HUD AWARDS $23.6 MILLION IN HOPE VI GRANTS TO MEMPHIS TO TRANSFORM PUBLIC HOUSING, HELP RESIDENTS

MEMPHIS - The U.S. Department of Housing Urban Development today awarded the Memphis Housing Authority $23,619,286 in HOPE VI grant funding. The city will receive a $20,000,000 HOPE VI Revitalization grant that will be used to replace aging public housing at Lamar Terrace with new housing for 391 families. The housing authority will also receive $3,619,286 that will be used to demolish aged public housing at Lamar Terrace and Oates Manor.

In Memphis, the Revitalization grant for Lamar Terrace will replace 478 older public housing units with 152 public housing units, 171 other rental units and 68 homes for sale. The revitalized development will also provide housing
and programs that will foster self-sufficiency among residents with a range of incomes, including computer training and job readiness programs.

"I was part of the Congressionally-appointed commission that created the HOPE VI program a little more than 10
years ago," said HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. "I'm pleased that Memphis is one of the cities that will get funding this year to revitalize this community and improve the lives of its residents."

Memphis was selected from a pool of 56 applications HUD received from public housing authorities (PHAs) for the
2003 HOPE VI Revitalization funding. Memphis Housing Authority has received three HOPE VI Revitalization grants, including this award.

PHAs were competitively selected with an emphasis on the effectiveness and project readiness of their public
housing revitalization plans. HUD policy provides local housing authorities the flexibility to develop revitalization plans that meet their local needs. A team of HUD public housing and revitalization specialists score applications based on several revitalization rating factors, including:

Capacity: The ability of the housing authority or developer to administer and manage completion of the revitalization effort.

Need for Revitalization: The severity of physical distress of the development.

Match/Leveraging: The ability of the housing authority to supplement the HOPE VI grant with funding from
other sources - private, state or local government.

As part of today's award, HUD will pay relocation costs for residents being displaced by this revitalization effort. Relocated residents who meet program requirements will be given the opportunity to move back to the newly constructed units at the site. Alternatively, if residents choose not to return to public housing, they will be given Section 8 vouchers to subsidize their rents in privately owned housing. In addition, relocated residents receiving vouchers will be provided with the same job training and services offered to people living in the revitalized development.

Including this round of grants, HUD has awarded 217 Revitalization grants to 118 cities that total $5.5 billion. With
$5 billion already awarded and $2.3 billion, not yet spent, HOPE VI funding will continue to impact communities well into the future.

The HOPE VI program, also known as the Urban Revitalization Demonstration, was created in 1992 as a result of a report by the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing, which found approximately 86,000 public housing units in the U.S. needed revitalization. The first HOPE VI Revitalization grants were awarded in 1993.

Memphis Housing Authority was also selected from a pool of 57 applications HUD received for the 2003 HOPE VI Demolition funding. The $45,810,291 in grants awarded to 45 housing authorities for this grant round will fund the demolition of 5,954 older public housing units.

Since the HOPE VI Demolition program began in 1996 and including the grants awarded today, HUD has awarded 263 grants to 122 housing authorities in 32 states, the District of Columbia and the Virgin Islands. Including the grants awarded today, housing authorities have received more than $381 million in HOPE VI Demolition grants to demolish nearly 56,000 severely distressed public housing units.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

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