Union Leader
By Paul Feely
August 10, 2020

Members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation announced Monday that housing authorities and agencies across the state will receive $39.5 million in federal funding as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support affordable housing for residents impacted by COVID-19.

U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster and Chris Pappas said the state itself will receive $19.3 million through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which can be used to expand community health facilities, child care centers, food banks and senior services, as well as support eviction prevention, rental deposit assistance and homelessness prevention programs. Another $8.9 million was awarded to the state through the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program, which provides funding to help homeless people quickly regain permanent housing.

The city of Manchester received an additional $1,810,236 in ESG funding.

About $3.8 million was awarded to New Hampshire through the HOME program, which provides grants to states to help build, buy and rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership or provide direct rental assistance to low-income households

Another $3 million was awarded to New Hampshire through the Housing Trust Fund, which provides grants to states to produce and preserve affordable housing for extremely low- and very low-income households.

Funding in this announcement comes in addition to $11.7 million in federal funding awarded in April to assist the homeless population in the Granite State and address other local needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“With the expiration of New Hampshire’s eviction moratorium, many vulnerable Granite Staters, including seniors, people with disabilities and working families, risk losing their homes with nowhere to go. Homelessness is a serious problem that has grown exponentially worse from the fallout of COVID-19,” said Sen. Shaheen. “These federal funds help bolster and expand access to affordable housing in regions throughout our state.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the housing crisis in New Hampshire and across the country, and with the expiration of the eviction moratorium, many Granite Staters, including the elderly and those who experience disabilities, are in danger of losing their homes,” said Sen. Hassan. “This federal funding will help support people whose housing has been jeopardized by the COVID-19 pandemic, and I will keep pushing to include rent relief in the next COVID-19 response legislation.”

“No one should have to worry about losing their home and not having a safe place to live, especially during a pandemic, but that is the grim reality many Granite Staters face,” said Rep. Kuster.

“As many families across New Hampshire struggle to make ends meet, this additional federal support for affordable housing could not have come at a more important time,” said Rep. Pappas.