As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced nearly $67 million in new grant and loan awards for 12 properties through its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP), bringing the total funding awarded under this program to more than $610 million. These grants and loans will help to renovate over 14,000 homes that house low-income persons, families, and elderly, making them safer and more pleasant, particularly during extreme weather events.
“At HUD, we work to deliver on President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, investing millions more to ensure the families that we serve live in homes that are healthier,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “These investments will reduce costs and make homes healthier, cheaper to operate, and climate resilient.”
Julia R. Gordon, Assistant Secretary for Housing, and Ethan Handelman, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multifamily Housing, announced the new grant and loan awards at an event held at Washington Park apartments in Cincinnati. The property, owned by Preservation of Affordable Housing, Inc., earned a $2.2 million surplus cash loan award from HUD for energy efficiency and climate resilience modifications for 37 houses serving low-income individuals and families in Washington Park.
“Today’s announcement underscores the keen appetite by owners of assisted housing to increase energy efficiency and climate resilience measures across the country and how the President’s Investing in America agenda helps meet that need,” said Gordon. “So far, properties in 36 states and the District of Columbia are putting GRRP funding to work to finance critical upgrades benefitting residents, owners and communities.”
All of the investments announced today will advance environmental justice in accordance with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to underserved communities that are underinvested and overburdened by pollution.
“The enhancements being made to properties using GRRP funding will make the homes of low-income families safer, more efficient, and healthier to live in.” said Handelman. “We’re pleased to support these efforts to improve the nation’s affordable housing stock while also supporting efforts to combat climate change.”
Retrofitting these homes will reduce carbon emissions, safeguard residences from extreme weather events, and advance the President’s housing supply and clean energy agenda, ensuring affordable housing remains accessible to people and building owners across the country. In fact, two-thirds of the recipients announced today live in environmentally disadvantaged neighborhoods, as defined by the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool.
“Far too many Americans struggle to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for International Climate Policy. “Today’s awards from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will boost the quality of life for thousands of moderate- and low-income American families by making their homes safer and more comfortable.”
The grants and loans made available are the third set of awards made under the GRRP’s Leading Edge category, which requires property owners to commit to achieving recognized, high performance green certifications, such as the National Green Building Standard Gold with Green+ Net Zero Designation. The certifications recognize significant property upgrades such as on-site solar, wind turbines, impact and wind-resistant roofing, and other substantial energy efficiency and climate resilience improvements.
The 12 buildings receiving Leading Edge awards today are all part of HUD’s Section 8 project-based rental assistance program for low-income individuals and families. Two properties have more than 200 units, seven have 51 to 200 units, and three have 50 or fewer. President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in history, created the GRRP in 2022 to support energy efficiency and resiliency improvements for HUD’s assisted rental portfolio.
To read the full release, including more information about HUD programs, all grants, and awardees, click here.
