Macon receiving federal housing money

Federal dollars will help Macon tear down blighted homes and get foreclosed properties off the market.
In 2008 Congress passed the Housing and Economic Recovery Act. Four-billion dollars of the money was doled out to states hit hard by the foreclosure crisis.
Cities like Augusta, Atlanta, Columbus and Savannah qualified to receive part of those funds, but Macon did not, according to the Director of Neighborhood Stabilization for the City of Macon, Jesse Gerwig-Moore.

"The state received in total from HUD about 155-million. About half of that amount, around 74-million or so, went directly to the entitlement communities who already received community development block grant funds and that's where Macon fell below the 2-million dollar threshold."

The city remained undeterred and applied for a 4-million dollar grant from HUD. They were approved this week. The city will use the money to tear down blighted homes and provide down payment assistance to those who purchase foreclosed properties.

Realtor charged with discrimination

A Jonesboro realtor faces federal charges of using race to steer clients toward certain neighborhoods. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development says an undercover operation found that Rodney Foreman refused to take white clients into predominantly black neighborhoods. HUD says he also allegedly told white clients that he kept different listings for whites and African-Americans. Foreman faces fines and punitive damages if found guilty.

Homeless to get $7 M in state aid

The State of Georgia is giving over $7 million dollars in state and federal funds to help Georgia's homeless. Officials at the Department of Community Affairs say 181 agencies throughout the state will get the funds.

The monies are to support running and development costs, and will cover a wide range of related housing support services.

Don Watt, director of the DCA's office of housing and special initiatives says the aid,

..."will fund both operations and services of emergency shelters and transitional housing facilities."

10 homeless and health care organizations in Columbus, Americus and Butler will get over 300,000 dollars of the state and federal assistance.

In Columbus, Kim Elise Jenkins of the Open Door Community House says the aid will go for homeless women:

“The money that we receive from the Department of Community Affairs and the Department of Housing and Urban Development all go to help the case management program and the DCA money specifically goes to help us provide housing, food and supportive services for homeless women who live with us here in our transitional facility.”

Jenkins says their ultimate goal is to provide the women with sustainable income and permanent housing.