HUD Delivers $370 Million in Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Awards
WASHINGTON – Today, Secretary Marcia L. Fudge of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the allocation of $370 million in Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grants to support the redevelopment of eight communities across the country. These grants have been awarded to communities that have undergone a thorough local planning process and are now prepared to execute their “Transformation Plan” to revitalize their neighborhoods.
One of the significant announcements took place in Birmingham, Alabama, where Secretary Fudge presented a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grant of $50 million to the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District and the City of Birmingham. The Smithfield area in Birmingham, once a thriving African American community with a rich cultural heritage, experienced decline due to historical factors such as mortgage redlining and racial zoning in the 1930s, as well as the construction of Interstates 65 and 20 in the 1950s, which isolated the area from the city’s Central Business District. Additionally, insufficient investments in schools and infrastructure further exacerbated the decline. The Choice Neighborhood plan for neighborhood investment is a collaborative effort involving input from residents and community stakeholders, reflecting the city’s and the Housing Authority’s commitment to “Putting People First.”
Secretary Marcia L. Fudge emphasized the importance of these investments, stating, “This funding underscores HUD’s dedication to creating new housing opportunities for Birmingham residents and communities nationwide. Programs like Choice Neighborhoods represent our innovative approach to addressing the affordable housing crisis. By fostering community-driven, comprehensive neighborhood revitalization efforts, we can create impactful changes in the areas that need it the most.”
The Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants aim to transform distressed public and/or assisted housing and neighborhoods throughout the United States while providing residents with essential services focused on income, health, and education.
These grants facilitate the establishment of new mixed-income housing communities, enhance economic development opportunities, and support wide-scale community revitalization initiatives, emphasizing three key areas: “Housing, People, and Neighborhood.” The eight new recipients of the CNI Grants will join a dedicated group of 44 other Choice Neighborhoods sites nationwide, collectively investing over $6.3 billion into historically disinvested communities. Furthermore, the new awards have been instrumental in leveraging an additional $3 billion in public and private commitments to make their ambitious Transformation Plans a reality.
The following is the list of communities and their corresponding CNI Grant amounts:
- City of Tucson, AZ: $50,000,000
- Housing Authority of the Birmingham District / City of Birmingham, AL: $50,000,000
- Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta / City of Atlanta, GA: $40,000,000
- Lake Charles Housing Authority / City of Lake Charles, LA: $40,000,000
- Housing Authority of the City Pittsburgh / City of Pittsburgh, PA: $50,000,000
- Miami-Dade County, FL: $40,000,000
- Philadelphia Housing Authority / City of Philadelphia, PA: $50,000,000
- Wilmington Housing Authority / City of Wilmington, DE: $50,000,000
The total awarded amount of $370 million will pave the way for transformative changes in these communities.
HUD’s leadership will also visit the recipient communities in the coming days to reaffirm the agency’s commitment to community investment:
- Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman will visit Wilmington, DE on August 1.
- Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Richard Monocchio will visit Tucson, AZ on August 2, Pittsburgh, PA on August 3, and Philadelphia, PA on August 4.
- General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Dominique Blom will visit Atlanta, GA on August 3.
- Regional Administrator Candace Valenzuela will visit Lake Charles, LA on August 3.
- Assistant Deputy Secretary for Field Policy and Management Michele Perez will visit Miami, FL on August 1.
