Bill > S2051

This bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, a comprehensive program designed to transform severely distressed, low-income neighborhoods into sustainable, mixed-income communities. The bill provides competitive grants to local governments, public housing agencies, and nonprofit entities to revitalize public and assisted housing, replace severely distressed housing on a one-for-one basis, and invest in critical community improvements. Key provisions include ensuring residents' right to return to replacement housing, providing comprehensive relocation assistance, promoting economic opportunities, improving educational access, and maintaining long-term affordability. The bill requires extensive resident involvement in planning, mandates fair housing practices, and includes accessibility requirements for new housing. Grantees must develop transformation plans that demonstrate how they will improve neighborhood quality, support resident self-sufficiency, and create mixed-income housing developments. The legislation authorizes $1 billion for fiscal year 2026, with at least 80% of funds dedicated to public housing units, and allows for planning grants and technical assistance. The ultimate goal is to break cycles of poverty by comprehensively addressing housing, education, economic, and community development challenges in high-poverty neighborhoods.

Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2051/all-info