Choice Neighborhoods

Choice Neighborhoods
Name	Choice Neighborhoods
Established	2010
Agency	United States Department of Housing and Urban Development
Type	Public policy program
Location	United States

Choice Neighborhoods

Choice Neighborhoods is a federal grant program administered by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development that targets revitalization of distressed public housing and surrounding neighborhoods. The program coordinates housing, education, economic development, and community development partners to replace obsolete housing with mixed-income developments and connect residents to supportive services. Choice Neighborhoods builds on precedents set by initiatives such as Hope VI, New Communities Initiative, and policies shaped by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Overview

Choice Neighborhoods focuses on three interrelated goals: housing transformation, people improvements, and neighborhood revitalization, aligning with models used by HOPE VI, Moving to Opportunity, Promise Neighborhoods, and Community Development Block Grant strategies. The program emphasizes public, multifamily housing, and privately owned subsidized portfolios such as properties formerly under Section 8 or Low-Income Housing Tax Credit regimes. Projects typically feature partnerships among local housing authorities like the New York City Housing Authority, municipal governments such as City of Chicago, philanthropic actors including the MacArthur Foundation, and nonprofit intermediaries like Enterprise Community Partners and Local Initiatives Support Corporation.

History and Development

Choice Neighborhoods was announced by HUD leadership during the tenure of Secretary Shaun Donovan and formally launched in 2010 as a successor to the HOPE VI program, incorporating lessons from urban renewal programs pioneered in cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Boston. Early pilot awards reflected collaborations with institutional partners such as Columbia University research teams, advocacy organizations including National Low Income Housing Coalition, and regional planning agencies like the Metropolitan Planning Council. The program evolved through subsequent HUD secretaries, including Julián Castro and Ben Carson, adapting grant criteria in response to evaluations by scholars from Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, and Johns Hopkins University.

Program Objectives and Components

Choice Neighborhoods advances three core objectives: transform distressed housing, improve resident outcomes, and catalyze neighborhood improvements, integrating approaches used by Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program reforms and Community Schools models. Key components include housing redevelopment financed through instruments such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, coordination with public housing authorities, resident services akin to programs at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and neighborhood planning processes that engage stakeholders like Mayor's Offices and Metropolitan Planning Organizations. The program commonly involves developers with portfolios in Affordable housing development and partners from health networks like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention-linked initiatives and workforce intermediaries such as Jobs for the Future.

Funding and Implementation

Grants are awarded via competitive notices administered by HUD and have been distributed to recipients including city agencies in Baltimore, Cleveland, Denver, and local housing authorities such as Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. Funding sources for projects combine HUD Choice Neighborhoods capital grants with private equity from investors, tax credits like New Markets Tax Credit, philanthropic grants from institutions such as the Ford Foundation, and local contributions from municipal budgets or Metropolitan Transit Authority-linked value capture. Implementation relies on legal instruments including regulatory agreements with housing authorities, development agreements with private developers experienced with Enterprise Community Partners and Mercy Housing, and social service contracts with providers like YMCA affiliates.

Impact and Evaluation

Impact evaluations have drawn on methodologies from research centers at Urban Institute, Brookings Institution, and RAND Corporation, measuring outcomes in housing quality, resident employment, and school performance in partnership with districts such as Chicago Public Schools and New York City Department of Education. Case studies in neighborhoods like East Baltimore and West Dallas show mixed results: physical redevelopment and increased property values, alongside varying resident outcomes in employment programs administered through workforce boards like Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act consortia. Longitudinal analyses by scholars at Princeton University and University of Michigan examine displacement risk, preservation of affordable housing stock, and health impacts measured using datasets aligned with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

Criticisms and Controversies

Critics from advocacy groups such as ACORN-aligned coalitions and academics associated with Right to the City campaigns argue that Choice Neighborhoods can accelerate gentrification seen in cities like San Francisco and Washington, D.C., leading to displacement similar to critiques leveled at HOPE VI. Legal challenges and policy debates have involved civil rights organizations including the NAACP and tenant unions such as Metropolitan Tenants Organization concerning relocation safeguards, voucher utilization, and preservation of tenant rights under statutes related to Fair Housing Act. Scholars at New York University and community organizers in places like Oakland and Philadelphia have called for stronger resident governance models, binding affordability covenants, and integration with anti-displacement tools used in Inclusionary zoning and community land trust experiments pioneered by Burlington Community Land Trust.

Category:United States federal assistance programs