Three housing authorities in the region will receive a portion of $13.5 million in federal money allotted to 30 public housing authorities in West Virginia.
Funds are from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)'s Public Housing Capital Fund and will help West Virginia public housing authorities develop, finance and modernize their facilities as well as their management operations, U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said in a release.
Mount Hope Housing Authority, which is not an agency of the City of Mount Hope, was awarded $301,862 to help provide housing for local residents who are living with AIDS.
"This helps us to continue to improve and update our units, to make sure our tenants have safe and affordable housing, that they enjoy living in," said Mount Hope Housing Authority Director Stormy Parsons.
The Housing Authority for the City of Beckley, which is not a city-governed agency, was awarded $493,092 in HUD funds, and the Housing Authority of Raleigh County was granted $116,351. Nearby Boone County Housing Authority was awarded $164,698.
“Investment in public housing infrastructure is critical to the health of our communities," Manchin said in the release. "Everyone, no matter their circumstances, deserves to have a roof over their head.
"These facilities serve as a temporary spot for individuals to get back on their feet and get their finances together," he added. "Without these facilities around our state and the country, there would be unimaginable homelessness and poverty that would cripple our economy.
"I applaud this funding for West Virginia and I will keep fighting to make sure that everyone has a chance and a roof over their head,” Manchin finished.
Capito suggested the HUD funding is not a hand-out but a helping hand.
“West Virginians look after their own, and none of our neighbors should be left without a roof over their head,” Capito said. “While it is important that we create communities where all West Virginians have the opportunity to lift themselves up, providing safe places to live in the interim is a critical part of helping them achieve the American Dream.
"This funding will support our local housing agencies in that goal.”