The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has allocated $2.96 billion in emergency solutions grants (ESG) funding to support homeless Americans and individuals at risk of becoming homeless because of hardships such as job loss, wage reduction, or illness because of COVID-19.
This funding is in addition to $1 billion of ESG grants announced shortly after President Donald Trump signed the CARES Act.
“Homelessness was a major issue in some cities across our nation long before this pandemic occurred, and unfortunately the dire living conditions of our most vulnerable Americans left many without a home to isolate in or proper medical and healthcare resources to defend themselves against this invisible enemy,” Secretary Ben Carson said in a news release. “As we continued to monitor the effects of COVID-19 in at-risk communities, the department and our partners worked quickly to respond to outbreaks and minimize the spread from hotspots to other locations. This increased funding to help provide for our homeless will make a difference now as we combat the coronavirus and inform long-term, innovative solutions for addressing homelessness in the future.”
Congress has provided $4 billion for HUD’s ESG program for local governments to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus among individuals and families who are homeless, receiving homeless assistance or are at risk of becoming homeless. Every state and territory will receive funding.
The most recent funds may be used to:
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