Colorado can directly distribute $6 million to victims of the Marshall Fire to help with rebuilding efforts, thanks to newly granted permission from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), according to a news release.

HUD officials are allowing Colorado to directly administer the $6 million in Community Development Block Grant funds, waiving the rule that requires Boulder County to administer funds instead of the state. 

State and county officials said this requirement would have strained Boulder County’s limited resources and delayed the funds from reaching victims.

“This enables private nonprofit entities to receive and quickly disperse these funds to residents,” Rick Garcia, executive director of the Department of Local Affairs, said in the release. “Through the CDBG waiver, the Department of Local Affairs will have access to additional federal funds to augment its Disaster Resilience Rebuilding grant/loan program for Marshall Fire survivors and impacted households.”

In December, the Marshall Fire devastated Boulder County, destroying more than 1,000 homes and businesses, becoming the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history.

State officials said the $6 million will be used to help survivors rebuild their homes.

Colorado U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse sent a letter to HUD officials in August urging them to approve Colorado’s waiver request. The three lawmakers applauded the waiver’s acceptance on Monday. 

“We greatly appreciate HUD’s flexibility and support on this matter,” Bennet said. “Every dollar we save by streamlining the process is another dollar for the survivors of the Marshall Fire as they continue to rebuild.”

Neguse added: “We will keep working every day to ensure that federal resources are brought to bear as our community recovers from this unprecedented disaster.”