NH Delegation Announces $11.7 Million From New COVID-19 Law to Help NH’s Vulnerable Homeless Population & Provide Support to Community Health Facilities, Food Banks and Other Community Services
U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a negotiator of the recent COVID-19 economic response bill, and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced today that New Hampshire is set to receive $11.7 million in additional funding to assist New Hampshire's vulnerable homeless population and to address other local needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. This funding comes from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which was recently passed by Congress and signed into law last week. Funds in this announcement come in addition to the $1.25 billion in aid that the new law provides to compensate New Hampshire for COVID-19 response efforts and the $147 million for schools, transit, law enforcement, child care, low-income heating and other needs that the Delegation announced on Tuesday to help the state through this crisis. The funds announced today will be administered through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program and the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, and can be used to expand community health facilities, child care centers, food banks and senior services, as well as supporting eviction prevention, rental deposit assistance and homelessness prevention programs.
"Delivering urgently needed relief to Granite Staters is my top priority as this crisis continues to evolve," said Shaheen. "In my conversations with local community leaders, the message is loud and clear: ‘we need help and we need it fast.' I'm glad that HUD has quickly distributed this funding, which will help New Hampshire's homeless population who are very vulnerable to COVID-19, and expand access to affordable housing and other forms of community assistance needed to meet the many unique challenges that our communities are facing as they respond to this crisis."
"This additional federal funding for our state will help shore up community supports that are being stretched to their breaking points as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Hassan. "By providing more housing options for vulnerable populations and expanding other vital services such as child care, food banks, and community health centers, this funding will help some of the individuals being hardest hit by this crisis. I will keep working with our New Hampshire Congressional Delegation and Governor Sununu to get people and communities the support that they need."
"We are all in this together as we work to slow the spread of COVID-19, address this crisis, and ensure that Granite Staters have the resources they need during this pandemic, and it is critical that we provide support to every member of our community who needs it," said Kuster. "This funding will bring much-needed assistance to populations who are especially vulnerable to COVID-19 including those who are experiencing homelessness. It will also help strengthen and expand community facilities that are vital during this public health emergency, including health care and child care centers and food banks. I'm pleased to join my colleagues to announce this important funding and I will continue working to ensure New Hampshire communities have the resources and support they need during this crisis."
"There is no corner of our state or part of our population that has been spared from the impacts of this virus, and the federal government must deliver the resources Congress authorized as fast and efficiently as possible to begin to deliver support and relief," said Pappas. "I'm pleased that this funding is arriving to give much needed help to New Hampshire's vulnerable homeless population and provide assistance to communities in need with a variety of flexible applications including community heath, child care, and senior services."
Community Development Block Grant (CBDG) Grant: $7.49 Million
The CBDG program provides flexible funding to New Hampshire communities. These funds will allow for communities to rapidly respond to COVID-19 and the economic and housing impacts caused by it, including the expansion of community health facilities, child care centers, food banks and senior services. Of this $7.49 million, here are several examples of funding awards to New Hampshire cities:
- Manchester - $1,046,487
- Nashua - $390,913
- Portsmouth - $313,589
- Dover - $169,209
- Rochester - $149,714
Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Grant: $3.75 Million
The ESG program provides funds to rehabilitate and operate emergency shelters and transitional shelters, provide essential social services and prevent homelessness. New Hampshire will receive $3.75 million in ESG funds to support homeless assistance and eviction prevention assistance efforts, including rapid rehousing, housing counseling and rental deposit assistance, to help mitigate the adverse impacts of the pandemic on working families.
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Grant: $405,000
The HOPWA program is the only federal program dedicated to the housing needs of people living with HIV/AIDS. HOPWA awards grants to communities, states and nonprofit organizations for projects that benefit low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families. These funds can be used for temporary relocation services to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 for these households.
Earlier this month, prior to the CARES Act, New Hampshire received $4.9 million in initial funding to help the State prepare for COVID-19. This funding was made available by the first bipartisan coronavirus response bill, which was strongly supported by the Delegation.