Colorado receives HUD approval on state plan to spend $62.8 million on flood recovery

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced it approved Colorado’s Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Action Plan. The Plan outlines how Colorado will distribute $62.8 million in grant dollars received from HUD for flood recovery programs.

During a visit in December, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan announced the funding award and that it would go toward needs not addressed through other sources of public and private assistance such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Small Business Administration. With acceptance of this disaster action plan, the long-term and sustainable disaster recovery can continue.  

This grant will support recovery efforts in 18 Presidentially declared flood-impacted counties, with a majority of the funds going to the most impacted counties: Boulder, Larimer and Weld. Programs will focus on housing, public infrastructure, long-term planning and economic development and, as stipulated by the grant, 50 percent of the funds will be distributed to low- and moderate-income households.


“We are very pleased with this approval of our action plan for the $62.8 million in CDBG-DR funding. We greatly appreciate the efforts of HUD in working with our team to get to this as quickly as possible,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said. “This grant will support long-term and sustainable disaster recovery efforts in the most impacted communities devastated by last year’s floods. The plan was developed with feedback from those impacted communities and will give Coloradans another resource to rebuild better and stronger.”


“From the moment the Presidential disaster declaration was made, HUD has been on the job, working with Congress to speed these much-needed funds to the State of Colorado,” HUD Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator Rick M. Garcia said. “This funding is vital to helping Coloradans rebuild their communities and HUD has been proud to partner with the State of Colorado and FEMA in this process.”


Applications for the funds will be available Friday, May 2, online at http://dola.colorado.gov/cdbg-dr/. The State will work with all applicants to release the money as soon as possible.


With the approval of the state’s Action Plan, communities will be able to submit applications through the following programs:

Program

Eligible applicants

Amount available

Household Assistance Programs



Temporary Rental Assistance and Relocation

Local governments, non-profits and housing authorities with experience in administering affordable housing programs

Local governments may receive up to $1 million with the ability to award up to $20,000 per household.

Housing Purchase

(Down Payment Assistance)

Local governments, non-profits and housing authorities with experience in administering affordable housing programs

Local governments may receive up to $500,000 with the ability to award up to $50,000 per household.

Housing Repairs

(Single Family Rehabilitation)

Local governments, non-profits and housing authorities with experience in administering affordable housing programs

Local governments may receive up to $4 million with the ability to award up to $50,000 per household.

Clearance and Demolition

Local governments or their designated non-profits or housing authorities

Local governments may receive up to $500,000 for the removal of slum and blight.

Housing New Construction Programs



Single Family Housing New Construction

Sub-grantees may include units of general local government, non-profit and for-profit developers, and housing authorities, with experience in affordable housing development/ programs, an existing network, and capacity

Projects may receive up to $4 million with the ability to award up to $50,000 per household.

Multifamily Rental Housing New Construction

Sub-grantees may include units of general local government, non-profit and for-profit developers, and housing authorities, with experience in affordable housing development/ programs, an existing network, and capacity

Projects may receive up to $4 million with the ability to award up to $50,000 per household.

Recover Colorado Business Grant and Loan Program

Small businesses, non-profits and units of government

$9 million is available for grants and loans to small businesses.  Up to $10,000 is available in grants for those with a single damaged location and up to $25,000 for multiple locations depending on the amount of their loss.  Additionally, loans are available up to an additional $50,000.

Agriculture Grant Program

Farmers, ranchers, and producers that are registered with the Secretary of State

$4.5 million is available for awards that range from a minimum $15,000 to maximum $150,000 per project.

Recover Colorado Infrastructure Grant Program

Local governments within the 18 counties included in the Presidential Disaster Declaration including municipalities, counties, special districts, school districts and other political subdivisions of the state.

$19.5 million has been allocated for this program with maximum project awards of $5 million.

Resiliency Visioning & Strategic Planning

Local governments

$1 million has been set aside with a maximum award of $100,000 for projects.



The approved CDBG-DR Action Plan is available on the Department of Local Affairs website at http://dola.colorado.gov/cdbg-dr/


In a separate announcement recently, Donovan announced Colorado will receive an additional $199 million in CDBG-DR funds. In compliance with federal guidelines, a separate Action Plan will be prepared to address this second allocation and will include a public comment period. The allocation of funds of $199 million have not yet been recorded in the Federal Register. Once the grant is recorded, the process for allocating the funds can begin.

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HUD’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available at www.hud.gov andhttp://espanol.hud.gov.  You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDgov, on facebook atwww.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD’s Email List.