Courtney Announces more than $450,000 in CARES Act Grants to Towns Across Eastern Connecticut

NORWICH, CT – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will award federal grants totaling $451,133 to six municipalities across eastern Connecticut. HUD will disperse the new awards to municipal housing authorities in Brooklyn, New London, Norwich, Putnam, Vernon, and Willimantic. The new grant awards were authorized under the bipartisan CARES Act (H.R. 748), which Rep. Courtney voted to pass on March 27^th, and will provide financial assistance to support preventing, preparing, and responding to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic in public housing. A second round of HUD grant awards authorized by the CARES Act to assist municipal housing authorities is expected to be announced on Monday.

"Earlier today, a new joint report from the State Legislature's Office of Fiscal Analysis and Governor Lamont's office found that the COVID-19 pandemic could cost the State of Connecticut up to $7 billion by 2023," said Congressman Courtney. "That's a totally unprecedented, potentially disastrous budget shortfall. States and local governments are facing these enormous fiscal challenges right alongside small businesses, farmers, and many others right now, and it's clear that although Congress has voted to pass four bipartisan COVID-19 response packages, even more resources will need to be made available while we work towards reopening our economy as safely and quickly as possible. The CARES Act authorized some of the first rounds of support for local governments and municipalities, and now that HUD has acted on that authorization those funds are coming back to our region to help keep our communities healthy. Congress has got to keep working on a bipartisan basis to get more resources into the toolboxes of state and local governments, small business owners, families, and others."

The Housing Authority of the Town of Brooklyn will receive a grant award of $6,512; the New London Housing Authority will receive an award of $81,797; the Norwich Housing Authority will receive $82,552; the Putnam Housing Authority will receive an award of $58,917; the Vernon Housing Authority will receive an award of $75,758; and the Willimantic Housing Authority will receive an award of $145,597.

Each of the new HUD awards are meant to assist local housing authorities preventing, preparing, and responding to the impact of COVID-19 in public housing, and were authorized under the CARES Act Supplemental Public Housing Operating Funds. The bipartisan CARES Act authorized more than $160 billion to help states and local governments through the enormous budget shortfalls they're facing amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Click here to read more.