Henderson to get $811,000 HUD grant

Sonya Padgett

Friday, July 16, 1999 | 11:38 a.m.

Henderson will receive an $811,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by August, to fund a variety of community programs.

The grant is awarded annually to help cities defray the cost of public service and improvement projects, Henderson Housing and Grants manager Skeet Fitzgerald said.

"Every year our citizens advisory committee does an action plan, identifying community needs," Fitzgerald said.

More than $120,000 of the grant will be used to fund several public service projects for the economically disadvantaged, Fitzgerald said, including the Clark County Pro Bono Project, which provides free legal service to low-income residents.

The Positive Impact Program will receive a portion of that money, to provide free dental and medical care for needy children, Fitzgerald said.

A Henderson nonprofit agency, Allied Community Advocates, will use a portion of the grant to conduct home visits for elderly or homebound residents and to fund a family resource center, Fitzgerald said. Other projects that will receive funding include an emergency food assistance program and Classroom on Wheels buses.

The balance of the funds, $530,000, will go toward capital improvements, Fitzgerald said.

Public Works will receive $260,000 to build sidewalks and make other street improvements in the Pittman area, Fitzgerald said.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., who helped Henderson obtain the grant, said the city can use the funds to help pay for growth.

"The explosive growth in Henderson has enhanced economic opportunities for residents," Reid said. "Along with the economic benefits will come the responsibility of meeting challenges associated with this population boom.