FY 2022 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Program

The Choice Neighborhoods program leverages significant public and private dollars to support locally driven strategies that address struggling neighborhoods with severely distressed public housing and/or HUD-assisted housing through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. Local leaders, residents, and other stakeholders, such as public housing authorities, cities, schools, police, business owners, nonprofits, and private developers, come together to create and implement a plan that revitalizes distressed HUD housing and addresses the challenges in the surrounding neighborhood. The program helps communities transform neighborhoods by redeveloping severely distressed public and/or HUD-assisted housing and catalyzing critical improvements in the neighborhood. To this end, Choice Neighborhoods is focused on three core goals:

Housing: Replace severely 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 income and employment, health, and education; and
Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private investment 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.

To achieve these core goals, successful applicants under this NOFO have in place a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy, or “Transformation Plan.” This Transformation Plan is the guiding document for the revitalization of the public and/or assisted housing units, while simultaneously directing the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and creating positive outcomes for families.

Experience shows that to successfully develop and implement the Transformation Plan, broad civic engagement is needed. Successful applicants need to work with public and private agencies, organizations (including philanthropic and civic organizations), banks and financial institutions, and individuals to gather and leverage the financial and human capital resources needed to support the sustainability of the plan. These efforts should build community support for and involvement in the development and implementation of the plan.

Objectives and Metrics to Measure Long Term Success: Each Choice Neighborhoods grantee is expected to develop performance metrics based on these objectives.

1. Housing Objectives: Housing transformed with the assistance of Choice Neighborhoods should be:

Well-Managed and Financially Viable. Developments that have budgeted appropriately for the rental income that can be generated from the project and meet or exceed industry standards for quality management and maintenance of the property.
Mixed-Income. Housing affordable to families and individuals with a broad range of incomes including low-income, moderate-income, and market rate or unrestricted.
Energy Efficient, Climate Resistant, and Sustainable. Housing that has low per unit energy and water consumption and is built to be resistant to local disaster risk.
Accessible, Healthy, and Free from Discrimination. Housing that is well-designed, meets federal accessibility requirements and embraces concepts of visitability and universal design, has healthy indoor air quality, has affordable broadband Internet access, and is free from discrimination.

2. People Objectives: Residents who live in the target and replacement housing before and after redevelopment benefit from:

Effective Education. A high level of resident access to high-quality early learning programs and services so children enter kindergarten ready to learn and quality schools and/or educational supports that ultimately prepare students to graduate from high school college- and/or career-ready.
Income and Employment Opportunities. The income of residents, particularly wage income for non-elderly/non-disabled adult residents, increases over time.
Quality Health Care. Residents have increased access to health services and have improved physical and mental health over time.
Housing Location, Quality, and Affordability. Residents of the target housing who, by their own choice, do not return to the development have housing and neighborhood opportunities as good as or better than the opportunities available to those who occupy the redeveloped site.

3. Neighborhood Objectives: Through public and private investments catalyzed by Choice Neighborhoods, the distressed neighborhood will have improved:

Housing Quality and Variety. The housing in the neighborhood has a lower vacancy/abandonment rate, is high quality and well-maintained, and has an appropriate mix of rental and homeownership units to meet resident needs. The neighborhood better supports families with a broad range of incomes.
Economic Opportunity. The neighborhood attracts and maintains a diverse mix of businesses and employers to create meaningful jobs and economic opportunities for residents, respond to local needs, and address long-term disinvestment.
Community Assets and Amenities. The neighborhood includes community amenities found in higher opportunity areas, such as grocery stores and fresh food options, retail goods and services, financial institutions, medical and health facilities, parks and greenspace, public transit, high-quality early learning programs, and good public schools.
Community Confidence. The neighborhood image reflects a healthy, livable, and equitable community that honors its history and embraces a positive outlook for the future. There is an enhanced sense of place and a visibly improved built environment. Long term-residents choose to stay and have the supports to do so, and new residents likewise choose to live in the revitalized neighborhood.
Public Safety. Residents feel safer in their homes and spending time in the revitalized community and the neighborhood has lower crime rates than prior to redevelopment.

Program Office: Public and Indian Housing

Funding Opportunity Title: FY 2022 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Program

Funding Opportunity Number: FR-6600-N-34

Assistance Listing Number: 14.889

OMB Approval Number: 2577-0269

Due Date for Implementation Applications remains: 01/11/2023

Due Date for Supplemental Applications: 02/06/2023

NOTE: Any application received after the Jan 11^th deadline that is not applying for the Supplemental Funding is automatically ineligible.

Available Funds: Funding of approximately $379,000,000 is available through this NOFO. Additional funds may become available for award under this NOFO. Use of these funds might be subject to statutory constraints or other requirements. All awards are subject to the funding restrictions contained in this NOFO.

Preference Points: HUD may award no more than four total preferences points for a combination of any of the four (4) preferences (Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Promise Zones (PZ) or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). Each preference is worth up to two (2) points. For example, points may be awarded for Climate Change and Environmental Justice, or for Promise Zones and HBCUs.

Agency Contact: HUD staff will be available to provide clarification on the content of this NOFO. Questions regarding specific program requirements for this NOFO should be directed to the POC listed below. Name: Choice Neighborhoods, Email: ChoiceNeighborhoods@hud.gov.

Persons with hearing or speech impairments may access this number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Please note that HUD staff cannot assist applicants in preparing their applications.

Program NOFO

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