The Nebraska Department of Economic Development (DED) has awarded $1,790,000 to two applicants under the second funding cycle of the Pandemic Relief Housing Program. The subrecipients include the Center for Rural Affairs and Good Neighbor Community Center.
The Pandemic Relief Housing Program was established by Legislative Bill (LB) 1014 in 2022 and funded with federal Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds through the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA). On March 27, 2023, DED announced $4,210,000 of awards under the program’s first round of funding.
The Pandemic Relief Housing Program provides awards to eligible 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that develop affordable housing. The awards must benefit households with an income at or below 185% of the most recent poverty guidelines published by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Awarded funds are to be used for projects located in a qualified census tract (QCT) or in geographies disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. However, projects exclusively serving refugees and other such immigrants may be located anywhere within the state. A map of QCTs in Nebraska and a list of counties the State has identified as disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus pandemic are available on the program’s webpage: https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery/pandemic-relief-housing-program/.
Through two rounds of funding, DED has awarded $6,000,000 of the $8,000,000 allocated for the Pandemic Relief Housing Program. DED will open a third application cycle for the remaining $2,000,000. Pursuant to the requirement that at least one-half of program funds be spent in counties with a population of fewer than 100,000 residents, all projects in the third application cycle must be located in rural Nebraska.
More information about the Pandemic Relief Housing Program, eligibility restrictions and the third application cycle will be available on the program webpage at: https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/programs/recovery/pandemic-relief-housing-program/. Questions about the program may be emailed to DED.PandemicReliefHousingProgram@nebraska.gov.
Pandemic Relief Housing Program Award Subrecipients – 2nd Application Cycle
Center for Rural Affairs – $1,000,000
Project area: Grand Island/Hall County
Project description: New construction of 10 rental housing units of 3 and 4 bedrooms in a 5-plex rowhome serving refugee and immigrant households exclusively.
Good Neighbor Community Center – $790,000
Project area: Lincoln/Lancaster County
Project description: New construction of 6 rental housing units of 4 bedrooms in rowhome style, serving refugee and immigrant households exclusively.