The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Deputy Secretary Adrianne Todman announced a $50 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) grant to the Wilmington Housing Authority and the city of Wilmington for the redevelopment of Riverside public housing development. HUD's "HUD On the Road" initiative will see HUD leadership travel across the country throughout August to invest in and empower local communities, aiming to increase the supply of affordable housing through building preservation and innovation, according to an HUD news release.
“I am pleased that Wilmington is receiving this Choice Neighborhoods award. The Wilmington Housing Authority and the city have demonstrated their commitment to neighborhood revitalization, having undergone a comprehensive local planning effort to redevelop the Riverside public housing property and the Northeast neighborhood," HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said in the release. "This public investment, which represents the maximum amount for grants targeting smaller housing developments, will give local officials the resources they need to achieve their vision for Northeast Wilmington.”
The awarding of CNI Grants totaling $370 million to seven additional towns around the nation was announced by Fudge last week, the release reported. The grants will assist in transforming and reviving underutilized public and/or assisted housing as well as areas around the nation, while also offering people services centered on income, health and education.
The CNI Grants provide funding for the building of new mixed-income housing complexes, enhance economic development opportunities and support extensive community revitalization initiatives that concentrate on the three areas of housing, people andn eighborhood. According to the release, the new grant recipients will join a dedicated group of 44 more Choice Neighborhoods sites around the country that have contributed more than $6.3 billion in total to historically underserved regions.
To realize their wider Transformation Plan, the eight new grants have mobilized an additional $3 billion in public and private commitments, according to the release.
"HUD's mission is to improve lives and strengthen communities," Matthew Heckles, regional administrator for the mid-Atlantic region, said in the release. “This $50 million Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant is a once-in-a-generation investment in the city of Wilmington and the state of Delaware that will leverage over $400 million through public and private resources, give hundreds of families a great place to live and create a new and vibrant community in the Northeast part of the city.”
