Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

Malloy gives feds Sandy plan for approval

  • by Ana Radelat
  • June 7, 2013
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

Washington — Gov. Dannel Malloy Friday sent the Department of Housing and Urban Development a plan that could bring $72 million to the state to help it continue to recover from Hurricane Sandy.

HUD had allocated $72 million in Community Development Block grants to help Connecticut rebuild after the October super storm. But before receiving the money, Connecticut is required to submit a plan on how the state would use it.

The Malloy administration submitted its plan just under the wire — the deadline is June 9.

It proposes spending $30 million in grants to those whose Sandy-damaged homes were not covered by insurance or money received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“This action plan reflects the fact that the state’s first priority is to get financial assistance to as many affected residents as possible,” the proposal said.

Second homes would not be eligible for the grants, and applicants could earn no more than 120 percent of an area’s median income. In addition, half the money must be awarded to median- and low-income homeowners, defined as earning no more than 80 percent of an area’s median income.

Connecticut’s Department of Housing would administer the new homeowner grant program.

Another $26 million would be spent on reconstructing public housing and privately owned apartment houses.

Another $4 million would be used to help communities fortify infrastructure, and $4 million would go to economic development measures.

Finally, $2.2 million would be spent to help rebuild and repair public facilities damaged by Sandy.

But the Malloy administration has asked HUD $15 million immediately, a fraction of the $72 million allocated to the state, in the hopes that receiving the money in stages will help them extend a two-year deadline for spending it.

The plan was subject to a seven-day public comment period that elicited dozens of responses and several concerns.

Some questioned the lack of details in the plan, which does not include the size of the homeowner grants or the criteria for eligibility.

“Details on all program parameters are being formulated and will be made available to the public prior to implementation,” was the action plan’s response.

Others asked why grants could not be used to elevate homes, if additional repairs were not needed.

Tom Ivers, Milford’s block grant coordinator, questioned why the money was not allocated to Sandy-hit communities, instead of the state. He and others were critical that 69 percent of housing needs were assessed in Fairfield County and only 11 percent in New Haven County.

Another criticism came from a Milford resident who owns a rental home that was damaged in the storm. She said it is unfair that apartment owners are eligible for CDBG grants while owners of single-family rental properties are not.

One homeowner said there is no provision to buy out flooded-out homeowners, something New York and New Jersey are doing with their HUD money. New York and New Jersey will each receive nearly $2 billion in CDBG money for action plans HUD has already approved.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch said there is not enough money in the plan to repair damaged multifamily housing.

Finch and other local authorities are also concerned there isn’t enough money allocated to build seawalls and other mitigation projects.

The response was that those project may be funded when HUD dispenses additional CDBG money, part of $16 billion appropriated in a Sandy response bill by Congress.

Under HUD regulations, the Malloy administration was required to address the public comments and modify the action plan based on those comments.

“The most significant of the changes proposed through the public comment period … is that we make clear that dwellings with one to four rental units will be eligible for financial assistance,” said Jim Watson, spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development.

In an earlier draft of the plan, there was a five-unit minimum for properties to be eligible for multifamily rehabilitation grants.

HUD now has up to 45 days to approve or reject Malloy’s plan.

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
New Haven’s school challenge: How to spend all that federal money
by Thomas Breen | New Haven Independent

How does it spend $136 million in federal pandemic relief without getting hooked on the short-term dough?

Biden moves to overturn Trump birth control rules
by Julie Rovner | Kaiser Health News

The Biden administration has formally proposed the repeal of Trump-era regulations barring abortion referrals.

New Britain residents weren’t getting vaccinated. So city officials got creative.
by Dave Altimari

The city's efforts are a microcosm of what is happening across the country as officials struggle to vaccinate vulnerable residents.

CT’s vaccine advisory group is on hold as members ask what’s next
by Jenna Carlesso

Dozens of experts are on the sidelines. Some say their work is done; others say they could have done more.

College students in Connecticut should be vaccinated now
by Dayna Vadala

If the state of Connecticut wants its institutions of higher learning to return to normal in the fall, it’s going to have to get shots into the arms of the students.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion College students in Connecticut should be vaccinated now
by Dayna Vadala

If the state of Connecticut wants its institutions of higher learning to return to normal in the fall, it’s going to have to get shots into the arms of the students.

Opinion Connecticut, be a International leader against hair discrimination among children
by Faith D. Crittenden, Jade A. Anderson, MD, and Whitney L. Stuard

On March 1, 2020, Connecticut became the eighth state to pass the Crown Act, a national legislative movement that recognizes natural hair and cultural headwear discrimination as a form of racial discrimination in the workplace. While we are  in strong support and advocate for this law, it is important to recognize the limitations of the Crown Act and how it can be improved upon in future policy.

Opinion Three lessons for schools across America from Secretary Cardona’s hometown
by Mark Benigni

Over the past decade, Meriden Public Schools -- where U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona served as assistant superintendent -- has become a unique laboratory for new ideas that push the boundaries of what is possible in public education. And many of those ideas have paid off.

Opinion A healthcare system too broken to fix
by Sosena Kedebe MD

On March 25, the White house announced that it was going to invest over $6 billion in health centers that are funded through the Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in order to expand COVID-19 vaccinations and other health services provided to vulnerable populations. As a chief medical officer for a health center that is strained to reach some of the most disenfranchised patient population in Hartford, this was great news. Yet there was a part of me that took the news with a deep concern. Why you might ask?

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO