HUD Unveils $1.5 Billion Rapid Re-Housing Initiative

Washington, Feb. 19 — The Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced a major funding boost for programs that provide housing, supportive services and proactive assistance for the nation’s homeless.

In addition to $1.6 billion for HUD’s established homeless assistance grant programs, the department is also rolling out a new initiative — authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Pub. L. 111-5, signed by President Obama this week — designed to rapidly "re-house" families left homeless in the wake of the current recession. HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan called the new measure a "quantum leap" in the fight against homelessness.