I am pleased to have participated in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announcement today that it is providing Lafayette Parish with an early infusion of $1.9 million in disaster assistance in the wake of last month’s devastating flooding.

The announcement was made by HUD Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Harriet Tregoning following a meeting with members of the Restore Louisiana Task Force. The funding is provided through a special recovery fund established under the HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

“We’ve got to roll up our sleeves to support recovery in any way we can,” said Tregoning. “HUD will continue to work very closely with our state and local partners to plan and execute a long-term strategy to help homeowners get back in their homes, to rebuild critical infrastructure and to help local businesses open their doors again.”

This award is a small but targeted source of funding to meet emergency community development needs while the status of any larger supplemental appropriation gets resolved.

The consolidated government of Lafayette Parish can use the funding announced today to:

• Provide support for persons and families experiencing homelessness;

• Repair damaged infrastructure;

• Rehabilitate damaged homes; and

• Restore rental properties and businesses.

This funding represents another small, but important piece in our work to recover from the effects of the devastating flooding we experienced last month. I look forward to continuing my efforts in cooperation with all of our stakeholders to ensure full recovery from this disaster. #RecoveringTogether