From: Whipple, Deb (GOV)
Sent: Wednesday, December 16,
2009 4:18 PM
Subject: What the Governor is talking about today
What the Governor’s Talking about
Today
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
- In Kalamazoo, Governor
Highlights Recovery Act Housing Help for Families
- Governor
Helps Weatherize Lansing Home to
Spotlight Home Weatherization Program
In Kalamazoo, Governor Highlights
Recovery Act Housing Help for Families
The governor this afternoon met in Kalamazoo with
residents struggling to stay in their homes who are finding help through a
federal program designed to keep families from becoming homeless and to help the
newly-homeless find stable housing.
The U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development allocated more than $1.51 million in Homelessness
Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP) funds to the city of Kalamazoo
and to the Affordable Housing Partnership (AHP), the lead agency for the local
Continuum of Care collaborative overseeing and directing the program.
Statewide, the Recovery Act is providing more than $53.1 million for HPRP.
The AHP estimates that HPRP funds will provide 200 to 225
households in Kalamazoo County with homelessness prevention assistance and 50 to
75 households with rapid re-housing assistance during the program’s two-year
duration.
Key messages:
• The downturn in the national economy has
hit Michigan families hard, leaving many people on the brink of losing their
homes. Thanks to Recovery Act dollars and a dedicated group of state and
local partners, people are finding the help they need to stay in their homes,
take care of their families and get back on their feet.
• Keeping Michigan families safe and secure
in stable, permanent housing remains one of the top priorities of the Granholm
administration. The Recovery Act is helping us achieve that goal for
thousands of Michigan residents.
Governor Helps Weatherize Lansing Home to Spotlight Home
Weatherization Program
This morning,
the governor assisted workers in weatherizing a Lansing home to highlight the
benefits of the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program in helping to reduce
energy costs and improve energy efficiency in the homes of low-income families
throughout the state. Michigan received more than $243 million in Recovery
Act funds for weatherization projects in more than 30,000 homes over the next
three years.
The Lansing home the governor worked on received
added insulation in the attic and crawl-space, fresh caulk to seal doors and
windows, and a new dehumidifier. The total investment in the home was
approximately $2,700.
The weatherization program works to
permanently reduce energy costs for low-income families through the installation
of household energy-efficiency measures while ensuring their health and
safety. The program is administered by the Michigan Department of Human
Services and implemented in communities by the state’s 30 community action
agencies.
Key messages:
• The Recovery Act investment in Michigan’s
weatherization program enables us to help thousands of citizens who are
struggling to keep their homes heated and their budgets balanced during
difficult times.
• In addition to reducing home energy costs,
the weatherization program creates jobs for local workers and provides increased
opportunities for the Michigan-based businesses that make and sell the
energy-efficient products being installed.
• On average, weatherization reduces heating
bills by 25 percent and overall energy expenditures by $350 to $400 per
year. Since the program began, 273,620 Michigan homes have been
weatherized. Reduced energy costs have allowed families to spend their
savings on groceries, doctor bills and other needs.
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