Yesterday, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA02) welcomed the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge to Columbus, Georgia as part of the Secretary’s “HUD on the Road” initiative.
While in Columbus, Secretary Fudge visited the local office of NeighborWorks where she and Congressman Bishop heard from residents who have benefited from the program. The Secretary also participated in a roundtable at the Convention and Trade Center — moderated by Congressman Bishop — where she discussed community development, affordable housing programs, and homeownership with local officials, affordable housing providers, and faith leaders from Columbus, Albany, and Americus.
“Safe and affordable housing is vital to the well-being of Americans. Reliable housing helps support mental and physical health, education, and stable employment. I will continue to support Congressional investments in federal programs that support homeowners, renters, and community development,” said Congressman Bishop. “I want to thank Secretary Fudge for bringing her ‘HUD on the Road’ initiative to Columbus. Hearing from local officials, affordable housing providers, and faith leaders who are on the frontlines of addressing housing needs will help ensure that federal housing programs are working best for Georgians.”
“At HUD we are pleased that over 35,000 households have been averted from homelessness and have successfully leased their own rental housing thanks to our Emergency Housing Voucher Program. This marks a major step forward in our efforts to realize the ambitious goals we set when the program was established through the President’s American Rescue Plan,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “We will continue to meet the challenge of addressing our nation’s homelessness and affordability crises with the urgency they require through this program, our House America initiative, and all of the housing assistance we provide.”
Congressman Bishop joined Secretary Fudge for a visit to the Columbus office of NeighborWorks where the Secretary highlighted the effectiveness of the Emergency Housing Voucher Program — a program established by the American Rescue Plan Act. This program assists individuals and families who are homeless, at-risk of homelessness, fleeing, or attempting to flee, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking, or were recently homeless or have a high risk of housing instability.
NeighborWorks is a Congressionally chartered nonprofit organization that supports community development. As a senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, Congressman Bishop supports robust funding for NeighborWorks. In Fiscal Year 2022, Congress provided $185,000,000 to the NeighborWorks program and in May 2022, NeighborWorks Columbus received a grant of $464,000 from NeighborWorks America.
In Fiscal Year 2021, there were $1,403,000 in grants from NeighborWorks America to Georgia which, when paired with other matching funds, led to an investment of over $1 billion in Georgia to help with housing and community development. This provided 1,849 housing and counseling services, helped 151 new homeowners and 1,311 renters, created or maintained 859 jobs, and helped counsel 386 people about housing matters.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up