The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today awarded over $34 million to three public housing agencies (PHA) to address emergencies that threaten residents’ health and safety, as well as to help secure their public housing properties against crime and drug-related activity.
“Home hazards can manifest without warning,” said HUD Secretary Ben Carson. “Because health and housing go hand in hand, it’s important to address these unexpected problems. Today’s grants are a tool for public housing agencies to make capital improvements so that all residents have a safe and secure place to call home.”
“These grants will go a long way to helping the families that HUD serves,” said Assistant Secretary Hunter Kurtz. “They’ll help these PHAs deal with the issues that impact their residents.”
HUD’s Capital Fund Emergency/Disaster and Safety and Security Program supports public housing authorities as they address emergency and/or disaster conditions that threaten public housing residents’ health and safety and also address threats that pose a risk to the safety and security of residents due to criminal activity, including but not limited to drug-related activity within the public housing community.
Examples of emergency capital needs requiring such correction could include elevator failure, boiler failure, water intrusion causing mold growth, sewer line failure, severe electrical problems, lead-based paint hazards, carbon monoxide and radon hazards, local building code violations, and safety and security needs. Examples of emergency capital needs requiring measures to address safety and security include, but are not limited to, security lighting, alarm systems, and fencing.
The following PHAs will receive Capital Fund emergency grants:
| STATE | CITY | RECIPIENT | AMOUNT |
| IL | Cairo | Alexander County Housing Authority | $1,279,402 |
| IN | Gary | Gary Housing Authority | $8,661,383 |
| NY | New York | New York City Housing Authority | $24,709,215 |