Editor’s note: The following is the unedited text of a press release from the office of Mayor Allan Fung.

The City of Cranston is proud to announce that our Department of Community Development under the direction of Stephanie Susi has received a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $646,417 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. This funding is granted to our community to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus for our low and moderate income residents and business owners.

Mayor Fung stated “I want to thank Director Susi for all of her hard work and that of her department in securing this grant opportunity. The last 7 months have been extremely difficult for many of our residents and business owners; these federal dollars will go a long way to assist our most highly impacted businesses with PPE to re-open with proper protections in place, support our eligible homeowners with mortgage assistance, and keep our city buildings and grounds sanitized.”

This grant will be appropriated to the following areas of the City of Cranston that have been identified as greatly affected during this pandemic:

* $100,000 will be allocated for PPE for the over 300 small businesses in the City which are the backbone of our economy. The money will be given in grants up to $1000.00 to those businesses who employ under 25 and meet low-mod income eligibility to keep their employees and returning customers safe. Applications will be on the City website under the Economic Development tab.

* $200,000 will be allocated for Emergency Mortgage Payment Assistance through our partnership with CCAP and its Director Joanne McGunagle. This will assist the most vulnerable with delinquent mortgage payments due to the shutdown caused by the coronavirus beginning in March/April 2020. This funding will provide up to 6 months of payments foe eligible households according to HUD guidelines. Applications for this program will be through CCAP.

* $9,000 will be allocated to CCAP for the lease of Chrome Books to help students to obtain their GED through distance learning. This too will be managed by CCAP.

* $198,134 will be allocated to professional sanitize areas in the City including the tot parks which are ADA compliant and equipped with unique apparatuses for our disabled population. Other areas within the City that will qualify for sanitation are libraries, our Head Start schools, the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center, and other eligible public facilities.

The remaining funds will go to covering the administrative costs of operating, supervising, and establishing protocols and parameters for the grant.