Leaders from HUD's Region II and the United Kingdom Tour Affordable Housing and Resiliency Successes in New York and New Jersey

Leaders from HUD's Region II and the United Kingdom Delegation

Leaders from HUD's Region II and the United Kingdom Delegation

HUD's Office of Field Policy and Management (FPM) Assistant Deputy Secretary Michele Perez and Region II Regional Administrator Alicka Ampry-Samuel led a tour and exchange with the Rt. Hon. Michael Gove MP, United Kingdom Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities. The purpose of the visit was to compare efforts on climate and disaster resilience, infrastructure improvements, affordable housing, mixed-income development, and repurposed land properties at multiple sites in New York City and New Jersey. Region II staff in New York and New Jersey organized the tour and collaborated with HUD's International and Philanthropic Affairs Division. The delegation visited multiple New York City Housing Authority properties in New York; the cities of Hoboken and Jersey City, and Invest Newark, Newark's Economic Development Corporation in New Jersey.

The UK Department for Levelling Up is responsible for UK Government policy in the following areas, mainly in England: building regulations, community cohesion, fire services, community resilience, housing, local government, planning, race equality, and urban regeneration.

For the past year, the International and Philanthropic Affairs Division (IPAD) engaged with HUD's counterpart, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC). Both sides hosted briefing sessions to address topics such as homelessness in the UK and Choice Neighborhoods in the US.

In Hoboken, HUD ADS Perez, HUD RA Ampry-Samuel, and the UK delegation joined Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla to see the post-Hurricane Sandy Rebuild by Design–Hudson climate-resilient infrastructure project and Southwest Resiliency Park. The tour provided insights into how Hoboken is mitigating storm surges and flooding and Hoboken's standards for green infrastructure, building, zoning, and planning. Additional stops included Mill Creek Gardens, a Jersey City Housing Authority housing development, and multiple sites in Newark that included Invest Newark's Gant-Gilbert Arts House, a repurposed lank bank property turned into affordable artists' housing, and Amazon's Audible Innovation Cathedral, a rehabilitated workspace. These visits enhanced the groups' understanding of Newark's efforts to boost homeownership and affordable housing creation. This exchange emphasized the importance of collaboration between federal, state, and local partners.

In New York City, the tour took the delegation to NYCHA developments to observe Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts, and a Jobs Plus site.

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