Paterson is receiving $2.35 million in federal Cares Act funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to tackle homelessness.
Funds from the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program supports homeless individuals and people at risk of becoming homeless because of job loss, wage reduction, or illness due to Covid-19.
“Homelessness was a major issue in some cities across our Nation long before this pandemic occurred, and unfortunately the dire living conditions of our most vulnerable Americans left many without a home to isolate in or proper medical and healthcare resources to defend themselves against this invisible enemy,” Ben Carson, secretary of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, said.
Municipal officials can use the funds to make more emergency shelters available; operate emergency shelters by providing food, rent, security, maintenance, repair, fuel, equipment, insurance, utilities, furnishings, and supplies necessary for their operation; provide hotel or motel vouchers to homeless families and individuals; provide services like childcare, education services, employment assistance, outpatient health services, legal services, mental health services, substance abuse treatment services, and transportation; and prevent individuals from becoming homeless and rehouse homeless residents.
“The Garden State, the joint-epicenter of this deadly virus, will receive over $57 million in this round of funding. This makes over $211 million available to New Jersey, to date, to fight this invisible enemy,” Lynne Patton, HUD regional administrator for New York and New Jersey, said.
Congress provided $4 billion to HUD’s ESG program for local governments to assist homeless residents and prevent others from becoming homeless as part of the Cares Act.
Entities getting ESG funds are:
- New Jersey Nonentitlement $27,263,010
- Newark $5,458,961
- Jersey City $3,540,297
- Bergen County $3,222,784
- Essex County $2,974,183
- Paterson $2,356,424
- Union County $1,990,737
- Monmouth County $1,772,793
- Middlesex County $1,699,999
- Morris County $1,493,359
- Hudson County $1,486,554
- Camden County $1,414,818
- Camden $1,226,497
- Trenton $1,197,016.