DHS awards 32 percent less than last year in state, local grants

The Homeland Security Department on Wednesday announced that it has awarded $1.7 billion in grants this year to help states and localities combat terrorism and respond to disasters, representing a 32 percent decrease over grants awarded last year.

DHS officials said they received applications for more than $5 billion in grants, but funding cutbacks forced them to re-evaluate some programs and make reductions. According to DHS documents published online, the department awarded more than $2.5 billion in grants in fiscal 2005.

"We're dealing with significantly less money this year," said Tracy Henke, DHS' grants and training assistant secretary.

State Homeland Security Grant Program funds allocated were reduced almost 49 percent, from $1.1 billion in fiscal 2005 to $544.5 million this year, marking the bulk of the cuts.

Evaluations of grants applications aimed to eliminate the possibility of wasteful spending, said George Foresman, DHS undersecretary for preparedness.

DHS officials said that "peer review" panels were established to create a more balanced grant-making process. Though officials declined to identify members of review panels, they said they encouraged participation from all 50 states and 47 states were represented in groups that determined how a variety of funds would be allocated.

Foresman said the cuts were in part due to the department's forward-thinking approach -- one that DHS, just three years old, has not often had the opportunity to employ.

"We've always reacted to a threat or hazard" like Sept. 11, instead of employing a "risk continuum" evaluation, he said.

New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C., had their Urban Areas Security Initiative funding slashed while other cities -- including Chicago and Louisville, Ky. -- got slight increases. Overall, 28 states' urban initiatives were reduced 11 percent, or about $97 million, from fiscal 2005 to fiscal 2006.

"New York City is still getting the largest dollar amount," Foresman said, despite the 40 percent drop in funds allocated for its urban initiatives program. It received $124.4 million this year.

Citizen Corps programs, community volunteer initiatives created after 9/11, received an overall increase in funding, going from $13.5 million in fiscal 2005 to nearly $20 million this fiscal year.

Earlier Wednesday, in a separate announcement, DHS officials released updated disaster preparedness plan suggestions for pet owners, in light of the many animals left unattended when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast last year.

Included in the recommendations is preparing an emergency supply kit for pets and knowing which shelters will accept animals.

"Tragedies like Hurricane Katrina serve as a serious reminder that emergency preparedness is important for all members of households, including pets," Foresman said in a statement.