Utah gets $12.3 million for affordable housing

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah will receive $12.3 million to fund community development and affordable housing programs, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Thursday. The funding also will support efforts to find homes for homeless individuals and families as well as provide permanent shelter for people with HIV/AIDS.

"This funding provides the building blocks needed to improve communities," HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a news release. "Now, more than ever, these grants promote neighborhood development, produce affordable housing and help extremely low-income persons find their place in their communities."

The funding will be distributed in four different pools, with $7.5 million for Community Development Block Grants; just over $4 million for HOME Investment Partnerships; $616,000 for Emergency Shelter Grants; and $127,000 for Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS.

CDBG funds are distributed annually to communities according to a formula based on population, poverty level and age of housing stock. Traditional uses of block grant funding have been the rehabilitation of affordable housing and improvement of public facilities.

HOME is the largest federal grant program to state and local governments designed specifically to produce affordable housing for low-income families.

ESG monies target homeless persons by helping to provide basic shelter and support services. The funds also can be used for operational costs of shelter facilities and administrative expenses.

The HOPWA grants are distributed to states and municipalities based on the number of AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The program provides funding resources targeted toward housing for individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families.

HUD Funding Distribution

$ 7,516,388 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

$ 4,086,665 HOME Investment Partnerships

$ 616,591 Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG)

$ 126,975 Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)

$12,346,619 Total

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