Last month, President Trump signed H.R. 601 into law, providing $15.25 billion in disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Of the amount, $7.4 billion goes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help meet immediate needs, and $450 million to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for disaster-relief loans. The remaining $7.4 billion goes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program for disaster relief and long-term recovery. This blog will explain what the CDBG-DR program is and how funds will be allocated and administered to disaster impacted communities.
CDBG-DR
Pamela Patenaude Confirmed as HUD Deputy Secretary
Yesterday, the Senate confirmed Pamela Patneaude, by an 80-17 vote, to serve as Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Ms. Patenaude had previously served as former HUD Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development under President George W. Bush and as the director of housing policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. She is currently the president of the J. Ronald Terwilliger Foundation for Housing America’s Families. As Deputy Secretary, Ms. Patenaude will handle the day-to-day operations of HUD, as well as lead the Department’s Disaster Management Group (DMG), playing a primary role in coordinating the long-term efforts of 16 program and support offices within HUD.
In a press release on Ms. Patneaude’s confirmation, NAHRO CEO Adrianne Todman states:
“NAHRO is pleased that the Senate has confirmed Ms. Patenaude as HUD Deputy Secretary. Her extensive experience with affordable housing and community development issues, both in the non-profit sector and at HUD, will be an asset to the department. We look forward to working with her to advance HUD’s mission to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.”
HUD Webinar on Procurement Requirements for CDBG Disaster Recovery Programs
On September 19, 2017 at 1:00 PM EDT, HUD will host a webinar titled “Buying Right: CDBG-DR and Procurement A Guide to Recovery,” which will focus on procurement requirements for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Disaster Recovery programs. This webinar will cover the latest procurement guidance under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Uniform Guidance as provided in 2 CFR Part 200. This 1.5 hour webinar is designed for all CDBG and CDBG-DR grantees, especially staff charged with purchasing goods and services.
Participants will learn:
- Roadmap of the procurement process
- Procurement methods for different types of goods and services
- Best practices to ensure compliance with the Uniform Guidance requirements
- Common pitfalls in procuring goods and services by grantees
Register for the webinar here.
HUD Provides $179 Million to States for Disaster Recovery
Earlier this week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson announced an additional $178.5 million to help hard-hit areas in several states recover from severe flooding that occurred in 2015 and 2016. State grant recipients include Florida, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas. This new allocation will be provided through the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program, where HUD has previously provided nearly $947 million in these areas for recovery efforts. The CDBG-DR grants will support a wide range of activities, including housing redevelopment, business assistance and infrastructure repair.
Below is the full list of grantees for this announcement and their allocations to date:
HUD Awards $500 Million in Disaster Recovery Funds; Pledges Expedited Assistance for Southern States
Last week, HUD Secretary Julian Castro awarded $500 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to Louisiana, Texas and West Virginia to help recover from severe flooding earlier this year. These recovery funds will help the most impacted counties that experienced the greatest level of damage to their housing stock. CDBG-DR grants can provide support for housing redevelopment, business assistance, and infrastructure repair.
According to HUD’s press release, “[i]n the hardest-hit counties of Louisiana (6 counties), Texas (3 counties), and West Virginia (2 counties), more than 102,000 households experienced some level of damage to their homes including more than 41,000 families who saw the most serious level of damage or destruction and unmet needs.” The following allocations of funds are based on each state’s proportional share of serious unmet housing needs:
|
Grantee
|
Amount
|
| State of Louisiana |
$437,800,000
|
| State of Texas |
$45,200,000
|
| State of West Virginia |
$17,000,000
|
|
TOTAL
|
$500,000,000
|
Also last week, Secretary Castro announced that HUD will expedite assistance to the States of North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia to address the impacts of Hurricane Matthew. The Department will help by: assisting the affected states and local governments in re-allocating existing federal resources toward disaster relief; granting immediate foreclosure relief; making mortgage insurance available; making insurance available for both mortgages and home rehabilitation; offering Section 108 loan guarantee assistance; and providing information to FEMA and the State on housing providers that may have available units in the impacted counties.
The NAHRO Blog: Legislative & Policy Updates from Washington, DC 