Share
WASHINGTON More than $10 billion in stimulus money announced by federal housing officials this week could help North Carolina families move from the streets to permanent housing, pay for renovations to poor senior citizens' apartments and renovate houses in low-income communities.
The cash from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is among the first and most local infusions of dollars to come from the economic stimulus bill that President Barack Obama signed into law this month.
Local housing advocates say they welcome the money, but there are still questions about how some of the dollars can be spent.
“In a couple of areas, this certainly is going to be an opportunity in people's lives that we haven't had previously,” said Chris Estes, executive director of the N.C. Housing Coalition in Raleigh. “The challenge will be to ensure these resources will be allocated in a way that they get spent. It's not like we have a network of folks ready to jump.”
Around North Carolina, local housing and redevelopment agencies learned late Wednesday how much they would get from more than $100 million being sent to the state. The bulk of the money will initially go to the state, but then get passed down to local communities in block grants, to pay for homelessness prevention and to help companies build affordable housing.
Across the state, money will pay for lead mitigation in Greenville and Charlotte and for tribal housing projects for the Lumbee, the Eastern Band of Cherokee and three other state-recognized tribes.
The Charlotte Housing Authority will receive $7.5 million. The city of Charlotte expects to get $2.9 million to control lead-based paint hazards; $1.9 million for emergency shelter to prevent homelessness; and $1.2 million for community development block grants.
