Choice Neighborhoods grants leverage inner-city revitalization

HUD recently announced $109 million in Choice Neighborhoods grants for four cities — Cincinnati, Seattle, San Antonio, and Tampa. The funding to "transform distressed communities" leveraged $393 million in private and local funds. Choice Neighborhoods is a less funded successor to HOPE VI, a program that spanned the better part of two decades and invested $6 billion in public housing redevelopment, leveraging some $50 billion in local and private funds. “HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative supports local visions for how to transform high-poverty, distressed communities into neighborhoods of opportunity,” said HUD secretary Shaun Donovan. “We’re emphasizing a comprehensive approach to revitalizing neighborhoods by considering the totality of a community with regard to health, safety, education, jobs and quality housing in mixed-income neighborhoods.” The image above is from the Yesler neighborhood in Seattle, 2010 Sustainable District Study.

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