American Reinvestment and Recovery Act Update

On February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) into law. The bill offered unprecedented opportunities and challenges for energy, housing, and health professionals, including the following:

  • $5 billion for weatherization activities.
  • $1 billion for a new Prevention and Wellness Fund and $500 million for the health workforce.
  • $6.3 billion for increasing energy efficiency in federally-supported housing programs. The bill established a new program to upgrade HUD-sponsored low-income housing (elderly, disabled, and Section 8) to increase energy efficiency, including new insulation, windows, and frames. It also included investments in energy efficiency upgrades in public housing, including new windows, furnaces, and insulation to improve living conditions for residents and lower the cost of operating these facilities.
  • $2 billion for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.
  • $2.25 billion for the HOME program and $1 billion for CDBG.
  • $100 million for HUD’s Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes (OLHCHH).

The negotiators successfully expanded the authority of the funding for the lead hazard control program to include support for healthy homes. The law also gave priority to grant applicants in 2008 who met the grant eligibility criteria but did not receive funding.

Resources

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