HUD Omnibus Appropriations for Housing Programs ,r~J
//~~
~
G ~j
~~
^~ U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
'~O~D~~
*
*
IIIIIII)
WASHINGTON, DC 20410-7000
~~
oL
'~B C
IN DEVF.~.O
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR
COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT'
C>
iC)
c~~ ~ .~v
May 1, 2009 L;,- ~'
~ < ~` ` ~~
~
The Honorable Roy D. Buol ~ cr s~
Mayor of Dubuque . C- -" ~-f
City Hall ~"' -• `~' L~
50 West 13th Street C° `•;
Dubuque, IA 52001
Dear Mayor Buol:
I am pleased to inform you that the Department of Housing and Urban Development's
Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 budget has been enacted and signed by President Obama. This letter
provides your FY 2009 allocations for the Office of Community Planning and Development's
(CPD's) formula programs: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG); HOME Investment
Partnerships; Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA); and Emergency Shelter
Grants (ESG). These programs provide funding for housing, community and economic
development activities, and assistance for low- and moderate-income persons and special
populations across the country.
HUD's budget for FY 2009 is included in the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (Public Law
111-8). The amounts available include reallocated funds for the CDBG and HOME programs.
There is no funding for the American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI) in FY 2009. The
following amounts reflect the level of funding available for these programs in your community:
Community Development Block Grant $1,233,446
HOME Investment Partnerships $ 0
Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS $ 0
Emergency Shelter Grants $ 0
This letter provides an opportunity for HUD to highlight several important issues. First, HUD
continues to emphasize the importance of effective performance measurements in all of its formula
grant programs. Grantees must report outcome indicators for all open activities in the Integrated
Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) to assess their performance toward achieving their
objectives and outcomes in their Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report. It is
vitally important that HUD have complete performance measurement data to report to Congress, the
Office of Management and Budget, and the public at large. The Obama Administration's
commitment to transparency and accountability underscores the importance of this data. Your
ongoing attention to ensuring complete and accurate reporting of performance measurement data
will be crucial to HUD's ability to demonstrate the effectiveness of its formula grant programs.
Second, problems in the subprime mortgage markets and resulting property foreclosures are
having significant impacts on a number of local governments. CDBG and HOME funds represent a
resource that local governments may use to address some of the consequences of these problems,
www.hud.gov espanol.hud.gov
particularly for lower income families and neighborhoods. HUD urges its formula grantees, as part
of the consolidated plan process, to examine their use of these grant funds to either reinforce
activities that help stabilize homeownership at the local level or to consider establishing such
activities in the coming year. HUD is committed to using the flexibility of these programs to aid
communities in addressing the potential impact of these problems and urges grantees to contact the
appropriate CPD field office to discuss any ideas or concerns on the use of formula funds for these
purposes.
Additionally, these funds are separate from funds appropriated under the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act). The Recovery Act provided funds for the CDBG program
and several other initiatives managed by CPD, such as the Homelessness Prevention Fund and the
Tax Credit Assistance Program. These Recovery Act funds have already been allocated on a
formula basis and HUD has issued guidance on how to access and use these funds. If your
jurisdiction is receiving funds under any of the Recovery Act programs, please review the
appropriate guidance by visiting HUD's Recovery Act website at www.hud.go_v.
Finally, the Department again urges grantees to consider the needs of our returning veterans
and their families in the design and administration of these formula programs. Over the past seven
years, several hundred thousand of our fellow Americans have served our nation on the battlefields
of Iraq and Afghanistan and countless other places around the globe. Many veterans are returning
to our communities with wounds and injuries that may make it difficult for them to find housing or
support themselves and/or their families. I am confident that you will consider their sacrifice and
ensure that these men and women receive the utmost consideration in the use of these funds at the
local level.
I look forward to continuing our partnership to assist lower income residents in your
community. As always, HUD is available to provide any assistance you require in implementing
your programs. If you or any member of your staff have questions, please contact your local CPD
office director.
Sincerely,
s ~~~ ~ ~
Nelson R. Bregon
General Deputy Assistant Secretary
2