Press Releases

U.S. Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) announced today that $3.2 million of federal grant money for the City of Baton Rouge's coronavirus response efforts is on its way. The funding is a result of enactment of the CARES Act, ‘Phase 3' legislation passed by the Congress last week as part of the legislative response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The dollars will be made available through three grant programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as follows:

• Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): $1.932 million to help provide housing and expand economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.
• Emergency Solutions Grants Program (ESG): $955,859 to help the City of Baton Rouge provide essential services and shelter for the homeless.
• Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA): $370,000 to support low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

"These funds are an important slice of the overall resources that will be necessary to meet the challenges of this crisis, providing critical housing relief for some of our hardest-hit residents and much-needed support to Baton Rouge government's response efforts," said Graves.

Baton Rouge is a grantee under HUD's CDBG Entitlement Program. Other local governments will receive CDBG funding either directly through HUD or through the Louisiana's allotment as part of the Phase 3 aid to states and municipalities.

HUD will formally announce these grant dollars next week.

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