HUD Archives: News Releases

MARTINEZ TOURS HOUSING FACILITY FOR LOW-INCOME ELDERLY

WASHINGTON - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Mel Martinez visited two elderly housing complexes today with Congressman Sununu as he highlighted the President's homeownership initiative in a three-city tour of the state of New Hampshire.

The Secretary ended his day at an event in Nashua, where he toured Davidson Landing, a complex comprised of 82 elderly housing units. In the past HUD has funded the Davidson Landing complex in Nashua Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly funds. These grants allow low-income senior citizens an opportunity to find affordable, decent and safe places to live.

"Our senior citizens should never have to worry about being able to afford a safe and decent place to live," said Martinez. "Today, as I toured the state with Congressman Sununu, I have seen first hand how New Hampshire, and cities like Nashua, are allocating federal resources to provide safe, affordable housing for seniors, as well as to help low income, minority families own their own home, stimulate the local economy and promote affordable housing."

"The Bush Administration and Secretary Martinez have demonstrated strong leadership in addressing housing issue that affect residents of New Hampshire and the nation. The funding and initiatives highlighted today represent a continued commitment on the part of HUD to valuable programs that will help provide affordable housing for seniors, stimulate the local economy, promote affordable housing, and help the homeless," said Sununu.

HUD's Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly funds make it easier for low-income senior citizens to find affordable, decent and safe places to live. In addition to funding construction and rehabilitation projects to create the apartments, these funds can be used to subsidize rents on the apartments allowing residents to pay a small percent of their incomes as rent.

To be eligible for the assistance a household must be classified as "very low income, " which means an income less than 50 percent of the area median. Nationally, this means an income of less than $18,375 a year. Martinez has requested level funding of $783 million dollars for the Section 202 program in the FY2003 HUD budget to maintain the level of support to develop facilities like Davidson Landing.

HUD provides two forms of Section 202 funds to non-profit groups:

• Capital advances. This money covers the cost of developing the housing. It does not need to be repaid if the housing is available for occupancy by very low-income seniors for at least 40 years.
  
  
• Project rental assistance. This money covers the difference between the resident's contribution toward rent and the cost of operating the project.

Of the 21.8 million households headed by persons over 65 in 2001, the most recent data available, 19.7 percent were renters, according to The American Housing Survey for the United States: 2001.

Earlier in the day at Portsmouth, after touring an old hospital now being renovating for elderly housing, the Secretary announced over $1.6 million in Community Development Block Grants.

The funding announced today includes:

• Dover will receive $442,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds.
• Portsmouth will receive $829,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds.
• Rochester will receive $373,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds.

HUD's block grant programs are distributed by formula to every locality with a population of over 50,000, and to every county with a population of at least 200,000. The distribution formula also includes, income levels, poverty rates and age of housing stock.

While in Manchester, Martinez and Sununu, joined representatives of Fannie Mae as they presented Manchester Neighborhood Housing Services, an agency that helps low income people through the home-buying process, with a check for $10,000 toward the purchase of computers to enable the agency to extend its homeownership counseling program. Martinez toured the agency and recognized Domingo and Magaly Vega and Beth Jennison, new homeowners thanks to the assistance received from MNHS. Earlier in the day at Portsmouth, the Secretary announced over $1.6 million in Community Development Block Grants.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities, creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans, supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet.

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Content Archived: April 9, 2010