HUD AWARDS TRENTON, JERSEY CITY HOUSING AUTHORITIES $31.7 MILLION TO REVITALIZE PUBLIC HOUSING, TRANSFORM SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOOD
Obama Administration makes early childhood education a priority in HOPE VI award process

TRENTON - U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan joined elected officials in Trenton and Jersey City, N.J. today to announce that both cities' public housing authorities will receive a HUD HOPE VI Revitalization grant to transform distressed public housing developments into mixed-income communities. The Housing Authority of the City of Trenton will receive $22 million to revitalize Miller Homes and the Housing Authority of the City of Jersey City will receive $9.7 million to revitalize the A. Harry Moore public housing development. Each applicant developed highly successful revitalization plans, including effectively incorporating early childhood education programs - a priority for the Obama Administration.

"The HOPE VI Program has done an outstanding job over the years to improve housing conditions for countless low-income communities and this year, we took it a step further," Donovan said. "As we start to broaden the scope of our efforts through the Choice Neighborhoods pilot program - linking housing to schools and early education programs, public transportation, grocery stores, health clinics and community centers - this year, HUD encouraged housing authorities for the first time to incorporate early childhood education components in their revitalization plans. I applaud both the Trenton and Jersey City housing authorities for stepping up to that challenge in extraordinary ways."

In the morning, Secretary Donovan joined Senators Robert Menendez and Frank Lautenberg, U.S. Representative Rush Holt and Trenton Mayor Douglas Palmer at the Miller Homes for a tour of the development. Later in the day, he joined Senator Menendez, Lautenberg and U.S. Representative Albio Sires for a tour at the A. Harry Moore public housing development in Jersey City.

In addition to Trenton and Jersey City Housing Authorities, yesterday Secretary Donovan announced that the following housing authorities are also being awarded grants through HUD's FY 2009 HOPE VI Revitalization award process:

• Housing Authority of the City of Charlotte (NC) will receive $20,900,000 to revitalize the Boulevard Homes public housing development.
• Housing Authority of Covington (KY) will receive $17,000,000 to revitalize the Jacob Price public housing development.
• Housing Authority of the City of Dallas (TX) will receive $22,000,000 to revitalize the Turner Courts public housing development.
• Memphis (TN) Housing Authority will receive $22,000,000 to revitalize the Cleaborn Homes public housing development.

Including the grants announced today, there have been 254 HOPE VI Revitalization grants awarded to 132 housing authorities since 1993 - totaling more than $6.1 billion.

The six housing authorities were selected from among 44 agencies from across the country that applied for HOPE VI Revitalization Program funding. For the first time since the inception of the program, applicants for FY 2009 HOPE VI Revitalization funding were encouraged to include plans in their applications to connect the redevelopment effort with early childhood education programs. The HOPE VI Program aims not only to transform the physical condition of a public housing community, but also to positively impact the lives of the residents. As one way to encourage that objective, housing authorities were given additional points in the application scoring process for demonstrating commitments and plans related to early childhood education, such as having a partnership with an institution that implements a comprehensive, high-quality, results-oriented early childhood education program that promotes best practices.

The early childhood education component encouraged through this grant round challenged housing authorities to extend neighborhood transformation efforts beyond public housing to link housing intervention with education. The Obama Administration upholds this challenge in Choice Neighborhoods, a pilot program that is currently under development. Choice Neighborhoods, which Congress approved with HUD's FY 2010 budget, aims to build upon the achievements and lessons learned of HOPE VI by employing a comprehensive approach to community development centered on housing development. Choice Neighborhoods aims to transform neighborhoods of poverty into viable mixed-income neighborhoods with access to economic opportunities by revitalization of severely distressed public and assisted housing by investing and leveraging in well-functioning services, effective schools and education programs, public assets, public transportation and improved access to jobs. A pre-notice concerning Choice Neighborhoods was recently issued by the Department and is posted on the HUD website at www.hud.gov/cn.

Since 1993, HUD has awarded HOPE VI grants to public housing authorities to encourage public-private partnerships to transform severely distressed public housing into mixed-income communities that assist residents in becoming self-sufficient. The program was created in 1992 following a report by the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing, which concluded that approximately 86,000 public housing units in the U.S. needed revitalization.

HOPE VI Revitalization grant funds are used for an array of activities, including: demolition of severely distressed public housing; acquisition of sites for off-site construction; capital costs of major rehabilitation; new construction and other physical improvements; costs for mobility counseling and relocation; and community and supportive service programs for residents, including those relocated as a result of revitalization efforts.

Housing authorities are competitively selected for HOPE VI grants based on many factors including the effectiveness and project readiness of their revitalization plans. HUD gives recipients the flexibility to develop revitalization plans that meet their local needs. Among other criteria, grantees are also awarded funds based on the capacity of the housing authority and its development team to administer and manage completion of the revitalization effort; the severity of physical distress of the development; the ability of the housing authority to supplement the HOPE VI grant with funding from other sources, private, state or local government; the ability to provide supportive services to displaced residents; and the proposed green development and energy efficiency strategies.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

Grants Summaries:
Jersey City - A. Harry Moore
The Jersey City Housing Authority (JCHA) will receive a FY 2009 HOPE VI revitalization grant in the amount of $9.7 million, which will enable the Housing Authority to revitalize the A. Harry Moore (AHM) public housing development. This would be the Housing Authority's third HOPE VI revitalization grant. The revitalization project is currently comprised of 277 distressed units, all of which will be demolished. The AHM development will be replaced with a total of 299 units both on- and off-site. Of this total, there will be 10 public housing units, 35 public housing/Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, 54 LIHTC-only units, 95 project based voucher/LIHTC units, 19 other subsidized rental units, 12 market-rate rental units, 70 HOPE VI affordable homeownership units, and 4 other affordable homeownership units. Of these units, 134 will be on-site and 165 will be off-site. Community and Supportive Services (CSS) will also be provided to all impacted families. JCHA has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Jersey City Board of Education (JCBOE), which has provided and will continue to provide Pre-K programs in the neighborhood. As part of the revitalization plan, JCBOE will construct and operate a new on-site 6 classroom Pre-K Program.

Trenton, NJ - Miller Homes
The Housing Authority of the City of Trenton (THA) will receive a FY 2009 HOPE VI revitalization grant in the amount of $22 million, which will enable the Housing Authority to revitalize the Miller Homes public housing development. This would be the Housing Authority's first HOPE VI Revitalization grant. The revitalization project is currently comprised of 256 distressed units, all of which will be demolished. Miller Homes will be replaced with a total of 309 units both on- and off-site. Of this total, there will be 73 public housing/Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) units, 101 LIHTC-only units, 8 market-rate rental units and 127 affordable homeownership units. Of these units, 182 will be on-site and 127 will be off-site. Community and Supportive Services (CSS) will also be provided to all impacted families. THA is partnering with four institutions to provide Early Childhood Education services to Miller Homes' children and their families.