Grants will fund community-driven revitalization plans in high-poverty neighborhoods with distressed HUD-assisted housing.
Today, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced $4,409,000 in Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants to nine communities across America. These grants of up to $500,000 each will bring together community partners to create comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans to redevelop severely distressed HUD-assisted housing, improve outcomes for residents, and bring new amenities to high-poverty neighborhoods.
The grants will go to communities of all sizes from small cities, such as Salem, NJ with a population of just under 5,000, to large urban centers like Washington, DC. HUD has named Washington, DC, Steubenville, OH, Lorain, OH, Salem, NJ, New Orleans, LA, Harrisburg, PA, Goldsboro, NC, Fort Wayne, IN, and Flint, MI as this year’s recipients. See listing of specific organizations and funding amounts below.
“Choice Neighborhoods grants are unlike any other – they are not just an investment in homes, they are an investment into entire communities,” said Secretary Fudge. “I look forward to seeing how the nine new Choice Neighborhoods communities use these grants to improve outcomes for education, health care, the economy, and overall quality of life for residents. These funds will make a real change for the people we serve, building safer, healthier communities for all.”
Choice Neighborhoods supports the revitalization of communities through an emphasis on creating mixed-income housing and linking those housing investments with effective services for residents and physical neighborhood improvements. Through Planning Grants, local leaders, residents, and stakeholders, such as public housing authorities, cities, schools, police, business owners, nonprofits, and private developers, come together to create a community-driven “Transformation Plan” that address these “Housing, People, and Neighborhood” goals.
Since its founding, the Choice Neighborhoods program, along with the private and public leverage it attracts, has collectively invested more than $5 billion into historically disinvested communities.
| Lead Recipient/Co-Recipient | Amount |
| Flint Housing Commission/City of Flint | $500,000 |
| Fort Wayne Housing Authority | $500,000 |
| Housing Authority of the City of Goldsboro/City of Goldsboro | $500,000 |
| Harrisburg Housing Authority/City of Harrisburg | $500,000 |
| Lorain Metropolitan Housing Authority/City of Lorain | $500,000 |
| Housing Authority of New Orleans | $409,000 |
| City of Salem, NJ | $500,000 |
| City of Steubenville/Jefferson Metropolitan Housing Authority | $500,000 |
| District of Columbia Housing Authority | $500,000 |
| Total | $4,409,000 |