More than 1,000 people would be relocated in Charlotte, NC Housing Plan

According to the Charlotte Observer, More than 1,000 people would be relocated if the city gets federal funding to raze Boulevard Homes.

The city has applied for a Hope VI grant – the same type of grant used to raze and rebuild what used to be Piedmont Courts – that would tear down the nearly 40-year-old Boulevard Homes complex and erect a mixed-income neighborhood in one of Charlotte's biggest trouble spots.

But for those who currently live in Boulevard Homes, it means moving vans and adjusting to new neighborhoods.

The Charlotte Housing Authority and a faith-based community group hosted a festival Saturday at Boulevard Homes to let people know that there are organizations willing to help the more than 300 families who might have to relocate.

Organizers say it gives everyone a chance to learn more about what the new homes and apartments will look like, and learn what opportunities are available to the people who live there now.

Hundreds showed up Saturday for hamburgers, hot dogs, entertainment and information despite temperatures that topped 90 degrees.

But late Saturday, some residents were still reserved about the possibility of demolishing Boulevard Homes. Benjamin Harris said he was glad the event brought his neighbors together, but worries that authorities or civic groups won't do enough to educate people on how to thrive without assistance from the government.

“They need more education in what you're getting involved in,” he said. “If you been raised here 20-something years, this is all you know. You don't know how to branch out.”

Jennifer Gallman with the Charlotte Housing Authority told WCNC-TV, the Observer's news partner, that Saturday's event was an important step in getting the community's support moving forward. “It breaks the ice, it starts to tear down the wall of fear and uncertainty and helps people hang out together, find their commonality and form a bond,” she said.

More HERE

Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP)

Program Purpose

The Recovery Act includes a $1.5 billion appropriation for the Homelessness Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP). The purpose of the HPRP is to provide homelessness prevention assistance for households who would otherwise become homeless and rapid re-housing assistance for persons who are homeless. The overall goal of HPRP is for participants to achieve housing stability.

Public Benefits

The expected benefit of HPRP is to prevent homelessness and to facilitate the rapid re-housing of individuals and families. In addition, we will meet HUD’s overriding goal of creating and preserving jobs. HPRP is focused on housing and will provide temporary financial assistance and housing relocation and stabilization services to individuals and families who are homeless or would be homeless but for this assistance. Many individuals and families who benefit from this program will be able to concentrate efforts on re-entering the workforce and attaining self-sufficiency, thereby producing economic activity and enhancing the number of jobs created/saved.

Kinds and Scope of Program Activities
The eligible activities allowed under HPRP are clear and intentionally focused on housing—either direct financial assistance to help pay for housing, or services designed to help participants obtain, maintain and remain in housing. Funds are also available to track assistance through HMIS for local program or policy use and reporting to HUD. Grantees and sub-grantees may use HPRP funds to administer the following categories of eligible activities: (1) financial assistance; (2) housing relocation and stabilization services; (3) data collection and evaluation; and (4) administrative costs.

The HPRP Notice (FR-5307-N-01), which outlines the eligible activities, also includes a section that clearly states activities that are ineligible, including services that are eligible under other Recovery Act programs, mortgage costs, and credit card bills. In an effort to further avoid mismanagement of grant funds, the Notice stipulates that HPRP funds must not be used to make payments directly to program participants, but only to third parties, such as landlords or utility companies. The Notice can be found at http://hudhre.info/documents/HPRP_Notice_3-19-09.pdf.

Public Housing Capital Fund Stimulus - Competitive

Program Description

To provide funds for the capital and management activities of Public Housing Agencies as authorized under section 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g) (the "Act"), with the exception that funds cannot be used for operations or rental assistance. The funds shall be awarded by competition for priority investments, including investments that leverage private sector funding or financing for renovations and energy conservation. Funds shall be obligated through competitive funding by September 30, 2009.

Public housing authorities shall give priority to capital projects that can award contracts based on bids within 120 days from the date the funds are made available to the public housing authorities. Public housing agencies shall prioritize capital projects that are already underway or included in the 5-year capital fund plans required by the Act (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1(a)). Funds provided under this heading shall serve to supplement and not supplant expenditures from other Federal, State, or local sources or funds independently generated by the grantees. Notwithstanding section 9(j), public housing agencies shall obligate 100 percent of the funds within 1 year of the date on which funds become available to the agency for obligation, shall expend at least 60 percent of funds within 2 years of the date on which funds become available to the agency for obligation, and shall expend 100 percent of the funds within 3 years of such date.

Milestones in the award process include the publication of the competitive Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), the approval by HUD of applications, the signing by the public housing authority of a Capital Fund Program Amendment to the Consolidated Annual Contributions Contract (ACC) for selected applicants, the execution by of the ACC by the HUD Field Office, and the spreading of funds awarded in HUD's Line of Credit Control System (LOCCS).

The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this program is 14.884.
For more detailed information related to Capital Fund Formula or Competition Recovery Act information, please refer to the Office of Capital Improvements Recovery Act Information web site.

HUD Publishes NOFA Making $995 million in Recovery Act Funding Available to PHAs

The Department is pleased to announce that it has published a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) making $995 million of Capital Fund Recovery Act funding available to PHAs. The Department is excited about the benefits that will be realized by providing this funding. In addition to providing a powerful stimulus to the economy through job creation, this funding has the potential of transforming the public housing program in a number of ways. First it will direct a significant amount of funding to address the needs of the elderly and persons with disabilities. Second, it will provide a substantial amount of funding to transform distressed public housing. Third, it will provide gap financing. Finally, it will make a large investment in improving the energy efficiency and environmental performance of public housing. To view a .pdf version of the NOFA, click on the heading above. The Department also issued an email to all PHAs announcing publication of the NOFA. You can read the email here.
Eligible Applicants

Public Housing Agencies that own or operate Low Income Public Housing and are eligible to receive capital funding under section 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g) (the "Act").

Funding Amounts

Total Funding: $995,000,000
Total Funds Allocated: $995,000,000
Total Funds Obligated:Total Funds Expended:

NTIA delays stimulus award money

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration, which is responsible for doling out some $4.7-billion of the $7.2 billion in total broadband stimulus money, has delayed its submission and grant schedule by about three months.

According to GigaOM, the NTIA has shifted the date it will begin to issue funds. In an announcement late last week, the agency said it would accept grant applications in September and begin awarding funds in December, contradicting a previous statement released two months ago that said the first funding distributions could come as early as June.

According to analyst Craig Settles, the delay will likely help many of the larger metro areas and municipal efforts around broadband because they'll have more time to put together a sustainable business plan. In fact, it could be good news for all parties vying for money.

For more:
- see GigaOM

Public Housing Capital Funding Available

Public Housing Capital Funding will be awarded competitively through a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) that can be accessed on HUD’s Recovery Act website. HUD will accept applications from public housing authorities from June 1 until July 21, 2009 for the Energy Efficiency funding category and from June 1 until August 18, 2009 for the other three funding categories. HUD will review and award grants to 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. Applications are due for this category on July 21, 2009.

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 Public Housing 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.

HUD Secretary Announces Nearly $1 Billion To Improve Public Housing

Visit to Pennsylvania highlights grants that will help the elderly, boost energy efficiency and create jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donovan today announced that HUD is offering nearly $1 billion to make substantial improvements to thousands of public housing units nationwide. The Public Housing Capital Funds being offered are provided through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) and are designed to help public housing authorities improve the quality of their housing stock, promote energy efficiency and create jobs.

The announcement came during a visit to Marshall Lee Towers in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, which is home to 91 elderly and disabled residents. Marshall Lee Towers is one of seven residential properties managed by the Montgomery County Housing Authority (MCHA), which has already received $1,141,093 in HUD Recovery Act Capital Fund dollars. Projects planned for Marshall Lee Towers with these funds include upgrades to facilities that will create a significant reduction in water and energy use. The Secretary highlighted MCHA as an example of how Recovery Act dollars are being used, not only to create jobs and jump start the nation’s economy, but also to reduce energy costs among public housing facilities. Montgomery County Housing Authority houses 1100 residents in 615 homes throughout the County.

“I am pleased to be at Marshall Lee Towers in Pennsylvania today to announce another substantial investment we are making to improve public housing in America, create jobs and grow local economies,” said Secretary 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.”

In March, HUD allocated nearly $3 billion in Recovery Act funding to more than 3,100 public housing authorities across the U.S. Distributed by formula, that funding is already being put to work to improve public housing and create safer, more livable environments for lower income residents. The additional $1 billion announced today will be awarded competitively.
More HERE

HUD SPEEDS NEARLY $3 BILLION TO NATION'S PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES TO IMPROVE HOUSING

Recovery Act Funding to increase jobs, promote energy efficiency

WASHINGTON - Just over a month after President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 into law, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban announced today that, subject to HUD approval, public housing authorities can begin spending nearly $3 billion to make significant improvements to tens of thousands of public housing units nationwide. HUD is informing 3,122 local housing authorities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands that spending can begin on a backlog of previously underfunded capital improvement projects.

"President Obama has given us the mandate to put this money to work quickly so it can make a real difference in the lives of Americans," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "HUD is working overtime to get this money to our housing authorities so they can repair and produce critically needed affordable housing, create jobs, and improve the quality of life for their residents."

Recovery Act funding provided through HUD's Public Housing Capital Fund Program is effectively more than doubling the Department's annual support of local housing authorities to improve their public housing stock. Allocated through an established formula, this funding will allow local housing agencies to address the long-standing capital needs of public housing, create jobs, and increase energy efficiency. HUD will shortly make an additional $1 billion available in capital funding that will be awarded to housing authorities through a competition.

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.

For detailed information about the funding and specific funding amounts to individual public housing agencies visit the website.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

SECRETARIES CHU AND DONOVAN SIGN AGREEMENT TO HELP WORKING FAMILIES WEATHERIZE THEIR HOMES

Unprecedented interagency collaboration will help save energy cost, lower carbon footprint

WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Steven Chu today announced an important step forward in the partnership between HUD and DOE to streamline and better coordinate federal weatherization programs. These efforts will make it easier for low-income families to weatherize their homes, saving money for working families and creating tens of thousands of new green jobs.

Today, the Secretaries signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to coordinate energy retrofit programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The signing of the MOU today represents the next step in a longer-term partnership between these agencies, as they continue to make it easier and more cost-effective for families to weatherize their homes. View the MOU.

This unprecedented interagency collaboration will help minimize administrative barriers and simplify the process for residents of HUD public and assisted housing that are seeking to weatherize their homes under the DOE Weatherization Assistance Program, which is targeted to low-income households. By eliminating unnecessary red tape and helping more families weatherize their homes, Secretary Chu and Secretary Donovan are helping to fulfill President Obama's goal of making government work better for all Americans.

Vice President Joe Biden, joined by Secretary Donovan and Secretary Chu, praised the interagency proposal during his remarks at a Recovery Act Implementation Cabinet Meeting in Washington, D.C.

"This agreement is the perfect example of government coming together in service of the greater good," said Vice President Biden. "Thanks to this new partnership, we're going to tear down the unnecessary barriers in making the homes of low-income and elderly citizens more energy-efficient and shred the red tape that too often stands between government assistance and the people it is meant to serve. In the process, we'll not only bring down energy costs, but also create new green jobs that will be the foundation of our economic recovery."

"The Recovery Act made a critical investment in home energy efficiency," said Secretary Chu. "But, to help as many families as possible, we need to cut the federal red tape that tangles up too many Americans trying to do the right thing. By making it as easy as possible for families to weatherize their homes, we can create new jobs that can't be shipped overseas, save families money on their energy bills, and take another step toward energy independence."

"HUD is committed to making public housing more green, while keeping it as affordable as possible for working families, particularly in these challenging economic times," said Secretary Donovan. "This partnership will ensure that HUD and DOE together can play a significant role in the Administration's goal to weatherize one million homes, while at this same time serving a population in need. I am proud of the work our agencies have done and look forward to a continued partnership with Secretary Chu and DOE to make all housing affordable and energy efficient."

This agreement will also impact tens of thousands of residents in rural communities -- mostly seniors and low-income individuals -- who are part of U.S. Department of Agriculture's Multi+Family Housing Direct Loan Program.

"This agreement will make a big difference in the lives of many rural residents providing much-needed heating and cooling, saving money and enhancing energy efficiency," said U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack added.

Currently, the income verification requirements under DOE's Weatherization Assistance Program duplicate the HUD system for verifying income before providing housing subsidies. Under this new agreement, the income verification process will be conducted only once, breaking down bureaucratic barriers to using weatherization funds in HUD-assisted housing. HUD is committing to rent stabilization and scope of work requirements consistent with weatherization requirements.

The Recovery Act provides $16 billion to the Department of Energy and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. The partnership announced today between HUD and DOE will coordinate funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which received $5 billion under the Recovery Act. Other energy efficiency efforts include $4.5 billion in HUD funding to renovate and upgrade public and Native American housing, as well as $250 million to retrofit privately owned federally assisted housing. In addition to the weatherization funds, DOE received $3.2 billion for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants for cities, counties, states and Indian Tribes, $3.1 billion for the State Energy Program, and other programs.

The Recovery Act funds provide an historic opportunity for the two agencies to work together to accelerate deployment of energy efficient and green building technologies in millions of homes, while helping to create a highly-qualified, highly-trained, and high-performing workforce. Today's announcement is only one step in a continued partnership between the two agencies. HUD and DOE will continue to work together to provide guidance to public and assisted housing on energy efficiency programs, develop a common baseline for measuring energy efficiency, and develop new home energy financing products.

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HUD MAKES NEARLY $1 BILLION AVAILABLE IN RECOVERY ACT FUNDS TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HOUSING

Grants will help the elderly and disabled, boost energy efficiency and create jobs

WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Donovan today announced that HUD is offering nearly $1 billion to make substantial improvements to thousands of public housing units nationwide. The Public Housing Capital Funds being offered today are provided through The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) 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. Distributed by formula, 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," said 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) that can be accessed on HUD's Recovery Act website. HUD will accept applications from public housing authorities from June 1 until July 21, 2009 for the Energy Efficiency funding category and from June 1 until August 18, 2009 for the other three funding categories. HUD will review and award grants to 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. Applications are due for this category on July 21, 2009.

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.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

SECRETARIES GEITHNER, DONOVAN ANNOUNCE NEW DETAILS OF MAKING HOME AFFORDABLE PROGRAM, HIGHLIGHT IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS

Source: HUD.gov

Just Over Two Months after Release of Program Guidelines, Homeowners Realizing Relief under Administration Plan Join Secretaries to Share Personal Stories

WASHINGTON - With the Making Home Affordable (MHA) program delivering much-needed relief to homeowners and to our economy just over two months after the release of program guidelines, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan today provided an update on the program's impact on stemming the housing crisis and keeping families in their homes and announced new options for homeowners facing foreclosure. The announcement and update came following a meeting with housing counselors from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) and with homeowners Nicholas Tekpertey of Reston, VA, and Warren Rohn of Lewiston, CA, who shared their success stories since participating in the Home Affordable Modification program.

"In just over two months, the Make Home Affordable program is up and running, helping our economy recover and making a difference in the lives and livelihoods of thousands of American homeowners. Historically low interest rates are allowing Americans to refinance and save money, and modifications are helping homeowners avoid foreclosure," said Secretary Geithner. "Today we are announcing a new program component to help homeowners obtain modifications in areas suffering from home price declines. If a modification is not possible, we are also announcing steps to encourage the quick private sale or voluntary transfer of property, which will save homeowners money and protect their financial future. These are critical steps in stemming the foreclosure crisis and stabilizing the housing market, both of which are critical to our economic recovery."

"I can't stress enough how important our HUD-approved counseling agencies are to the success of the Making Home Affordable program, and ultimately, to helping to keep American families in their homes," Secretary Donovan said. "That's why HUD has requested a $100 million investment in our Housing Counseling Assistance Program for fiscal year 2010, a $35 million increase from our 2009 budget. This investment will help further support the work of our 2,600 HUD-approved housing counselors across the nation, just like those at NCRC, who play a key role in ensuring that borrowers can take part in the modification and refinancing options made available through Making Home Affordable."

The Secretaries announced new details on the Making Home Affordable program:

• Foreclosure Alternatives provide incentives for servicers and borrowers to pursue short sales and deeds-in-lieu (DIL) of foreclosure in cases where the borrower is generally eligible for a MHA modification but does not qualify or is unable to complete the process, which helps prevent costly foreclosures and minimizes the damage that foreclosures impose on borrowers, financial institutions and communities. The new details will simplify and streamline the process of pursuing short sales and deeds-in-lieu, which will facilitate the ability of more servicers and borrowers to utilize the program. The program provides a standard process flow, minimum performance timeframes and standard documentation, and it offers financial incentives to servicers and borrowers to pursue these alternatives to foreclosure.



• Home Price Decline Protection Incentives will provide lenders additional incentives for modifications where home price declines have been most severe and lenders fear these declines may persist. To encourage the modification of more mortgages and enable more families to keep their homes, the Administration, building on insights pioneered by Chairman Bair and the FDIC, has developed an innovative payment that provides compensation based on recent home price declines. Together the incentive payments on all modified homes will help cover the incremental collateral loss on those modifications that do not succeed. HPDP payments will be linked to the rate of recent home price decline in a local housing market, as well as the average cost of a home in that market.

Since the launch of Making Home Affordable, more than one million Americans have now refinanced, due to historically low interest rates, and thousands of underwater borrowers have refinanced under the Home Affordable Refinance Program. Fannie Mae has had over 233,000 eligible refinance applications through its refinancing program, with more than 51,000 of these having loan-to-value ratios between 80% and 105%. More than 55,000 Home Affordable Modification offers have been extended to qualifying borrowers. Additionally, servicers have mailed more than 300,000 letters to homeowners who are potential candidates for the program. The refinance application volumes and modifications underway make clear the desire of homeowners to take advantage of the Administration's program.

Homeowners Nicholas Tekpertey and Warren Rohn have already seen the impact of the MHA modification program. In March, Tekpertey heard about the Home Affordable Modification from a friend, called his lender, faxed in his documents, and was qualified with relative ease. With this modification, he saves almost $600 per month and his payment is now affordable, with an annual total savings of $7,154. Warren Rohn received a Home Affordable Modification offer from his lender and was able to modify his loan with a 2% interest rate for five years.

"In February, I was facing foreclosure," Tekpertey said. "Making Home Affordable changed my situation, and gave me my home back. All homeowners who are worried about their mortgage payments should do what I did. Go to the website like I did. See if you qualify. This program is real, and this program works."

"This program saved my bacon," Rohn said. "Losing my trucking business was tough enough, but I'm not sure what I would have done if I lost my home. I want to say something to all the homeowners out there -- this program has made a real difference in my life. It's given me and my wife the security to know we're not going anywhere."

Making Home Affordable, a comprehensive plan to stabilize the U.S. housing market, was first announced by the Administration on February 18. The three part program includes aggressive measures to support low mortgage rates by strengthening confidence in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; a Home Affordable Refinance Program, which will provide new access to refinancing for up to 4 to 5 million homeowners; and a Home Affordable Modification Program, which will reduce monthly payments on existing first lien mortgages for up to 3 to 4 million at-risk homeowners. Two weeks later, the Administration published detailed guidelines for the Home Affordable Modification Program and authorized servicers to begin modifications under the plan immediately. Fourteen servicers, including the five largest, have now signed contracts and begun modifications under the program. Between loans covered by these servicers and loans owned or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, Home Affordable Modification participants now account for more than 75 percent of all loans in the country.

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• MHAS Servicer Progress Report
• Biographical Sketches of Homeowners
• Making Homes Affordable Fact Sheet

HOPE VI Green Building and Energy Efficient Development Conference

Learn more about the HUD - HOPE VI Green Building and Energy Efficient Development Conference

Ashville HOPE VI

ASHEVILLE – Up to 320 of Asheville's poorest residents would be forced to move under a federal program to replace one of the city's most distressed public housing complexes with a mixed-income neighborhood.

Those who could be moved, as well as residents living near public housing, gave varied reactions to the HOPE VI program. The program would use private capital and about $15 million in federal money to overhaul one of two complexes: Lee-Walker Heights off Short Coxe Avenue or Aston Park Tower and Garden Apartments on South French Broad Avenue.

Getting the grant money is far from guaranteed. Asheville Housing Authority officials began the arduous and highly competitive application process last week. The federal government has not yet said when it will make a decision.

Some residents supported the program. Others, though, said it would tear apart tightly knit neighborhoods.

“I've been living in Lee-Walker Heights for six years, and I haven't had any problems,” said Celia McDow, 24, who lives in the complex just north of Mission Hospital with her son, 7, and daughter, 5. McDow works in the cafeteria at Ira B. Jones Elementary School and said she can get help from neighbors and walk to most places where she needs to go. That would change if she had to move.

“I really do love my community. Anything I need, my community is there for me,” she said.

Concentrated poverty

The concept behind HOPE VI is to disperse concentrated areas of poverty, which proponents of the program say foster crime and other social ills. Federal and private money is used to replace publicly owned housing with a mixed-income neighborhood of working- and middle-class as well as taxpayer-subsidized homes.

In past years, the grant has been difficult to get, but housing authority officials now think more money will be available. They hope to win a grant this year or next to overhaul one of the complexes.

Last year, four to five HOPE VI applicants were selected out of a field of about 30, said David Nash, the Housing Authority's chief operations officer. This year, funding was bumped up from approximately $100 million to $120 million, and there is hope that amount will rise to $600 million in years to come, he said.

The City Council has not taken an official vote on the issue, though some council members have expressed support for the program. That kind of backing will be vital in getting the grant. Housing authority officials plan to report back to the council in a month or two and will likely ask for financial help preparing the application.

One council member, Carl Mumpower, questioned whether the mixed-income model would work and said government shouldn't be spending money on such programs during a budget crisis.

Many Lee-Walker Heights residents also don't think the program would help them in the long run, resident McDow said. Officials may consider the complex dangerous, but residents feel it would be worse in other public housing, McDow said.

“They (residents) were really upset about the idea,” she said.

Housing authority officials said those who would be moved could choose to go to another public housing complex or into private housing that accepts public vouchers. They would get money to help them relocate, said Nash.

Every attempt would be made to allow relatives living in different households in one complex to stay together, he said.

Once the complex is rebuilt, people could apply to come back.

“Anybody who has a good rental history and meets the criteria, which is elderly, disabled or working, would be able to move back,” said Nash.

If all goes smoothly, construction could be finished in three years, he said. More HERE