At a press conference on Friday morning the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced 17 planning grants under HUDs new Choice Neighborhood Initiative.  The awards range from $167,000 to $250,000 and will go to groups composed of local governments, non-profits, for-profit developers and philanthropists.

Choice Neighborhoods is designed to provide support for the preservation and rehabilitation of public and HUD-assisted housing by linking housing improvements with a wider variety of public services including schools, public transit and employment opportunities.  In addition six finalists have been selected to compete for approximately $61 million in Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grants.

HUD received 119 submissions for Planning Grants and 42 submissions for Implementation Grants.  Successful Planning Grant applicants demonstrated their intent to transform neighborhoods by revitalizing severely distressed public and/or assisted housing while leveraging investments to create high-quality public schools, outstanding education and early learning programs, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs and well-functioning services.  HUD focused on directing resources to address three core goals - housing, people and neighborhoods. 

White House Director of Domestic Policy Council Melody Barnes told reporters that Choice Neighborhoods is at the heart of the Obama Administrations Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative which acknowledges that improving housing cannot be done in isolation.  It envisions turning neighborhoods into places of opportunity by linking excellent schools with housing, jobs, transportation, arts and culture and parks and recreation. 

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