Arizona gets $21 million in federal aid for housing

Arizona received close to $21 million from the federal government this month to address housing needs during the new coronavirus pandemic.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development distributed about $18 million to the Arizona Department of Housing and $3 million to local public housing authorities, the agency announced.

"This is an extraordinary circumstance," Stephanie Smelnick, the federal department's Arizona field office director, said. "Cities and counties all need help ... We're really pushing hard to get this money to the communities."

Arizona's housing department will decide how to distribute $18 million through the Community Development Block Grant program, according to HUD.

The money can be used for a wide range of services, such as:

❚ Providing food and health services to low-income families and older people.

❚ Rent payments for families who are struggling.

❚ Assistance for small businesses that have been impacted by COVID-19.

❚ Buying and renovating health centers, food banks and other facil

to aid the new coronavirus response. For example, the money could go toward retrofitting the ventilation system of a grocery store to protect employees and shoppers or helping shops and restaurants alter building facades to allow for curbside pickup or social distancing.

The $3 million in funding will go to public housing agencies in Phoenix, Glendale, Chandler, Tucson, South Tucson, Eloy, Nogales, Flagstaff, Williams, Winslow, Pinal County and Yuma County, HUD announced.

The money can be used to:

❚ Cover the cost of delivering food and goods to public-housing residents who cannot leave their homes.

❚ Cover the cost of child care for public-housing residents who cannot work without it, such as medical personnel and essential workers.

❚ Purchase masks, cleaning supplies and other equipment for residents who must self-quarantine.

❚ Cover the cost of transportation for residents and staffers who need medical care or can't take public transportation.

❚ Ensure internet connections, tablets, computers and other equipment for children in public housing who need them to study.

❚ Modify common spaces or extend open hours to ensure adequate social distancing.

❚ Prepare for an outbreak of new corities onavirus or other infectious diseases in public housing.

❚ Purchase personal protective equipment and coordinate new coronavirus testing for housing staff.

❚ Pay staff who cannot work due to the new coronavirus.