NORTH BERGEN, NJ – It was announced this week that the Township of North Bergen Housing Authority (NBHA) has been awarded $249,968 in Emergency Safety and Security grant funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The NBHA plans to use the money to install a state-of-the-art new security system at the Cullum Towers.
“All North Bergen families deserve to live comfortably and safely, and this grant will fund a new security system which will give them peace of mind for years to come,” said Gerald Sanzari, Executive Director of the NBHA. “Thank you to the Department of Housing and Urban Development for providing us with the resources we need to continue delivering the best possible services to our residents.”
Emergency Safety and Security grant funding is provided each year by Congress, which sets aside funds within the Capital Fund appropriation to fund emergencies and natural disasters. Congress typically appropriates this funding for assistance to public housing agencies for emergency capital needs including safety and security measures necessary to address crime and drug-related activity as well as needs resulting from unforeseen or unpreventable emergencies and natural disasters excluding presidentially-declared disasters occurring in the current fiscal year. Eligibility is limited to public housing agencies (PHA).
The Township of North Bergen Housing Authority (NBHA) serves a largely Latino/minority community. Of the 986 public housing units they reserve 811 units for elderly and/or disabled persons. During the pandemic, the transportation services that many tenants rely on were suspended during periods of quarantine. The NBHA staff recognized a need to get vital household necessities and fresh food products to the elderly, handicapped, and less mobile tenants, so they established partnerships with local warehouse distributors who periodically donate large quantities of sundry and household items for needy persons.
Established in 1965, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government. It administers federal housing and urban development laws. The Department also works to ensure fair and equal housing opportunities for all.
