HUD $$$ headed to Bureau County

PRINCETON — The Bureau County Housing Authority will receive a $270,029 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for improvement projects.

The Bureau County grant is part of more than $128 million in HUD grants announced last week by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan for Illinois public housing authorities. The funds will allow these agencies to make major large-scale improvements to their public housing units, Donovan said.

“This funding will help housing authorities address long-standing capital improvements, but it only scratches the surface in addressing the deep backlog we’re seeing across the country,” Donovan said. “With the passage of HUD’s 2012 budget, Congress gave HUD the go-ahead for a new, comprehensive and critical demonstration tool that we believe will help preserve and enhance America’s affordable housing, including public housing.”

On Thursday, Bart Niemuth, executive director of the Bureau County Housing Authority, said he has not yet received formal notification of the HUD grant. However, as far as projects which could be done with the grant money, Niemuth said there is a five-year project plan which would be reviewed and then prioritized based first on health and safety needs. Some of the grant money could be used to complete flooring projects in the community areas of both the Princeton and Spring Valley sites, he said.

Last year, the Bureau County Housing Authority received a $291,712 HUD grant.

The Bureau County Housing Authority manages 281 housing units and oversees up to 71 leases in the private market, Niemuth said. Though the authority rents to adults of all ages, preference is given to the elderly and disabled, to workers, and Bureau County residents, he said.

During the last two months, the Bureau County Housing Authority has had an occupancy rate of 99 percent, Niemuth added.

In addition to the Bureau County Housing Authority, other public housing authorities named last week as recipients for HUD grants were the Housing Authority for LaSalle County at $1,218,852; the Housing Authority for Henry Country at $605,277; the Whiteside County Housing Authority at $390,962; and the Lee County Housing Authority at $209,485.

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