HUD Provides $1B for Improvements to Public Housing

By Anuradha Kher, Online News EditorWashington, D.C.–U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is offering nearly $1 billion to make substantial improvements to thousands of public housing units nationwide. The Public Housing Capital Funds are being provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and are designed to help selected public housing authorities improve the quality of their housing stock, promote energy efficiency and create jobs.In March, HUD allocated nearly $3 billion in Recovery Act funding to more than 3,100 public housing authorities across the U.S. That funding is already being put to work to improve public housing and create safer, more livable environments for lower income residents. This additional $1 billion will be awarded competitively. “Today we are making another substantial investment to improve public housing in America and to create jobs and grow local economies,” says HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. “The funding in the Recovery Act signed by President Obama will give local housing agencies the resources they need to provide quality housing, especially for the elderly and persons living with disabilities. These funds will also help to transform distressed public housing projects, improve energy efficiency and lower the operating costs for housing authorities.” Public Housing Capital Funding will be awarded competitively through a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). HUD will review and award grants to Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) that effectively address the requirements in the NOFA for the following four funding categories:  • Energy Efficiency: $600 million is available for PHAs to create more energy efficient public housing units. • Financing Stalled Projects: $200 million is available to allow PHAs to develop or renovate public housing projects stalled due to lack of resources. • Public Housing Transformation: $100 million is available to transform obsolete public housing projects into newly built or renovated developments. • Housing for the Elderly/Persons with Disabilities: $95 million is available to improve public housing units and create community facilities for the delivery of medical and other services to this vulnerable population. HUD’s Capital Fund Program provides annual funding to public housing authorities to develop, finance and/or modernize the public housing in their communities. This funding can be used to make large-scale improvements such as new roofs and for the replacement of plumbing and electrical systems to increase energy efficiency.