Q

How will communities that lack the resources to put together a Transformation Plan be able to compete for a Choice Neighborhoods grant?

A

We are providing Planning grants to help communities that aren't yet able to fully undertake successful neighborhood revitalization start down that path, with the federal government catalyzing their progress and incentivizing local support. Our hope is that some of the most distressed communities accross the country will realize this opportunity to pull together stakeholders, develop a Transformation Plan for improving their neighborhoods, and use the tools of Choice Neighborhoods as a catalyst to bring about real change.

Q

Will communities be required to have a school in their neighborhood in order to receive a Choice Neighborhoods grant?

A

No, but we do know from the research that high quality educational opportunities, including early learning and effective K-12 public schools, are a critical element in breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Applications that do not address the need for resident children to have access to quality educational opportunities will likely not be competitive. This requirement can be satisfied through evidencing ongoing reform efforts underway to transfer an underperforming school into a good school, or it can be evidenced through plans to facilitate access to quality educational opportunities outside of the immediate neighborhood or to bring new, high quality educational opportunities to the neighborhood.

Q

Will rural applicants be eligible for these grants?

A

Rural applicants are eligible to apply for Choice Neighborhoods, and the Choice Neighborhoods threshold criteria are intended to be just as relevant for rural situations as they are for urban. Moreover, Planning grants will help rural communities that aren't yet able to fully undertake successful neighborhood revitalization devise a comprehensive Transformation Plan.

Q

Can non-profit and for-profit applicants apply to redevelop public housing without the involvement of the public housing authority?

A

No, redevelopment of public housing must be done in partnership with a public housing authority. The owner of the site will need to be involved in the application in order to be considered.

Q

Does the targeted housing need to be replaced?

A

Replacement housing must serve low-income families who only pay 30% of income toward rent. Based on local decisions, that replacement housing can be public housing, multifamily-assisted housing, assisted housing with project-based vouchers, or (in certain circumstances) housing choice vouchers. Choice Neighborhoods requires that all newly constructed or rehabilitated housing assisted with these funds remain affordable for a period of at least twenty years regardless of whether it is public housing or assisted housing.

Q

Does Choice Neighborhoods require housing to be in a Promise Neighborhood?

A

Communities will not be required to have a Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods grant in order to receive a Choice Neighborhoods grant, nor vice versa. However, state and local school and social service systems serving children in a neighborhood are encouraged to coordinate efforts in communities where the need and capacity for both interventions is strong. First and foremost, this means that we will use consistent results frameworks and outcomes, so that communities are not being asked to form inconsistent plans that don????????t mesh well together. It also means that we will be sending clear and consistent signals about the traits we know are necessary for successful neighborhood revitalization: strong, collaborative partnerships; full participation from community members in community planning; and a focus on the barriers that inhibit children from succeeding.

Q

Will it be possible to use Choice Neighborhoods funding for non-housing uses?

A

As the legacy of successful HOPE VI projects show, housing transformation rarely works through redevelopment of housing alone. In neighborhoods of concentrated poverty, there are basic infrastructure and amenity challenges that must be addressed to protect the Federal housing investment and enable it to actually affect outcomes and change lives. For example, in some of our most blighted neighborhoods, the lack of fresh foods negatively affects resident populations' health and success rates in education and employment, so setting aside some funds to catalyze a mixed-use retail component is key. In other neighborhooods, small parks are often an essential component of a real estate transformation plan because they form the connective tissue between the assisted or public housing and the adjacent community. However, HUD will cap the amount that can be spent on non-housing uses to 15 percent to encourage the leveraging of other local or state infrastructure dollars.