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Press Release

For Immediate Release
June 9, 2008
Contact: Sean C. Bonyun
(202) 225-3761

Upton Hails $2.5 Million to Boost Kalamazoo Housing & Community Development

Rep. Upton has fought to fully fund CDBG program in Congress to ensure local communities have the resources to provide decent affordable housing and services to
the most vulnerable.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Congressman Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) today
announced that the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) has awarded three grants totaling over $2.5 million to the city of
Kalamazoo.  The $1,825,333 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG),
$662,907 HOME grant, and $81,381 Emergency Shelter Grant will assist in
the development of Kalamazoo housing and benefit the entire community.
Upton has been a strong supporter of the CDBG program and has repeatedly
worked to ensure that the program is fully funded.

"This $2.5 million will provide a tremendous boost for Kalamazoo," said
Upton.  "The Community Development Block Grant, HOME and Emergency
Shelter programs are so important to providing invaluable resources to
help our local communities tackle serious challenges facing their
residents.  This funding is about improving the quality of life for the
residents of Kalamazoo, build upon recent successes, and helping
revitalize our local neighborhoods.  CDBG is one of the most effective
federal domestic programs to help invigorate communities, and Kalamazoo
is one of the program's many success stories."

Despite repeated attempts over the past few years to eliminate CDBG,
Congress, along with local governments throughout the nation, have
consistently supported the program and successfully fought to ensure
that it is funded each year.  Upton is a champion of the CDBG program
to ensure invaluable resources are available for our communities.

Kalamazoo's Mayor Bobby J. Hopewell praised the announcement stating,
"Funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development are
critically important to the city of Kalamazoo.  These federal dollars
come directly to our city and are used to assist low to moderate income
families, improve neighborhoods, assist the homeless, provide affordable
housing, make home repairs for the elderly, and address many other
critical needs here at home.  The Kalamazoo community is able to combine
these federal funds with other sources to provide more than $6 million
to address the needs of low-income individuals and improve our
neighborhoods. We're very grateful to Congressman Upton for his
continued support of this important federal program."

The Community Development Block Grant program works to ensure decent
affordable housing for all, provide services to the most vulnerable in
our communities, create jobs, and expand business opportunities.  HUD
determines the amount of each grant by a formula which uses several
objective measures of community needs, including the extent of poverty,
population, housing overcrowding, age of housing and population growth
lag in relationship to other metropolitan areas.

"CDBG provides our communities with the vital tools necessary to help
spur homeownership, housing rehabilitation, public improvements, public
services, and economic development projects," said Upton. 

"CDBG is a proven program that delivers results, is valued by local
leaders in Kalamazoo and throughout the nation, and has strong
bipartisan support in Congress.  The CDBG program has been a vital tool
in helping to rebuild communities for over thirty years, and we will
work to ensure that it is funded for years to come."

The HOME program helps to expand the supply of decent, affordable
housing to low- and very low-income families by providing grants to
states and local governments to fund housing programs that meet local
needs and priorities.  HOME's flexibility empowers people and
communities to design and implement strategies tailored to their own
needs and priorities.  HOME provides formula grants to States and
localities that communities use-often in partnership with local
nonprofit groups-to fund a wide range of activities that build, buy,
and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership or
provide direct rental assistance to low-income people.

The Emergency Shelter Grants program provides homeless persons with
basic shelter and essential supportive services.  It can assist with the
operational costs of the shelter facility, and for the administration of
the grant.  ESG also provides short-term homeless prevention assistance
to persons at imminent risk of losing their own housing due to eviction,
foreclosure, or utility shutoffs.  Funds are available for the
rehabilitation or remodeling of a building used as a new shelter,
operations and maintenance of the facility, essential supportive
services, homeless prevention, and grant administration.

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