WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge, along with Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont and Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, held a Zoom call to discuss the nearly $5 billion in American Rescue Plan funds allocated by HUD to help communities across the country create affordable housing and services for people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness.
The supplemental funding is allocated through the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to 651 grantees, including states, insular areas, and local governments.
“Homelessness in the United States was increasing even before COVID-19, and we know the pandemic has only made the crisis worse,” said Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “HUD’s swift allocation of this $5 billion in American Rescue Plan funding reflects our commitment to addressing homelessness as a priority. With this strong funding, communities across the country will have the resources needed to give homes to the people who have had to endure the COVID-19 pandemic without one.”
“New Jersey will receive $130,874,863, HUD funding that will go a long way to alleviate homelessness in the Garden State,” said Justin Scheid, HUD Newark Field Office Director. “The Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress shows that there were 9,662 homeless New Jerseyans before the pandemic, a number that has the potential to increase. Children and families deserve a decent place to live and the HOME / ARP funding can begin to heal the lives affected by homelessness and the fear of becoming homeless.”
The $4.925 billion in HOME-ARP funding gives states the flexibility to best meet the needs of people experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, including through the development of affordable housing, tenant-based rental assistance, supportive services, and acquisition and development of non-congregate shelter units. Funds must be spent by 2030.
The nearly $5 billion in HOME-ARP funding is the first of two homelessness-related funding opportunities from the American Rescue Plan that HUD will release. In the coming weeks, HUD will announce the allocation of funding for emergency vouchers for people experiencing and at-risk of homelessness.
While the nearly $5 billion in HOME-ARP funding will deliver near-term relief to people experiencing or at-risk of experiencing homelessness, President Biden’s American Jobs Plan would build on this relief with additional robust funding to bring the United States closer to ending homelessness and housing instability.
