Beech Tree News Network

Funds available to help communities recover from 2021 natural disasters

---

FRANKFORT--Gov. Andy Beshear announced earlier this week that beginning May 1, more than $123 million will be available to communities impacted by the 2021 tornadoes in the West and flooding in the East to build homes, rental properties and multifamily rental properties.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated Kentucky funds from the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery appropriation. Under the Disaster Recovery program, the four counties most impacted and distressed by the 2021 weather events – Graves, Warren, Hopkins and Breathitt – will receive 80% of the funds. The other 20% of funding will help an additional 36 counties also impacted by 2021 weather events.

Applications can be completed by eligible cities, counties, nonprofits, for-profits and other governmental entities. These groups will be conducting public outreach to make sure they are meeting housing needs in their impacted communities.

The program will be administered by the Department for Local Government and the applications will be available on their website starting May 1. Questions about the program can be sent to [email protected].

In a couple of weeks, the Governor said he would be announcing the application process for the 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky. Earlier this year, HUD announced nearly $300 million will come to Kentucky to recover from those floods.

The state has worked with nonprofit building partners – Habitat for Humanity, Homes and Hope, the Mayfield-Graves Fuller Center for Housing, Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders, the Hope Initiative, Mayfield Graves Long-Term Recovery Group, Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Housing Development Alliance and HOMES Inc. – and 74 homes have been completed or are under construction.