Sires, Menendez, Booker Announce First Wave of Federal Funding for Hudson County from COVID-19 Emergency Stimulus Package

Statement

Congressman Albio Sires (N.J. 08), and U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) today announced a combined total of $9,327,962 in federal funding awarded to Hudson County and its municipalities from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development to combat COVID-19. This represents the first wave of billions in funding for New Jersey from the $2 trillion emergency stimulus package Congress passed last week.

There are nearly 2,000 positive COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths in Hudson County, with cases expected to rise over the coming weeks.

"This funding represents only first installment of federal resources coming to New Jersey to help our communities in Hudson County continue to provide essential services while responding to the COVID-19 pandemic," said Rep. Sires. "I'm pleased that Congress could come together on legislation that puts small businesses, people who have lost their jobs, families, and health care workers first, but most importantly, that we deliver these federal funds swiftly to the people who need it most."

"As the former mayor of Union City, I understand the challenges on the ground when facing such an extraordinary crisis and that the federal government has a responsibility to help local governments in their time of need. That's why, when we negotiated the largest ever emergency response package in our nation's history, we demanded that it quickly deliver federal dollars to our communities on the frontlines of the fight against COVID-19. Today, we are delivering on that promise and the first installment of what will be billions of dollars flowing from Washington to help our state, our hospitals, our residents and small businesses weather the storm," said Sen. Menendez. "And since we cut a whole lot of red tape in this bill, leaders across Hudson County can immediately put these dollars to work in the fight against COVID-19, by keeping our health departments fully staffed or retrofitting facilities for testing or providing grants to struggling businesses and non-profits. I promise to keep fighting for the resources and tools that Hudson County and its residents need to combat the health care challenges and recover from the economic downfall."

"The public health crisis facing New Jersey and our nation requires a coordinated response from all levels of government," said Sen. Booker. "When fighting to ensure New Jersey receives the necessary federal resources, our priorities are protecting the brave medical workers fighting on the front lines of this pandemic, and standing up to help workers, families, small businesses, and the most vulnerable among us. Today marks the next step down a long road of delivering federal funding to respond to this crisis, stimulate economic recovery, and strengthen our communities."

Across Hudson County, over $6.6 million in Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) have been awarded to help communities fund infrastructure, economic development projects, public facilities installation, community centers, housing rehabilitation, public services, clearance/acquisition, microenterprise assistance, code enforcement, homeowner assistance, etc.

Another $2.28 million has been awarded to Hudson County municipalities in Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) to help fund rental assistance, eviction prevention, and anti-homelessness programs. Additionally, Jersey City will receive $347,820 in Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) grants to assist low-income New Jerseyans living with HIV/AIDS.

The emergency stimulus package includes billions in federal resources to help Hudson County confront the growing health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus outbreak:

- Most residents will benefit from direct payments up to $1,200 for individuals earning less than $75,000 and $2,400 for couples earning less than $150,000, plus $500 per child.

- Local small businesses can apply for forgivable loans of up to $10 million to make payroll and cover mortgage interest, rent and utilities.

- Frontline hospitals and health centers will benefit from millions coming to New Jersey to fund personal protective equipment, laboratory testing to detect positive cases, infection control and mitigation at the local level to prevent the spread of the virus, plus another $100 billion in available grants to shore up our health system.

-Nearly $1.8 billion for NJ Transit will support continuation of local bus, rail and light rail service.

- Local schools will share in the nearly $380 million being delivered to support K-12 education, help students and educators transition to online and remote learning, and provide emergency relief to districts and colleges hardest hit by COVID-19.

"This funding will aid so many in our country critically affected by the economic fallout from this pandemic," said Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise. "Be it rental assistance, help for small business or other initiatives to support working families and the most vulnerable, it will make a huge difference. On behalf of the people of Hudson County, I want to offer my deepest thanks to Senator Bob Menendez for his leadership, energy, and relentless focus on our community's needs in crafting this much-needed legislation."

"This federal funding will help Union City respond to the coronavirus outbreak and is critically important to ensuring our community's most vulnerable individuals and families aren't left behind during this crisis," said State Senator and Union City Mayor Brian Stack. "I want to thank Senators Menendez and Booker and Congressman Sires for their non-stop work and commitment to ensuring all residents in Hudson County are cared for. I commend their leadership during these troubling times and know they will continue delivering for the people of Hudson County."

"This Community Development Block Grant will be instrumental for North Bergen's COVID-19 response," said State Senator and North Bergen Mayor Nick Sacco. "We thank Senator Menendez for always fighting for the interests of all New Jersey residents and especially his constituents in North Bergen. It is encouraging to see local and federal government working together to defeat this devastating pandemic."

"The City of Bayonne has relied on the Community Development Block Grant to meet important human needs since the 1970's. During this difficult time, more people will be turning to the community for help," said Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis. "We welcome the additional funding which can be used for important social services. We would like to thank Senator Menendez for providing help to the people of Bayonne at this crucial moment."

"Hoboken is thrilled to have over $640,000 in additional funding through the Community Development Block Grant program thanks to the federal stimulus package to bolster the city's coronavirus response. CDBG funding provides Hoboken's non-profits with critical resources to serve low and moderate income populations and improve the quality of life for thousands of residents," said Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla. "We are very grateful to the advocacy of Senator Menendez, Senator Booker and Congressman Sires for continuing to fight for Hoboken."

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