Williams announces almost $1.6 million in federal grants to combat COVID-19 pandemic
HUNTINGTON – Mayor Steve Williams announced Friday, April 3, that the City of Huntington has receive two federal grants totaling almost $1.6 million that will be used for the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The grant awards of $1,596,487 to the City of Huntington from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) were the largest among the nine West Virginia municipalities to receive funding.
"Our Congressional delegation has once again been steadfast in providing the citizens of Huntington and the citizens of West Virginia funding necessary to assist the most marginalized in our community,” Williams said. “Time and again, the White House has indicated to us that this crisis is locally executed, state managed, and federally supported. We are blessed that Senator Capito and Senator Manchin are able to protect our interests on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Congresswoman Miller has also been a stalwart advocate of our needs. All three are working tirelessly to make sure that we are equipped to respond to the needs of our residents."
The federal funding was awarded to the City of Huntington’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) programs and is in addition to the annual allocations that the programs normally receive.
The CDBG program received $1,058,173, while the ESG program received $538,314. The funding must be used in response to the COVID-19 pandemic while still following the regulatory requirements of each program. However, multiple regulatory requirements have been waived to ensure the funding can be used in a timely manner.
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The CDBG Program provides annual grants on a formula basis to states, cities, and counties to develop viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.
The ESG program focuses on addressing the needs of homeless people in emergency or transitional shelters to assisting people to quickly regain stability in permanent housing after experiencing a housing crisis and/or homelessness.