.5 million to help build a community center in the Bayshore Heights Park area; $1.8 million is earmarked for Glendale to provide assistance for the Edison School/Pacific Park project; Sacramento County will receive $550,000 to acquire land to build the Auburn Boulevard Retail Center; and San Diego will receive $2 million to provide assistance for the Ocean Beach Library Expansion project.

The Economic Development Loan Guarantees save communities money by reducing the interest rate they are charged on loans from commercial lenders. The guarantees also make loans more readily available and often attract other sources of funding from local and state governments, non-profits and the private sector to complete financing for major job creation activities.

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