Hurd Announces More Than $19 Million in Resources for San Antonio, El Paso, Bexar County to Combat COVID-19 Pandemic

I announced the distribution of more than $19 million for the Cities of San Antonio and El Paso and Bexar County to address the COVID-19 public health emergency through various programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently.

This dangerous virus affects all Americans regardless of their background or socioeconomic status. The more than $19 million in resources will allow our localities to continue combating the outbreak among some of our most vulnerable populations. More time and work is needed before we are out of the woods with this pandemic, but, until then, relief like this will help us through. This funding will allow Bexar County, and the Cities of San Antonio and El Paso to continue response and recovery efforts and be prepared for any additional recovery efforts that will arise.

In the CARES Act passed last week, HUD received $12.4 billion to help local communities address the COVID-19 outbreak. HUD allocated the funds in grants through the following programs:

• Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) – flexible funding to states and local governments for a range of services to address coronavirus impacts at the community level.
• Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) – grants 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.
• Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) – grants to helps state and local governments and non-profits address the threat of the virus among low-income people living with HIV/AIDS.

Out of the more than $3 billion in grants awarded nationally, $19.69 million is allocated to the Cities of San Antonio, El Paso and Bexar County:

• The City of San Antonio received $7.7 million in CDBG grants, $3.9 million in ESG grants and almost $300,000 HOPWA grants.
• The City of El Paso received $3.7 million in CDBG grants, $1.9 million in ESG grants and over $91,000 in HOPWA grants.
• Bexar County received $1.4 million in CDBG grants and nearly $700,000 in ESG grants.