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Rep. Johnson announces $16M to aid homeless
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Congressman Hank Johnson announced Thursday more than $16 million in Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants to provide permanent and transitional housing to homeless persons and their families in Georgia’s Fourth Congressional District.

The grants are Community Development Block Grants (CDBG); Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG); HOME awards and Continuum of Care Grants (CoC). The Fourth District and neighboring districts that include Congressional Districts 5 and 6 received $11.5 million in CDBGs, $3.3 million in HOME awards; more than $1 million in CoCs; and more than $900,000 in ESGs.

Of the $16 million, DeKalb County received more than $6.8 million and the Progressive Redevelopment Inc. in Decatur received more than $177,000 to fight homelessness.

“These grants are the life blood of our efforts to end homelessness, and help those who are experiencing both long-term homelessness as well as families confronting a sudden economic crisis,” said Johnson. “As our economy continues to recover, we must ensure everyone — no matter their circumstances — benefits from our efforts.”

  • The CDBG program provides annual grants to states and local governments to ensure decent affordable housing for the most vulnerable in our communities.
  • The ESG program provides annual grants for emergency shelters, rehabilitation and conversion of buildings to be used as emergency shelters, operation of emergency shelters, and homelessness prevention services.
  • CoC awards promote community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; provides funding for efforts by nonprofit providers and state and local governments to quickly re-house homeless individuals and families to minimize trauma and dislocation.
  • HOME funds help expand the supply of decent affordable housing to low-and-very-low income families.
April 3 crash kills two young adults, injures third
Newton County Sheriff Car---WEB

NEWTON COUNTY — Around 10 a.m. on Thursday, a head-on collision on Highway 212 left two young adults dead and a third hospitalized.

Joe Navarro, 21, was driving the vehicle and Breanna Smith, 18, was in the passenger seat. Katie New, 20, sat between them.

According to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office, the vehicle lost control while going around a curve and crossed the centerline, where it collided head-on with a box truck. The crash report shows that their vehicle traveled another hundred feet after impact before coming to a stop. It spun, ended up facing the opposite direction on the shoulder of the opposite lane.

Navarro and Smith were pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. New was airlifted to Grady Hospital. Her current condition is not known. 

Navarro, Smith and New were not believed to be wearing seatbelts when the collision occurred.

The driver of the box truck was not reported to have suffered any injuries.

This is an ongoing story. The News will post updates as they are made available.