Federal Grants for Housing and Development Awarded to LA County Cities
Recently, the federal government awarded substantial grants for community development, affordable housing, and assistance for the homeless. The top recipients of these funds were the cities of Los Angeles and Long Beach, which received an impressive $84 million and approximately $8.8 million, respectively.
In total, agencies within Los Angeles County were granted around $136 million. These funds were distributed through three main grant programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), which publicly announced the grants earlier this week.
The three key programs contributing to this funding include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and the Emergency Solutions Grant.
The city of Los Angeles was the primary beneficiary, receiving the lion’s share of the funds with its $84 million grant. In addition to this, Los Angeles was also awarded an extra $24,017,909 through a fourth HUD program, the Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV/AIDS initiative (HOPWA). Los Angeles County, in general, received around $32.5 million.
Pasadena secured the third-highest total among L.A. County cities, with a significant sum of $3.2 million. The funds awarded by HUD extended to cities across the entire county, ranging from Compton to Lancaster.
The allocation for Long Beach was part of a larger sum of $12.5 million designated for cities within U.S. Representative Robert Garcia’s 42nd District. Garcia announced on March 3 that Huntington Park received about $1.7 million, while Downey and Lakewood garnered nearly $1.5 million and $456,232, respectively.
Rep. Garcia expressed excitement over the prospect of these federal funds directly benefitting their cities, stating, “These resources will help house families, support neighborhoods, and invest in small businesses.”
Each of the grant programs has a specific purpose. The CDBG program aims to enhance low- and moderate-income communities through funding housing and widening economic opportunities. The HOME Investment Partnerships Program is designed to develop affordable housing for low-income families, both rental and owner-occupied. Meanwhile, the Emergency Solutions Grant is committed to funding services for the homeless, including shelters and prevention programs.
Nationwide, HUD has allocated a total of $5.6 billion through these and two other related grant programs to 1,200 communities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.
California, the state with both the highest total and homeless populations in the U.S., received the largest sum from HUD, a staggering $669,411,673. New York followed as the next highest recipient, with its communities collectively receiving $541,252,698.
