A year and a half after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Mo., U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) praised the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) commitment to provide the city with $45.2 million in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) decision to extend rural housing loans today.
The CDBG resources awarded in Joplin today are a direct result of a provision that Blunt sponsoredin the Senate and passed into law, which allocated $400 million in disaster funding for the nation’s “most impacted and distressed” communities. Of that funding, Joplin will receive $45.2 million.
Blunt also sent a letter to USDA in 2011 requesting a population waiver for Rural Housing Services loan programs to help the City of Joplin rebuild. USDA announced this morning that it will extend the waiver until September 30, 2013. These funds can be used to build, repair, renovate or relocate a home, or to purchase and prepare sites, including providing water and sewage facilities.
“When the disaster exceeds the ability of communities and states, the federal government has a responsibility to help people rebuild,” said Blunt. “I’m pleased that Joplin continues to receive the important federal resources it needs to revitalize this region, and I am grateful for the generosity of countless volunteers and the tireless work of state and local officials.”
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