McGovern Announces Emergency Funding for Public Housing Coronavirus Response in Massachusetts

Washington, May 8, 2020
Cities and Towns Receiving Over $3.6 Million in Federal Funding through CARES Act Passed by Congress

WORCESTER – Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), Chairman of the House Rules Committee, announced $3,604,510 in federal funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development for Massachusetts public housing authorities. The increased funding will be made available through two grant programs which Congress funded through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that McGovern brought to the House Floor for a vote on March 27, 2020.

The CARES Act authorized emergency supplemental grants through both the HUD Operating Fund to maintain the operation of public housing, and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, which funds the Housing Choice Voucher program. Both grants do not have to be paid back.

“The coronavirus pandemic is magnifying social and economic injustices in our community, and I’m glad that this federal funding will go towards vulnerable members of our community who need help,” said Congressman McGovern. “I’m proud Democrats transformed Mitch McConnell’s Fortune 500 bailout bill into something that puts workers and families first, but people are still struggling and they rightfully expect and demand that Congress will be there for them. I will keep fighting for more funding, emergency rental and mortgage assistance, and a nationwide stop on foreclosures until this crisis is over.”

The total amount awarded through both grants is as follows:

Public Housing Authority

CARES Act Awards

Amherst

$ 99,577

Athol

$ 12,886

Auburn

$ 35,740

Bellingham

$ 7,112

Bridge of Central Massachusetts

$ 9,010

Franklin Country Regional

$ 130,126

Greenfield

$ 112,258

Holden

$ 13,164

Leominster

$ 88,688

Northampton

$ 247,207

Oxford

$ 20,276

Shrewsbury

$ 70,617

Ware

$ 11,942

Webster

$ 35,768

Worcester

$ 2,710,139

Total Funding Awarded in MA02

$ 3,604,510

McGovern has pushed the Trump Administration to respond to the coronavirus crisis with the scale, scope, and urgency necessary to protect the health, safety, and economic welfare of the American people. He has helped introduce emergency legislation to prevent families from going hungry, demanded an end to the Trump Administration's attempts to cut food assistance, and called on Congress to prioritize nutrition assistance programs. He has secured personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline healthcare workers in Massachusetts, and helped secure $4.9 million dollars for COVID-19 relief in Central and Western Massachusetts. He successfully passed legislation creating a new investigative panel to make sure hard-earned taxpayer dollars are spent on the small businesses and workers who need help because of the coronavirus, and he has come up with a plan to ensure that Congress can keep legislating on behalf of the American people during this crisis.

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