Awards provide support to Public Housing Agencies in developing plans for families to maximize housing and neighborhood choice.
Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $1.5 million in Housing Mobility-Related Services Planning awards to 25 Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) across 14 states. These funds enable PHAs to implement programs in their communities that help families using Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) find housing in better-resourced opportunity neighborhoods.
“Families deserve to thrive in better-resourced communities where the lasting benefits span future generations – like improved health, educational opportunities and wealth creation,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “Creating opportunities for families to live in neighborhoods with lower levels of poverty helps them achieve long-term success and reduces intergenerational poverty.”
The program is based on HUD’s Community Choice Demonstration program, which builds upon recent research showing that growing up in neighborhoods with lower poverty levels improves children’s academic achievement, long-term success, and reduces intergenerational poverty. Studies have shown that children who move to low-poverty neighborhoods experience lower rates of hospitalizations, reduced hospital spending, and some improvements in mental health over the long term. Additionally, adults who move to low-poverty neighborhoods see reductions in obesity and diabetes.
“These grants help communities convene a wide range of partners who are all essential to expanding options for families to find homes in neighborhoods of their choosing,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, Richard J. Monocchio. “We see the tangible benefit of this collaboration when families can assess what is best for them, especially the needs of their children.”
While the HCV program currently offers families with vouchers the opportunity to live in a neighborhood of their choice (including low-poverty, opportunity neighborhoods), families with HCVs may continue to encounter barriers to using their vouchers in communities with expanded opportunities. Common barriers include the inability to save enough money for a security deposit, inadequate time to find a unit, landlord unwillingness to rent to voucher holders, or limited awareness of neighborhood amenities, such as the location of high-performing schools.
Please see the list of awardees:
| State | Recipient | Amount |
| AL | Mobile Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| AL | Housing Authority of the City of Montgomery | $60,000 |
| AL | HA Bessemer | $60,000 |
| AL | The Housing Authority of the City of Prichard | $60,000 |
| DE | Wilmington Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| FL | Housing Authority of the City of St. Petersburg | $60,000 |
| FL | Housing Authority of the City of Lakeland | $60,000 |
| FL | HA Boca Raton | $60,000 |
| IN | Housing Authority of South Bend | $60,000 |
| MA | Brockton Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| MD | Housing Authority of Prince Georges County | $60,000 |
| MI | Detroit Housing Commission | $60,000 |
| MI | Michigan State Housing Development Authority | $60,000 |
| NJ | Newark Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| NJ | State of NJ Dept. of Comm. Affairs | $60,000 |
| OH | Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| OH | Akron Metropolitan Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| OH | Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| PA | Allentown Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| TN | Jackson Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| TX | Pharr Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| TX | Arlington Housing Authority | $60,000 |
| UT | Housing Authority of the County of Salt Lake | $60,000 |
| UT | Housing Authority of Salt Lake City | $60,000 |
| WA | HA Of Pierce County | $60,000 |
| $1,500,000 |