If you are living in any of the calamity-stricken states of Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Texas, don’t worry about getting back on your feet because the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is providing millions of dollars as emergency funding.
More than $100 million will be allocated to launch community redevelopment and rehabilitation after the storms, hurricanes and flood damaged homes and infrastructures. After getting a go signal from the Congress, HUD immediately allocated one third of the $300 million emergency fund to the first three states after assessing that they incurred the worst damage, a jumpstart to their long-term recovery.
The Community Development Block Grant Program has been helping out local governments by providing affordable housing, jobs, and services to helpless members of the community. LGUs and states benefit each year from grants issued by the program. In fact, it is one of the longest-running programs of the agency.
In addition to the CDBG assistance, Cameron, Hidalgo, and Willacy Counties in Texas will get a variety of federal assistance following a presidential disaster declaration. HUD Secretary Steve Preston said that they will speed up distribution of assistance and help those who are forced out of their homes by the most recent hurricane. They will be eligible for temporary housing grants, home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help families recover from the storms’ catastrophic effects. FHA-insured homes will be covered by a foreclosure moratorium for 90 days.
The $100 million fund will be distributed as follows: Iowa, $85 million; Indiana, $10 million; and Wisconsin $5 million. These figures are based on the agency’s preliminary estimates of total housing damage and business loss.
You can expect a speedy assistance from the agency as it is keen on providing a rapid operation for families and communities, according to Secretary Preston. “We intend to allocate the remaining disaster assistance as quickly as possible."
A wide variety of government grants is available to help you take care of all your financial worries like food, utility, home repairs, and other type of payments. Simply fill up the boxes located at the homepage to find out what government programs you may qualify for.