Four communities have been selected to receive more than $5 million in federal Choice Neighborhoods planning grants.

The grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will help local leaders develop comprehensive plans to revitalize and transform distressed HUD-assisted housing and revitalize communities.

HUD is awarding the grants to:

State

Lead Recipient (Co-Recipient, if applicable)

Target Housing Address

City

Amount
Alabama
 City of Huntsville (Co-Recipient: Huntsville Housing Authority)
 Butler Terrace & Butler Terrace Addition, 206 Seminole Drive
Huntsville

$1,300,000
Nebraska
 City of Omaha (Co-Recipient: Omaha Housing Authority)
 Southside Terrace Garden Apartments, 5529 S. 30th Street
 Omaha

$1,300,000
Georgia
 Housing Authority of the City of Rome (Co-Recipient: City of Rome)
 John Graham Homes, 101 E 13th Street
 Rome

$1,250,000
New Jersey
 Trenton Housing Authority (Co-Recipient: City of Trenton)
 Donnelly Homes, 875 New Willow Street
 Trenton

$1,300,000

TOTAL

$5,150,000

The Choice Neighborhoods program promotes a comprehensive approach to transforming neighborhoods struggling to address the interconnected challenges of distressed housing, inadequate schools, poor health, high crime, and historic disinvestment. The program focuses on three core goals:

  • Housing: Replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality mixed-income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood;
  • People: Improve outcomes of households living in the target housing related to employment and income, health, and children’s education; and
  • Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families' choices about their community.

Through the planning grants, local governments, housing authorities, residents, nonprofits, tribal authorities, private developers, school districts, police departments, and other civic organizations create a common vision and develop effective strategies to revitalize their neighborhood. The resulting plan lays the foundation for revitalizing the distressed public and/or assisted housing units, transforming the surrounding neighborhood, and promoting opportunities for families.

In addition, grantees may use a portion of these funds for “Action Activities” to build momentum and attract additional investment. Eligible uses of these funds include recycling vacant property into community gardens, pocket parks, or farmers markets; beautification, place-making, and community arts projects; homeowner and business façade improvement programs; neighborhood broadband or WiFi; fresh food initiatives; and gap financing for economic development projects.