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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 70 October 2024 J O U R N A L "Far too many Americans, specifically children, are living in at-risk conditions, like older homes, exposing them to lead- based paint hazards." —Adrianne Todman, HUD Acting Secretary represent the first GRRP awards in Ha- waii, South Dakota, and Nebraska, and bring the total amount of funding under this program to more than $1.12 billion in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This is the fourth and final set of awards made under the GRRP's Comprehensive category, which provides funding to properties with the highest need for climate resilience and utility efficiency upgrades. One remaining award announcement for the GRRP Ele- ments category is expected in the coming months. "We are pleased that this set of awards includes the largest number of properties to date that are participating in both our project-based rental assis- tance programs for low-income seniors and low-income persons with disabil- ities," said Ethan Handelman, HUD's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifam- ily Housing Programs. "This is exactly what GRRP was designed to do—to help fund vital protections and improve the homes and lives of some of our nation's most vulnerable populations." The new awardees include 26 proper- ties that participate in the HUD Section 8 project-based rental assistance program for low-income individuals and fami- lies, 11 properties in HUD's Section 202 project-based rental assistance program for low-income seniors, and six proper- ties that receive support through HUD's Section 811 supportive housing for people with disabilities. Three properties have more than 200 units, 21 properties have between 51-200 units, and 19 properties have fewer than 50 units. GRRP Making Progress As of October 3, 2024, GRRP funding has been awarded to 225 properties and more than 25,940 rental homes, to make them greener, healthier, and safer for low-income households, seniors, and persons with disabilities. The projects span the range from targeted upgrades to major net-zero renovations for properties in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. GRRP funding is being used for insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, heat-resistant roofs, energy-ef- ficient heating and cooling, resilience measures, and other improvements. Approximately 900 properties have also signed up for HUD's free energy and water benchmarking service, funded with more than $40 million from the President's Inflation Reduction Act so that HUD-assisted housing property owners can better understand the energy and water consumption at their proper- ties in relation to other similar proper- ties. This benchmarking information can in turn be used to assess energy efficien- cy and water conservation upgrades that can be funded under the GRRP. HUD ADDRESSES HEALTH HAZARDS IN PUBLIC HOUSING T he U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) announced more than $87 million for public housing agencies (PHAs) to eval- uate and reduce residential health hazards in public housing, including lead-based paint, carbon monoxide, mold, radon, and fire safety. Through the Capital Fund Housing-Related Hazards (HRH) and Lead-Based Paint (LBP) Capital Fund programs, HUD is awarding 14 awards totaling $47.7 million under LBP, and 22 awards totaling $40 million under HRH. "Far too many Americans, specifical- ly children, are living in at-risk condi- tions, like older homes, exposing them to lead-based paint hazards," said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. "The funding announced today is an integral step in identifying the risks of lead exposure and other health hazards across communities and working to- wards a future where unhealthy housing is no longer an issue." According to HUD's American Healthy Homes Survey II, more than 34 million homes in America have lead paint somewhere in the building and ap- proximately 3.3 million homes—includ-