New Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants Awarded

Last week, HUD awarded seven new planning grants through their Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. Choice Neighborhoods is an initiative that assists local communities with distressed HUD-assisted or public housing through comprehensive neighborhood revitalization. Planning grants awarded through the program allow communities to embark on a 2-year community-driven planning process to both develop a transformation plan and position the community to implement the revitalization outlined in the plan as well.  

 

In this latest round of grant awards, HUD has awarded a total of $3.2 million seven new grantees:  
 

• The South Saginaw Neighborhood in Flint, Michigan
• The University Park East Neighborhood in Gary, Indiana
• The Russell Neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky
• The Three Mile Trace Neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama
• The Thomas James Place Neighborhood in Mobile, Alabama
• The Urban Core of North Las Vegas, Nevada
• The Near North Side Neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri

These neighborhoods are the newest additions to a list of 63 neighborhoods across the country that have received Choice Neighborhoods planning grants since 2010. Descriptions of the neighborhoods and details about their projects under the Choice Neighborhoods planning grants can be accessed here.

Housing Authorities Tackle Educational Improvements in Neighborhoods Across the Country

Recognizing the importance of access to good quality education for public housing residents to move up and out of poverty, housing authorities across the country are investing in education related initiatives that boost student academic performance and support the improvement of nearby schools. In a recent publication entitled “Bringing Education Home: Housing Authorities and Learning Initiatives”, the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities has explored a number of education-related strategies and approaches that are being implemented and supported by housing authorities. 

The publication profiles initiatives and programs in 14 different cities.  It groups the initiatives in to four categories:

(1)   A Strong Start.  Focusing on early childhood education programs and engaging parents when their children are infants and toddlers, this category includes examples from Boston, Akron and New York.

(2)   Partnering for Success. Including examples from Tacoma, King County and Washington DC, this category highlights housing authorities that have partners with school districts successfully to collaborate around data sharing and leveraging community resources.

(3)   Opportunities Outside of School. Under this category, efforts in Denver, Seattle, Cambridge, Camden and Chicago are lifted up because they have strong after-school programs that have resulted in positive outcomes for students living in and around public housing.

(4)   Creating a Culture of Success. Focusing on ways in which housing authorities incentivize a strong priority on education, this category highlights strategies being implemented successfully in Milwaukee, Vancouver and Atlanta.

Earlier this year, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, in partnership with HUD, released a promising practice guide on how the Seattle Housing Authority, a Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grantee, has been placing school improvements and student achievement at the center of neighborhood revitalization in the Seattle’s Yesler neighborhood. The guide highlights similar strategies to those outlined in CLPHA’s publication around forging strong education partnerships, creating effective after-school programming, and partnering with the school district around data sharing.

School Improvements and Student Achievement in Seattle's Choice Neighborhood

Choice Neighborhoods, a Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative program operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is designed to not only revitalize distressed public or HUD assisted housing, but to also transform the entire community in which the housing is located. The program brings together stakeholders such as residents, local leaders, schools, private developers, nonprofits and cities to create and execute a vision for the entire neighborhood surrounding public housing or HUD-assisted housing.

Improving access to quality schools is an important part of holistic neighborhood revitalization. Boosting school quality often boosts the surrounding housing market and improve both the appeal of the neighborhood for new residents and the viability for current families to stay in the neighborhood for the long term.  

Recognizing the importance of improving educational outcomes for their neighborhood, the Seattle Choice Neighborhoods grantee team prioritized school improvement in the Yesler neighborhood.  As a result, positive educational outcomes are emerging for students in Yesler’s local elementary school. 

Seattle’s story is the focus a newly-released Choice Neighborhoods Promising Practice Guide.  The guide provides details on how:

·        Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) partnered with Seattle University as an anchor institution to draw on their educational expertise, existing commitment to the neighborhood, and robust volunteer network

 

·        SHA and Seattle University built out an Education Collaborative with multiple local partners, including the local elementary school, to begin to create a cradle-to-career pipeline to support students in the Yesler area

 

·        The partnership has successfully used tools such as routine collaborative meetings, data sharing agreements, and creating staff roles to ensure the pipeline of supports is working for Yesler’s youth and their families.

This guide is one of a series of Choice Neighborhoods promising practice guides that the Center for the Study of Social Policy is developing in partnership with HUD to lift up the exceptional work that grantees of the Choice Neighborhoods program are doing all over the country.  These guides intend to provide other neighborhoods insight and resource that can be useful for their own neighborhood revitalization work. To see more of the guides, visit HUD's Choice Neighborhoods Technical Assistance website.

Learn more about Community Improvements in Boston’s Choice Neighborhood

Choice Neighborhoods, a Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative program operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is designed to not only revitalize distressed public or HUD assisted housing, but to also transform the entire community in which the housing is located. The program brings together stakeholders such as residents, local leaders, schools, private developers, nonprofits and cities to create and execute a vision for the entire neighborhood surrounding public housing or HUD-assisted housing.

To ensure the holistic transformation of neighborhoods, Choice implementation grantees receive Critical Community Improvement (CCI) funds of up to 15% of their total award to create projects that will improve community assets and transform blighted conditions.

As we shared in a blog post in April 2014, the details of Boston Choice Neighborhood’s innovative use of the CCI funds through a consensus driven process was featured in a Choice Neighborhoods Promising Practice Guide. As a follow up to the guide, we will be hosting a webinar featuring presenters from the City of Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development and the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative to discuss:

•         Choice Neighborhoods’ focus on community transformation, with revitalized housing as a central component

•         How Boston’s leveraged their Critical Community Improvement funds to develop creative neighborhood improvements

•         Identify “lessons learned” helpful for other communities

Register here to join this important presentation and discussion on July 16, 2014 at 2 PM EST.    

Choice Neighborhoods: Critical Community Improvements Promising Practice Guide

The goals of Choice Neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative program operated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, go beyond simply revitalizing distressed public housing. The program is aimed at transforming entire communities by bringing together stakeholders such as residents, local leaders, schools, private developers, nonprofits and cities to create and execute a vision for the entire neighborhood surrounding public housing or HUD-assisted housing. To this end, Choice grants provide Implementation grantees with up to 15% of their total award to create critical community improvements, projects that will improve community assets and transform blighted conditions.

The city of Boston’s innovative use of their critical community improvement funds is the topic of a recently released Choice Neighborhoods Promising Practice Guide. Boston’s grant award totaled $20.5 million, giving the city $3,075,000 to spend on neighborhood improvements in the Quincy Corridor community. The consensus-driven process Boston used to select the projects funded with these dollars goes beyond Choice Neighborhoods and is an inspiring example of city leadership and collaboration.

After receiving one of the five initial Choice grants in 2011, Boston’s mayor created an advisory committee comprised of city officials and community based organizations to determine how to use the critical community improvement dollars. The mayor encouraged the committee’s collaboration and required the group to fund projects that were transformational, had a physical presence in the neighborhood and did not replace money the city would have otherwise invested in the community.

Ultimately, the city funded a diverse group of projects that represented the interests of each community partner. Boston’s critical community improvement funds supported the following projects:

• Bornstein and Pearl Food Production Small Business Center (aka Pearl Meats) – A former meat packing plant, Pearl Meats is being transformed into a community kitchen that will support over 50 food production businesses and create 150 jobs in its first five years.
• Façade Improvement Projects/Main Street Revitalization – The city is expanding its existing Community Development Block grant resources to improve the store fronts of local businesses along the city’s main corridor.
• Facilities Improvements for Nonprofits – A portion of the funds will be used to rehabilitate facilities that serve neighborhood residents.
• Community wi-fi – Free wireless internet service will be expanded with a stronger signal.
• Playgrounds – Two playgrounds are being renovated and expanded to address the neighborhood’s limited play space for children.

Boston’s neighborhood improvements are helping to transform Quincy Corridor into a thriving community. Their diverse group of projects demonstrates how innovative ideas can emerge when a variety of stakeholders are given the opportunity for genuine collaboration.

HUD Awards 2013 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants

Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded nine communities with planning grants through the Choice Neighborhoods program, a signature effort of the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative. The grantees will develop plans to revitalize and transform public and other HUD-assisted housing, while seeking to improve outcomes on other interconnected neighborhood issues including public safety, education, health, transportation and employment.

The Choice Neighborhoods program emphasizes the importance of taking a comprehensive approach to neighborhood revitalization and “linking housing improvements with necessary services for the people who live there.” The grantees will develop their plans through a collaborative process that engages diverse stakeholders across sectors, including residents of the affected housing development(s) and the surrounding neighborhood, local government officials, service providers and business owners.

Since 2010, HUD has awarded 56 planning grants, totaling $16.9 million. For summaries of the 2013 planning grants, as well as past recipients, click here.

2013 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants Announced

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced $109 million in Choice Neighborhood Implementation grants through the Choice Neighborhoods program. As a core part of the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, Choice Neighborhoods aims to transform communities into vibrant neighborhoods by revitalizing public and HUD-assisted housing and developing sustainable public and assisted mix-income housing. More than just housing, Choice Neighborhoods considers all elements that are essential in creating healthy communities and aims to improve outcomes in education, employment and health, while strengthening networks of support services.

Since 2010, nine Choice Neighborhood Implementation grants totaling $231 million have been awarded to neighborhoods in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, Seattle (two grants), Cincinnati, Tampa and San Antonio. The grants have generated almost $2 billion in funding that impacts community transformation.

Applications are due on September 10, 2013. HUD is planning on awarding four grants at a maximum of $30 million each. Eligible applicants include Public Housing Authorities, local governments, tribal entities, nonprofits, and for-profit developers applying jointly with a public entity. For more information on this funding announcement, please click here.

2013 United Neighborhood Centers of America Neighborhood Revitalization Conference

The United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA), along with the Alliance for Children and Families, is hosting the 2013 UNCA Neighborhood Revitalization Conference on June 27 and 28 in Washington, D.C. The conference will bring together community practitioners, government officials, issue experts, and other stakeholders to discuss best practices and new approaches in neighborhood revitalization efforts across the country. Sessions will cover resident and community engagement, effective cross-sector partnerships, data and more.

The conference will highlight several programs that are a part of the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative:

• Promise Neighborhoods,
• Choice Neighborhoods,
• Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2), and
• Building Neighborhood Capacity Program (BNCP)

One of the sessions will emphasize how the City of Fresno is aligning several of the above programs (SC2, BNCP, and the Fresno Promise Neighborhood) in an effort to build strong communities and improve outcomes for children and families. Panelists will share what they have learned about effective practices in developing and maintaining partnerships between local government, philanthropic, business and community leaders.

To register, click here.

2013 Choice Planning Grants Announced

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the 2013 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants.

Choice Neighborhoods – a centerpiece program within the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative - seeks to support distressed communities as they develop and enhance the sustainability of public and assisted mixed-income housing and improve a host of other outcomes in areas such as education, employment, and health in hopes of transforming the entire community. A strategy focused on the particular needs of a neighborhood, the Choice Neighborhoods program emphasizes the importance of community partnerships in developing solutions for the interconnected challenges neighborhoods face. As outlined in the Notice of Funding Available (NOFA), the Choice Neighborhoods program has three core goals:

1. 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;
2. People: Improve educational outcomes and intergenerational mobility for youth and supports delivered directly to youth and their families; and
3. 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. 

Successful applicants must develop and implement a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy, or “Transformation Plan.” This Transformation Plan will become the guiding document for the revitalization of the public and/or assisted housing units, while simultaneously directing the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and positive outcomes for families. 

Eligible applicants include: Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), local governments, tribal entities, nonprofits, and for-profit developers that apply jointly with a public entity. The 2013 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants are subject to FY 2013 Congressional appropriations. As a result, HUD is unable to provide information about the number of amount of awards anticipated. At this time, applications are due May 28, 2013. However, this date may change as a result of appropriations.  The NOFA contains the following guidance about Congressional appropriations:

Because FY 2013 full-year funding has not been appropriated for this program, the availability of any such funding for this program is contingent upon future Congressional action. HUD will issue a technical correction to this Notice that will identify the amount of funds available and provide any additional requirements that the FY 2013 appropriations bill may require. This technical correction may extend the NOFA application deadline date. 

Stay tuned to our blog for updates about the appropriated funds available for the 2013 Choice Neighborhoods program. Check out our previous posts on other Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative Programs:

• Building Neighborhood Capacity Program 
• Promise Neighborhoods 
• Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program

Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grantees Announced

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the four communities that will receive Choice Neighborhoods implementation grants. Receiving a combined $108.9 million, these communities will work to redevelop distressed housing in a manner that enhances the sustainability of public and assisted mixed-income housing. As part of the Administration’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, the Choice Neighborhoods grantees will use housing as a centerpiece strategy in addressing the interconnected challenges of the local community, such as health, safety, education and transportation.

The Choice Neighborhood implementation grantees include: 

• The Community Builders, Inc. (Cincinnati, OH) 
• San Antonio Housing Authority (San Antonio, TX) 
• Housing Authority of Seattle (Seattle, WA) 
• Housing Authority of the City of Tampa (Tampa, FL) 

These four grantees were selected from a list of nine finalists, which were announced in August. To read a summary of each grantee, please click here.

HUD Announces Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants

Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the most recent awards for planning grants through the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative. Nearly $5 million dollars in grants were made to 17 communities across the country, with awards ranging in size from $250,000 - $300,000. The Choice Neighborhoods Planning grantees will use the funds to develop "Transformation Plans" aimed at improving distressed public and/or assisted housing in their community.

The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative seeks to support distressed communities as they develop and enhance the sustainability of public and assisted mixed-income housing, seek to improve a host of other outcomes in areas such as education, employment, and health, and work to strengthen the networks of services in hopes of transforming the entire community. It is one of the key programs of the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative, a federal inter-agency effort to transform some of our nation's most challenged communities into "neighborhoods of opportunity."

For a list of 2012 planning grantees and award sizes, please visit here.

Please view our previous blog posts for more information about the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative and the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, and stay tuned for award announcements for the Choice Implementation Grants.

2012 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Finalists Announced

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced nine finalists for the 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grants. A total of 42 applicants submitted proposals for this year’s round of implementation grants and the following nine applicants will compete for a total of $110 million, which HUD anticipates will be given to four to five grantees. The finalists are:

• Chicago Housing Authority 
• The Community Builders, Inc. (Boston) 
• District of Columbic Housing Authority 
• Housing Authority of the City of Jersey City/Michaels Development Company 
• Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee 
• City of Philadelphia/Philadelphia Housing Authority 
• San Antonio Housing Authority
• Housing Authority of the City of Seattle
• Housing Authority of the City of Tampa 

The Choice Neighborhood program – a centerpiece program of the Obama Administration’s Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative – aims to transformation of neighborhoods of concentrated poverty into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods. With a comprehensive approach, the Choice Neighborhoods program links housing with other key community assets, such as schools, public transit and employment opportunities.

The 2012 Choice Neighborhood Implementation Awards are expected to be announced later this year. The 2012 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant applications were due May 1st and these awards are also expected to be announced later this year.

Stay tuned to our blog for updates about the 2012 Choice Neighborhoods grant competition.

HUD Announces 2012 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants

This week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released the Notice of Funding Available (NOFA) for the 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. With $5 million in funding, these planning grants will fund the efforts of 17-20 communities to develop revitalization plans that will improve the well-being of residents, children and families by revitalizing distressed public housing and leveraging investments in community-based programs, including support services, education programs, and transportation. As a community-based initiative, the Choice Neighborhoods program ensures that current residents will benefit from these revitalization plans by preserving affordable housing and addressing the specific needs of the community, such as access to quality health services.

The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative is a major cornerstone of the Obama Administration's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI) - a collaboration between the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Education, Treasury and Health and Human Services that strives to bridge public and private resources to transform distressed communities. Examples of other NRI programs include the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation program and Promise Neighborhoods.  Collaboration between these several federal agencies is sparking alignment between each of these NRI programs, allowing place-placed initiatives to be more readily implemented in communities.  According to Choice Planning NOFA, HUD will set aside four Choice Planning Grants for neighborhoods that have received a Promise Neighborhood Planning Grant.  Choice Planning applicants must have received the Planning Grant or have an Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Promise Neighborhoods Planning recipient.

Eligible applicants for the 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants include local governments, public housing authorities, nonprofits and for-profit developers that apply jointly with a public entity. Applications are due May 1, 2012. For more information about the 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant, including more details about the application process, please click here.

The 2012 Choice Implementation Grants NOFA was released in January. In 2011, 13 communities received planning grants and five received implementation grants.

HUD Announces 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has announced the availability of $110 million for the FY 2012 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant.  As an “implementation” award, this grant is designed to assist communities that have completed a comprehensive local planning process and are ready to implement an initiative that aims to:

• Transform distressed public housing into energy efficient, mixed-income housing
• Support positive outcomes related to residents’ health, safety, employment and education
• Transform neighborhoods into communities of opportunity that provide access to high-quality services

This grant is designed for public housing entities in severely distressed neighborhoods.  Eligible applicants include public housing authorities, local governments, nonprofits and for-profit developers that apply with a public entity.  For more specific details on the grant application process, please click here.

Applications are due April 10^th, 2012.

HUD Awards $3.6 Million in Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has awarded $3.6 million in Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants to 13 communities across the nation.  The awarded communities are:

• Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (Cincinnati, OH)
• Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority (Cleveland, OH)
• Columbus Metropolitan Housing Authority/Ohio State University/City of Columbus/National Church Residencies (Columbus, OH)
• Housing Authority of the City of Little Rock (Little Rock, AR)
• Housing Authority of the City of Meridian (Meridian, MS)
• Opa-Locka Community Development Corporation (Opa-Locka, FL)
• Rockford Housing Authority (Rockford, IL)
• Housing Authority of the County of Sacramento (Sacramento, CA)
• Housing Authority of Savannah (Savannah, GA)
• City of Springfield/Springfield Housing Authority (Springfield, MA)
• Suffolk Redevelopment and Housing Authority (Suffolk, VA)
• District of Columbia Housing Authority/Kenilworth Parkside Resident Management Corporation (Washington, DC)
• Housing Authority of the City of Wilson/City of Wilson (Wilson, NC)

As part of the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI), the Choice Neighborhoods program aims to transform high-poverty communities into mixed-income neighborhoods by linking affordable housing, transportation, education and community safety programs.  HUD reviewed 71 applications for the FY 2011 Planning Grants.  

After a lengthy FY 2012 budget process, Congress appropriated $120 million for the Choice Neighborhoods – a substantial increase from the $65 million allocated during FY 2011.  With increased funding, Choice Neighborhoods and other NRI programs, such as Promise Neighborhoods, are likely to continue transforming distressed communities throughout the nation.

HUD Releases Web Tool To Support Community Development Initiatives

In an effort to support community development initiatives, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created a new web tool highlighting proposed development strategies in communities and neighborhoods throughout the country. Recognizing that comprehensive community change initiatives require support from the entire community, including businesses, corporations, foundations and other fiscal partners, the new tool is intended to provide local partners with access to strategies, proposals and other key information critical to the creation of partnerships that can sustain community transformation efforts. Specifically, the new tool contains grant applications from HUD initiatives, such as the Choice Neighborhoods program, that users can review to learn about the robust development strategies that communities are trying to implement. With access to contact information, partnership maps and local funders, potential new partners and investors can review the specific needs of these initiatives and how partner participation can increase the impact on the community.

In 2011, HUD received more than 150 applications for the Choice Neighborhoods program. Despite strong applications from several communities, HUD was able to award only 22 grants. In a time when the demand for community change initiatives has outpaced available funding from HUD and other competitive grant programs, this tool in an innovative strategy that can boost public/private partnerships and philanthropic support for community development initiatives.

Currently, the new tool contains the grant applications from the 2011 Choice Neighborhood grantees, as well as the applicants that submitted competitive applications. HUD plans to include applications from the recently-announced Sustainable Communities initiative in the coming months.

To view this new tool, please click here.

Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grants Announced

This week, The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the first-ever Choice Neighborhoods implementation grant awards. Five cities across the nation will receive a combined $122 million to begin neighborhood revitalization efforts. Specifically, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative aims to transform high-poverty communities into mixed-income neighborhoods by providing access to affordable housing, transit, quality educational opportunities and jobs.

The implementation grantees are:

• City of Boston & Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation: $20.5 million
• City of Chicago & Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc.: $30.5 million
• City of New Orleans & Housing Authority of New Orleans: $30.5 million
• San Francisco Housing Authority & McCormack Baron Salazar: $30.5 million
• Housing Authority of the City of Seattle: $10.7 million

Summaries of each grantee can be found here.

The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative is a major cornerstone of the Obama Administration's Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative - a collaboration between the Departments of Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Education, Treasury and Health and Human Services that strives to bridge public and private resources to transform distressed communities. For more information about these initiatives, click on "Choice Neighborhoods" or "Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative".

Please stayed tuned for further updates as Choice Neighborhood planning grant award winners are expected to be announced in November.

Feedback Requested on Choice Implementation NOFA

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is requesting feedback for improving the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant application process. HUD requests general comments on the 2010 Implementation Grant NOFA and specific feedback to address the following:

1.Given the need to use objective measures and available data, do you think the Round 1 selection criteria identify the neediest communities? How might we use objective measures and available data to improve them?

2.Do you think the selection criteria balance the desire to provide funding to the neediest communities with the desire to fund redevelopment efforts with the greatest potential impact? How can we improve those criteria?

3.Do you think the Round 1 selection criteria identify and reward communities that have the demonstrated capability to effectively implement housing, people, and neighborhood strategies? How can we improve those criteria?

4.Do you think the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative strikes a balance between holding grantees accountable to successful outcomes related to housing, people, and neighborhoods and providing the flexibility needed to fully address the community’s needs? How can we improve those criteria?

5.Do you think the Round 2 selection criteria identify and reward communities where partnerships and investments increase the likelihood of achieving intended outcomes? How can we improve those criteria?

6.Do you think the Round 2 selection criteria strikes the right balance between rewarding innovative plans that will have the most impact and rewarding plans that are implementable and rooted in evidence-based practices? How can we improve those criteria?

Feedback is requested by July 15, 2011 and can be submitted via email to ChoiceNeighborhoods@hud.gov.

For more information.

Choice Planning NOFA Announced

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the availability of $3.6 million dollars for Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants. As we’ve mentioned previously on our blog, the goal of the ground-breaking Choice Neighborhoods Initiative is to transform communities experiencing extreme poverty, violence and unemployment into sustainable, mixed-income neighborhoods with quality services, good schools, affordable housing and access to jobs and transit. Eligible applicants are public housing authorities, local governments, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit developers that apply jointly with a public entity.

We posted previously that for FY 2010, 119 applications were submitted for Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants and 89 for Implementation Grants. Seventeen communities across the country received $4 million in Choice Planning Grant funding and six other communities were selected as finalists to compete for approximately $61 million in Choice Neighborhood Implementation grants. The final grantees should be announced in the upcoming months.


As with the FY 2010, in the current notice, HUD states that it will set aside four Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants for those that received a Promise Neighborhoods Planning Grant from the Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods program for the same target neighborhood. This applies both if you are the lead organization that directly received the planning grant or a partner that has a written MOU with Promise Neighborhoods Planning Grant recipient indicating your commitment.

Applicants have until August 8, 2011 to apply for the FY 2011 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. HUD anticipates awarding approximately 12 grants with a maximum award of $300,000 each. The full NOFA can be accessed here.

HUD Hosts Choice Neighborhoods Webcast

HUD will host a webcast to discuss the $100 million FY 2011 Continuing Resolution appropriation for Choice Neighborhoods and HOPE VI. Led by Sandra Henriquez, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing, and Carol Galante, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing, the webcast will provide information on the FY2011 Planning Grant Competition. The webcast will be held at 1 pm EST on Friday, June 3 and will be viewable on your computer at http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/press/multimedia/videos. RSVP for this webcast by clicking here or sending an email to choiceneighborhoods@hud.gov to confirm your intention to attend. All those who RSVP will receive a reminder email including the website information. You may also email your Choice Neighborhoods questions to choiceneighborhoods@hud.gov prior to the webcast. 

For more view the press release.