Rep. Cook Announces COVID-19 Recovery Grants for Local Communities

Statement

Rep. Paul Cook (R-Apple Valley) announced today that funding from the federal government to fight COVID-19 is on the way in the form of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants. In the CARES Act, which was signed into law last week, HUD received $12.4 billion and has already allocated more than $3 billion of that in these initial grants.

The grants include Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) which provide flexible funding to state and local governments to address COVID-19 impacts. The grants also include Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) to state and local governments to limit the spread of the virus among the homeless population and to help reduce increases in homelessness due to financial distress.

In this first wave of funding, the following local governments received grants:

Apple Valley - $351,040 (CDBG Grant)
Hesperia - $601,191 (CDBG Grant)
Victorville - $810,528 (CDBG Grant)
San Bernardino County - $4,368,305 (CDBG Grant) and $2,192,210 (ESG Grant)

Rep. Cook said, "I'm pleased to see that this critical funding is already reaching our communities. The federal government is taking the COVID-19 pandemic very seriously, and this first wave of HUD grants will help provide our local governments with vital resources to prevent, treat, and limit the spread of this deadly virus."

A member of the House Natural Resources and Armed Services Committees, Congressman Cook served as an infantry officer and retired after 26 years as a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his time in combat, he was awarded the Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts.

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