Two area public housing agencies will get a boost from a federal grant program for developing, financing and modernizing facilities, federal lawmakers in Maryland and West Virginia announced Friday.
The Hagerstown Housing Authority was awarded a little more than $2.4 million, and the public housing authority in the city of Martinsburg, W.Va., received $594,506.
The money for HHA is part of $4.4 million awarded to Western Maryland agencies through HUD’s Public Housing Capital Fund.
HHA Executive Director Sean Griffith said the money will go toward capital improvements such as installing a new roof on Potomac Towers.
“Every Marylander — every American — deserves a safe and affordable place to call home,” said Sen. Ben Cardin, who issued a joint news release with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, both D-Md. “Many families in Western Maryland benefit from access to public housing developments, but too many more remain on waiting lists without other good options.”
The award to Martinsburg’s authority is among 30 West Virginia agencies, receiving a total of $13.5 million.
“Investment in public housing infrastructure is critical to the health of our communities,” Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in a joint release with Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “Everyone, no matter their circumstances, deserves to have a roof over their head.”
HUD uses a formula to allocate funding that supports about 3,200 public-housing agencies across the country each year.