On April 1, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded a total of $137,446,209 to Ohio state and community governments as the first allocations of Coronavirus stimulus bill. The funding will be allocated across the state in the following programs:
– $90,919,075 for Community Development Block Grants,
– $45,617,005 for Emergency Shelter Grants, and
– $910,129 for support for the Housing Assistance for Persons With AIDS.
Through CDBG, Clermont County is set to receive $573,023.00.
“This funding is a good first step for Ohioans already hurting from the affordable housing crisis,” Brown said. “But we need to do more and move quicker to get resources to the people who need help while we fight the coronavirus pandemic.”
A recent Coalition on Housing and Homelessness in Ohio study reported on by Columbus Business First suggests that most Ohio communities lack the resources to protect the homeless population from the coronavirus. According to the COHHIO study, only 46% of Ohio communities surveyed reported a joint response plan in place to help the homeless population amid the pandemic – only 22% surveyed said they had the resources they need to support homeless communities.
These funds will be allocated as part of the Coronavirus stimulus, which was signed into law last week. Brown has been fighting to put assistance directly in the pockets of workers, expand Unemployment Insurance, provide the resources and personal protective equipment our frontline health care workers need, and more. After President Trump and the Senate GOP produced a pro-corporate bailout at the expense of workers, Brown went to work to improve the deal and help put workers first.