Freeport Housing Authority awarded grant

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development granted $937,568 in funding to the Freeport Housing Authority on Feb. 24, which was one of nearly 2,770 public housing authorities to receive funding

Public housing authorities in all 50 states, as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia, received money to make capital investments to their public housing stock. . The grants were distributed to both large and small communities, rural and urban, with the primary aim of providing adequate and secure housing for the residents.

The total amount of funding granted across all the housing authorities was $3.16 billion, with $800 million distributed to 39 public housing authorities in New York.

“As I have traveled the country, I’ve heard time and again from families and seniors in public housing that a decent home in a safe community shouldn’t be too much to ask for,” Marcia L. Fudge, department secretary, said in a release. “With this investment, we are committing to work with our public housing authority partners to guarantee homes in public housing are worthy of the families and individuals who live there.”

The Capital Fund Program is an annual initiative that provides money to public housing authorities, enabling them to improve and modernize their communities’ housing. This program allows housing authorities to undertake larger-scale upgrades, such as replacing roofs, upgrading heating systems, or installing water conservation measures.

The department’s “capital funding for public housing authorities is a lifeline that provides resources for necessary maintenance and repairs so that residents’ homes are safe,” Alicia Ampry-Samuel, the department’s regional administrator for New York and New Jersey said. “Public housing authorities count on this funding to make repairs and ensure the preservation of subsidized housing for the families that need it most.”

For over 80 years, the federal government has been investing billions of dollars in developing and maintaining public housing, which includes the recent provision of support through the grants awarded last week.

The Freeport Housing Authority, which offers affordable housing options for low- and moderate-income families, is preparing to move into its new headquarters on Main Street almost a decade after Hurricane Sandy destroyed its previous location.

The new $65 million building is handicapped-accessible and will provide a more secure and intimate environment for staff to work with tenants and applicants.

The project was funded by municipal, state, and federal administrations, with assistance from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The housing authority expects to move into the new building by the end of this month.