TAMPA – Dec. 14, 2012 – U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced that four communities will receive a combined $108.9 million to redevelop distressed housing and “comprehensive neighborhood revitalization” in blighted areas.

Tampa – one of the four cities – received $30 million. Cincinnati ($29.5 million), San Antonio ($29.75 million) and Seattle ($19.73 million) also received funding.

The money falls under HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative (Choice). The initiative funds the transformation of areas with concentrated poverty into viable mixed-income neighborhoods. The $108.9 million federal investment is seed money for the Choice program, and HUD says the cities and private partners will add an additional $393 million in private investments and commitments.
 
“HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Initiative supports local visions for how to transform high-poverty, distressed communities into neighborhoods of opportunity,” says Donovan. “We’re emphasizing a comprehensive approach … by considering the totality of a community with regard to health, safety, education, jobs and quality housing in mixed-income neighborhoods.”

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