Pascrell, Sayegh Announce $5.4M HUD Community Grants to Paterson

Four separate awards will help provide a plethora of services to in-need residents

PATERSON, NJ – Today, Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh announced that the U.S. Department for Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD), has awarded four grants to the city of Paterson totaling $5,400,511. The grants will be used to help provide housing to moderate- and low-income residents, give aid to the city’s homeless population, and grant assistance and services to those infected with HIV and AIDS and their families.

“These HUD awards are a game-changer for Paterson. They will be a big help to some of our city’s residents struggling the most: those seeking stable housing opportunities, the homeless, and men and women struggling with HIV and AIDS,” said Rep. Pascrell. “The affordable housing crisis in America leaves too many New Jersey families facing impossible financial challenges. These grants will give New Jerseyans in my district some of the tools they need to get in safe and affordable housing, the first step to a better life.”

“We are profoundly grateful to Congressman Pascrell for continuing to be a passionate voice for Paterson in D.C.,” said Mayor Andre Sayegh. “These HUD grants are needed more than ever as my Administration looks to combat some of our city’s biggest challenges – from homelessness to increased opportunities for youth and so much more. This funding not only allows us to address certain community needs, but to empower our non-profit and faith based community to be partners in these efforts.”

The breakdown of the grants is as follows:

• $2,272,921 in Community Development Block Grants
• $1,608,136 in Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS Program Grants
• $1,334,211 in HOME Investment Partnerships Program Grants
• $185,243 in Emergency Solutions Grants

These awards represent a 10.7 percent increase over awards received by the city of Paterson last year. In 2017, Paterson received $4,876,702 in these CPD grants.

Background on HUD programs

Community Development Block (CDBG) Grants provide annual grants to states and localities to help them build good housing and better living environments for low- and moderate-income Americans.

Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Program Grants supply housing assistance and other services to state and local governments to help support low-income Americans diagnosed with HIV and AIDS and their families.

HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) Grants are geared towards growing support of affordable housing for low- and very low-income families by helping states and localities fund housing programs to fill their needs.

Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) provide funding to help provide homeless services, to improve the quality and operations of emergency shelters for the homeless and their families, and to help prevent recently re-housed homeless and their families from falling back into the streets.

Since entering office, Rep. Pascrell has worked closely with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to bring critical resources home and make sure New Jersey gets its fair share. In August, Pascrell helped win $1,500,000 in Housing Choice Vouches for Paterson. Pascrell worked to obtain an $18,000,000 HOPE VI Grant from HUD which was critical to building the Heritage Community Center at Alexander Hamilton, a 271-unit public housing development in Paterson. In 2014, Pascrell helped secure $815,000 in Community Development Block Grants  to promote neighborhood revitalization, housing rehabilitation, and economic development activities. In 2013, Pascrell worked with Sen. Robert Menendez and Reps. Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ-10) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06) to obtain $10.9 million to build community housing for AIDS patients, low-income families, and the homeless. In 2012, Pascrell secured a $16 million HUD grant that Passaic County used to help recover from Hurricane Irene. In 2011, Pascrell worked with HUD to provide $500,000 to Paterson and Passaic County to improve homeless services and public housing. Rep. Pascrell has secured numerous grants to house the homeless and homeless veterans while in Congress. In 2009, Rep. Pascrell worked closely with President Obama’s HUD to secure a nearly $10,000,000 award to support public housing in Passaic County communities.  Rep. Pascrell’s advocacy was crucial in securing $425,000 in HUD grants to help resident support services at the Belmont Senior Apartments in Paterson. In his first year in office in 1997, Rep. Pascrell helped secure a $21.6 million HUD grant for the Paterson Housing Authority that was used to revitalize the Christopher Columbus Homes public housing development.

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