HUD Awards $500,000 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant to Brownsville, TX

Brownsville, TX, June 28, 2016– We are proud and pleased to announce that the Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville (HACB) in a collaborative partnership with the City of Brownsville (COB) and Camiros, Ltd. has been awarded a U. S. Department of Housing Urban Development (HUD) Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant in the amount of $500,000 to support the development of a comprehensive Transformation Plan for the Buena Vida Neighborhood.

We are one of ten applicants awarded this highly competitive grant. The Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville is the only border-town out of the 73 entities to have ever been awarded a Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant as well as the third city in Texas to been given this recognition since the Choice Neighborhoods Program inception.

The Choice Neighborhoods Program is focused on the following three core goals:

1. Housing: Replace distressed public and assisted housing with high-quality mixed income housing that is well-managed and responsive to the needs of the surrounding neighborhood;

2. People: Improve educational outcomes and intergenerational mobility for youth with services and support delivered directly to youth and their families; and

3. Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families’ choices about their community.

The purpose of the Choice Neighborhoods Program is to support locally driven strategies to address struggling neighborhoods with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation.

“No child should be limited in life by the zip code where they were born…. Today, we’re kick starting the revitalization in 10 distressed neighborhoods across the county. These grants will lay a rim foundation upon which we’ll build better, more thoughtful neighborhoods that are more connected to all the opportunities their communities have to offer.” HUD Secretary Julian Castro

The Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville (HACB) and the City of Brownsville (COB) held several community and external stakeholder meetings during the months of December 2015 and January 2016, in preparation of the grant application that was submitted on February 9, 2016. The vision of our application was Creating Community Connections. Choice Neighborhoods was identified as one of the primary goals during the development of the HACB 2020 Strategic Plan, which was approved by the HACB Board of Commissioners in August of 2015. This was reflected in HACB’s Strategic Plan Goal 3 – Communities, that is about creating resilient communities through collaborative initiatives and the leveraging of resources, which maximizes HACB’s partnership and leadership opportunities.

“This Choice Neighborhood grant will provide a boost to local efforts to invest in housing and rebuild Brownsville neighborhoods. During his visit to the Rio Grande Valley, HUD Secretary Julian Castro saw firsthand the needs of the community and the work of government and local organizations to revitalize neighborhoods like Buena Vida,” U.S. Representative Filemon Vela said.

“Today’s announcement reinforces the Secretary’s commitment to expand access to safe,
affordable housing.”

“The Mayor and City Commission would like to congratulate the Board and Staff for their great efforts and work. This is the type of leadership that makes Brownsville great!” Mayor Tony Martinez

HACB would like to publicly thank our local leaders, residents, and stakeholders for coming together, believing, and supporting the submittal of the Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant Application.

“To be selected as a Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant recipient places Brownsville in a position to attract and leverage new funding sources and investors to our community.” Carla Mancha, Chief Executive Officer of HACB

This is in line with the efforts of the Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative (SC2). The SC2 federal team provided valuable technical assistance during the process of the planning grant submission.

The Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville is a High Performing Housing Authority for both the Housing Choice Voucher and Public Housing program. HACB serves over 3,400 low-income families in our community. HACB is the twelfth largest housing authority in the State of Texas and the largest south of San Antonio, Texas. HACB has authority to administer 2,163 Housing Choice Vouchers, operates and manages ten Public Housing developments, and is the General Partner to seven tax credit developments all located within the City of Brownville. It is the mission of the HACB to provide access to affordable, quality housing, and achieve self-sufficiency through education and collaborative partnerships, for all residents of our community.

If you would like more information about this topic, please contact CARLA MANCHA at 956-214-1531 or email at CMANCHA@HACB.US.