The city of Boston has received nearly $20 million in stimulus funding for public housing renovations and new equipment for harbor security.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said the Boston Housing Authority (BHA) received $18 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for "green" improvements and services at the BHA’s Cathedral, Heath Street and Amory Street public housing developments.

The Mayor’s office of emergency preparedness also received $1.26 million for new sonar technology and two emergency response boats – one police and one fire – for harbor security.

"These grants are further proof that our hard work is paying off by bringing several millions of dollars to Boston through (the) American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," said Menino. "This funding will not only help secure our harbor and protect our residents but they also make Boston a national leader in the development of green housing communities for all of our people."

BHA officials will spend $11 million to renovate three severely distressed buildings at the Cathedral development in the South End, $3 million to renovate a 24-unit building at the Heath Street development in Jamaica Plain and $4 million to renovate an elderly-disabled resident building on Amory Street in Roxbury.

The $1.26 million for port security will equip the city’s emergency preparedness team with new innovative technologies, such as the deployment of a 3-D sonar device.