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ARRA funds for housing

Metro HRA, the regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority operated by the Council, will receive $212,000 in capital improvement funds for its public housing program through the federal Recovery Act.

The Metro HRA will use the funds to improve 30 homes in the 11 cities that are part of the Family Affordable Housing Program in Anoka, Hennepin and Ramsey counties. Funding must be used to supplement, and not supplant, existing budget for projects.

The home improvements will include replacing roofs, siding, windows, concrete sidewalks, and exterior painting. The improvements were all planned within the next five years, but funding for these improvements would otherwise be difficult to carve out of the program’s $1.3 million annual operating budget for 2009, said Terri Smith, Metro HRA acting manager. 

Improvements are similar to initiatives being planned throughout the country, many of which focus on energy efficiency.