HUD Awards $2.6 Million for Alabama Community Development

In a press release by the the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development it has announced that it will be giving more than $26 million to the state of Alabama to be used for a variety of community development and for affordable housing throughout the state. This money will provide Alabama with a critical source of funds to help aide the smaller communities and rural areas.

Many smaller rural areas desperately need funding. Most sparsely populated communities do not receive funding from Block Grants and local leaders are encouraged to apply for funding through Alabama's Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

Rob Couch, who is HUD's General Counsel, said, "This funding will breathe new life into neighborhoods across this great State. By helping communities improve their infrastructure or assisting families to purchase their first home, H.U.D. is helping to improve neighborhoods in Alabama from the ground up."

Since 1974 HUD's Community Development Block Grant (C.D.B.G.)Program has received approximately $120 billion for many states and local governments to help with their individual community development priorities.

C.D.B.G. funds are distributed according to a statutory formula based on a communitys poverty, population,and age of its housings stocks and its extent of overcrowded housing. The C.D.B.G. is also an important catalyst for job growth and business opportunities. Last year many communities report that the C.D.B.G. provided housing assistance to more than 179,386 households. They also assisted in the creation and retention of more than 55,000 jobs.

The primary objective of the C.D.B.G. program is to provide viable communities by providing decent affordable housing including a suitable life environment for members of the community. It also strives to provide and expand economic opportunities primarily for people of low or moderate income. HUD is the agency in the United States thats purpose is committed to home ownership especially among minorities, and creating affordable housing opportunites for low income Americans. They also strongly support the homeless, elderly and people who have disabilities, with low income affordable housing throughout the country. You may find out more by clicking on www.hud.gov or www.espanol.hud.org .

Alabama may also use the provided money to prevent or to help eliminate slums and or blight throughout the state.

Sources used in this article are: http://www.hud.gov/news/release.cfm?content=pr07-137.cfm