HUD announced today that the City of Durham, NC and the Durham Housing Authority (DHA), a CLPHA member, have been awarded a $40 million Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grants for fiscal year 2021. CLPHA congratulates DHA on this remarkable honor!
The grant will help fund the Durham Downtown Neighborhood Plan, a comprehensive project that will transform DHA’s 519 E. Main Street and Liberty Street public housing properties and surrounding downtown neighborhoods. According to the proposal, “A key focus centers on equitable development to bring jobs and wealth building opportunities to all areas of the Choice Neighborhood. As part of this effort, DHA and the City will use grant funds to intentionally target areas of the neighborhood that have seen less investment.” You can learn more about how Durham and DHA will utilize the CNI grant to improve their downtown communities here.
Durham and DHA are one of four city-PHA partnerships to receive a CNI grant, including the City of Omaha/Omaha Housing Authority, the City of Knoxville/Knoxville Community Development Corporation, and the City of Tulsa/Tulsa Housing Authority. The Choice Neighborhoods Program encourages local partners to invest additional funding and services that are vital to the program’s success. Each CNI applicant must find these additional resources in order to leverage the funds necessary to complete the project. The four awardees’ grants total $180 million and will collectively leverage an additional $2.5 billion in public and private resources to further invest in their local communities.
DHA is but one of a long list of CLPHA members who have received CNI grants over the years. CLPHA celebrates Durham and DHA’s prestigious award, and we look forward to seeing how the Durham Downtown Neighborhood Plan transforms Durham’s public housing communities and improves life outcomes for DHA’s residents.