Following push by Welch and the Congressional Delegation, Vermont has been awarded nearly $68 million in flexible Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Relief funds 

MONTPELIER – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today convened community and state leaders in Montpelier to highlight the importance of the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) program, flexible disaster recovery funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) dedicated to supporting housing reconstruction and rehabilitation, infrastructure redevelopment, and flood mitigation efforts. While in Montpelier, Senator Welch visited the location of a new housing project funded by the CDBG-DR program and discussed the importance of flexible funding for Vermont’s flood recovery. 

In the aftermath of the 2023 and 2024 floods, Senator Welch championed a comprehensive disaster relief bill which provided more than $100 billion in relief for disaster-impacted states like Vermont. This bill included $12 billion in flexible CDBG-DR funds to help communities across the country recover from natural disasters. Vermont has received nearly $68 million in CDBG-DR funding. 

“So many of FEMA’s recovery programs are too rigid—that’s why after the 2023 and 2024 floods I fought hard to secure dedicated funding for the flexible Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief program. This grant program puts more power in the hands of state and local leaders as they build back smarter, and that’s the key to true resilience. It’s only one tool in our toolbox, but this program will help us take a big step toward ensuring our communities are safer, stronger, and more prepared for whatever the future holds,” said Senator Welch. “I’m proud we secured more than $67 million in CDBG-DR funding for Vermont, and today we can see this funding at work. I look forward to touring this new housing and renovation project soon.” 

Senator Welch was joined by Doug Farnham, State of Vermont’s Chief Recovery Officer; Nate Formalarie, Deputy Commissioner of DHCD; Angie Harbin, Executive Director of Downstreet Housing; Gus Seelig, Executive Director of VHCB; and Beth Sightler, CEO of Washington County Mental Health Services.                    

In December 2023, Senator Welch testified before a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee and advocated for the inclusion of CDBG-DR funding in the comprehensive disaster supplemental package. The comprehensive disaster relief bill, signed by President Biden in 2024, provided more than $100 billion total in disaster relief, and contained many of Senator Welch’s top priorities for Vermont: flexible spending through the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery fund; support for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF); dedicated help for flood-impacted farmers; and low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to help businesses and homeowners recover, among many other resources. 

Learn more about HUD’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Relief (CDBG-DR) program here. 

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