Latest news with #U.S.DepartmentofHousing&UrbanDevelopment
Dominion Post
05-08-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Greenmont greenspace: Funds funneled to neighborhood park
MORGANTOWN — The city of Morgantown is utilizing federal funding sources to continue revitalization efforts in lower Greenmont. Between American Rescue Plan Act dollars already allocated and largely spent, a forthcoming $2 million congressional earmark and some $790,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds, the city has identified more than $3.3 million for the dilapidated section of the city's oldest neighborhood – a relatively small area between Brockway Avenue and Deckers Creek. Of the $470,309 in CDBG funds the city will receive in the current fiscal year, $236,248 will support the creation of a lower Greenmont neighborhood park. Further, the city is in the process of redirecting unspent funds from its 2019 ($24,327), 2020 ($4,914), 2023 ($242,860) and 2024 ($281,406) CDBG spending plans into lower Greenmont. CDBG is a program through which the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development provides direct funding to entitlement communities using a formula based on factors like poverty rate, housing conditions and population. Morgantown Communications Director Brad Riffee explained how those funds will be used. 'The two new CDBG funded projects include the development of a new public park within the floodplain along Deckers Creek and the reconstruction of Pennsylvania Avenue and Deckers Creek Avenue along the frontage of the proposed park,' he said. 'Both new projects meet the CDBG program's national objective to principally benefit low-to-moderate income residents on an area basis.' Riffee went on to explain that the $2 million in congressionally directed spending the city was awarded last fall for blight removal, demolition and development in the area is still expected, but not likely to arrive in the near future due to the process required to release those funds. The city initially hoped to have that money available by spring of this year. 'We have been actively planning for the use of these funds. The Morgantown Land Reuse & Preservation Agency has been developing a project plan that includes land acquisition, demolition of dilapidated structures and the creation of green space and accessible housing,' Riffee said. Half of the $2 million earmark will be used for the production and/or preservation of affordable housing through property acquisition, rehabilitation and/or construction. The other half will be split between the elimination of slum and blighting conditions ($650,000) and property acquisition, clearance and remediation ($350,000). The money will provide a significant boost to the efforts initiated by the city through the allocation of $600,000 in ARPA money to its Land Reuse and Preservation Agency. The agency has used that money to acquire a number of properties, primarily along Pennsylvania Avenue. Some of those properties are small, empty parcels; others include dilapidated structures identified by the neighborhood as magnets for unwanted activity. Earlier this month, Morgantown City Council approved a $60,500 contract with Reclaim Company to raze three of those structures located at 570 and 635 Pennsylvania Avenue and 637 Brockway Avenue.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Applications for NC's Helene homebuilding program open soon. Uncertainties abound from feds & state
Households can begin applying to the Helene homebuilding program on June 16. (Dan) North Carolina's post-hurricane homebuilding program is set to begin accepting applicants next week, almost ten months after Helene deluged the western mountains. But as the critical program inches closer to reality, questions and moving pieces remain on all levels of government. Households can begin applying to the program on June 16, according to a slide deck presented to the governor's western North Carolina advisory committee. Applications will be open through the end of 2025. A key block of federal money has not yet been unlocked for the state to pay for the program. '[The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development] has not made the funding available for our purposes quite yet,' Matt Calabria, director of Gov. Josh Stein's western recovery office, said Monday. Once it is, he said, 'we'll begin assigning homes for construction shortly thereafter.' The homebuilding program will use $1.4 billion of 'community development block grant' federal dollars. North Carolina's plan for how they will use the money and conduct the program has been approved by HUD. State officials have set an initial timeline of three years, with the possibility of extension. The program will be heavily scrutinized, with state lawmakers wary of the state's prior struggles with homebuilding in the east after Hurricanes Matthew and Florence. North Carolina has tapped Horne, a Mississippi-based firm, to manage the program. State officials are in the process of selecting additional contractors, including those for construction. The next tranche of state relief funds remains in limbo as lawmakers negotiate the budget. The House has passed a separate bill with $464 million in new relief; it includes money for long-requested small business grants. The Senate, which passed its version of the budget first, opted to include relief money within their budget bill. It remains to be seen which approach will win out with the budget deadline approaching on June 30. In the meantime, advocates from western North Carolina have continued to urge lawmakers to approve relief as quickly as possible. A group of small business owners and local government leaders, hosted by Rep. Lindsey Prather (D-Buncombe) and western Democrats, came to the legislative building last week to speak to members. And on Monday, the NC Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network held a press conference in an effort to keep their communities at front of mind. 'It is getting harder and harder, each time we come to Raleigh, to hear the words 'don't worry, we're just getting started,'' said Sam Stites of Just Economics of Western North Carolina.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Daytona housing fair aims to help first-time buyers, those seeking to avoid foreclosure
DAYTONA BEACH — With potentially massive budget cuts looming for federal programs that help first-time homebuyers as well as struggling homeowners seeking to avoid foreclosure, the annual Daytona Beach Housing Fair & Financial Wellness Clinic is needed more than ever, its organizers say. This year's event, which is free and open to the general public, will take place on Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Allen Chapel AME Church at 580 George W. Engram Blvd. in Daytona Beach. The housing fair will offer up-to-date information on available resources, one-on-one counseling, and mini-classes on topics such as how to build good credit, navigating the home-buying process, and foreclosure prevention. "The purpose of the event is to educate the public," said Lydia Gregg, executive director of the nonprofit Mid-Florida Housing Partnership, which puts on the annual housing fair in partnership with the City of Daytona Beach. The yearly event is held each April in observance of National Fair Housing Month and the enacting of the Fair Housing Act of 1968. The federal law prohibits discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, handicap, familial status or religion when it comes to selling or renting housing units or providing mortgage loans or insurance policies for homes. MFHP recently held a similar housing fair in Palm Coast that drew more than 100 people. "This event is for the homebuyer, particularly first-time homebuyers. It's also for the homeowner who is looking for the resources that might help them save their home," said Gregg. The event will offer a wide range of experts including MFHP and City of Daytona Beach staff, Realtors, home inspectors, lenders from financial institutions, and insurance industry professionals. "They'll all be there to answer questions and teach classes," said Gregg. "We're also bringing back the very popular free-credit pools so participants will be able to pull their credit reports, completely free of charge with no impact to their credit score." The federal government is currently undergoing massive budget cuts across the board. Looming potential cuts, both in funding and staffing, to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development could hit close to home for many in Florida. Both the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program (S.H.I.P.) and Home Investment Partners program (commonly referred to as "Home Money") rely on federal funding for the grants that the state and local governments use to create affordable housing and provide down-payment assistance programs. "We get several calls a week from people reaching out for help for the first time, people at risk of losing their home," said Gregg. MFHP board member Lucy Stewart-Desmore, a broker associate with LPT Realty, said she has been getting an increasing number of people turning to her for advice because "they've gotten into a bad spot." The problem, Stewart-Desmore said, is that people often wait until it's too late to avoid losing their homes to foreclosure. "Especially when it comes to property ownership, you've got to keep up with every little thing," she said. Addressing problems early on can make a huge difference. It is also important to know what resources are out there that homeowners and prospective homebuyers can tap — if they act now, said Gregg and Stewart-Desmore. "I don't want to say that the sky is falling, but it would be a mistake to assume that there will always be those programs out there," said Gregg. "We're in a time of change and uncertainty like never before." For details, visit the Mid-Florida Housing Partnership's website at or call 386-274-4441. This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona housing fair aims to inform first-time buyers, existing owners
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fact Check: Yes, AI-generated video of Trump kissing Musk's feet played on TV monitors in HUD headquarters
Claim: On Feb. 24, 2025, an unauthorized video appeared on TV monitors in the Washington headquarters of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development featuring the caption 'LONG LIVE THE REAL KING' superimposed over fake, AI-generated footage of President Donald Trump kissing the feet and toes of tech billionaire and government efficiency adviser Elon Musk. Rating: A rumor circulating online on Feb. 24, 2025, claimed that unauthorized videos had been displayed on TV monitors at the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, the Washington headquarters for the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The videos showed the words "LONG LIVE THE REAL KING" superimposed over clearly fake, AI-generated footage of U.S. President Donald Trump kissing and sucking on the feet and toes of tech billionaire and government efficiency adviser Elon Musk. For example, a Vox journalist posted (archived), "This video of Trump kissing Elon Musk's feet is playing in the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development cafeteria this morning (per source @HUDgov)." A 2010 photo of the cafeteria showed the same columns and other similarities to the February 2025 video. Another user shared a different video (archived) of the same inauthentic footage playing on a TV screen. The clip showed elevators with a large number "6," possibly somewhere on the sixth floor. The same person posted (archived) a picture showing two TVs in the cafeteria also displaying the footage. That user later added (archived), "I did not take these. They were shared with me." These videos, reposted by other users as well, genuinely showed that the AI-generated footage of Trump and Musk displayed on TVs at HUD headquarters. HUD spokesperson Kasey Lovett said of the videos, "Another waste of taxpayer dollars and resources. Appropriate action will be taken for all involved." The AI-generated video of Trump and Musk played on the belief held by some that Musk, who oversees activities by Trump's new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), bought his way into the administration and is more powerful and the real president. The Washington Post, citing Federal Elections Commission filings, reported Musk donated $288 million to help Trump and other Republicans win their races in the 2024 elections. Regarding the mention of "LONG LIVE THE REAL KING," on Feb. 19, an authorized user managing the official White House accounts posted an image of Trump wearing a crown with the caption, "Long live the king." Al Jazeera Staff. "Trump Rejects Taunts That Elon Musk Is Real Power behind US President-Elect." Al Jazeera, 22 Dec. 2024, "Cafeteria, [HUD Headquarters] - U.S. National Archives Public Domain Photograph." Sammy Mayo, Jr., 22 Dec. 2010, @cnnpolitics. ""Whether Elon Musk Is the Real 'president,' Merely the 'Prime Minister' Or..." Instagram, 23 Dec. 2024, Lemire, Jonathan. "Elon Musk Is President." The Atlantic, 4 Feb. 2025, Thadani, Trisha, et al. "Elon Musk Donated $288 Million in 2024 Election, Final Tally Shows." The Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2025,
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Officials gathering results after Wiregrass 'Point In Time Count'
(WDHN) — Officials are gathering the results of the annual Southeast Alabama Coalition for the Homeless (SEACH) 'Point In Time Count'. Volunteers from across the Wiregrass participated on Saturday. The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development asks communities nationwide to count the homeless, those without a physical address at a particular time. The count greatly affects funding, both private and public for organizations that assist the homeless community. One of the counts took place in Enterprise at the First Methodist Church, where groups asked for donations to offer people clothing, blankets, and other necessities they may need. SEACH is expected to release the official total later in the week. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
