U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development official Dominique Blom, Mayor Andre Dickens, U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, affordable housing advocates, and community members came out Thursday to celebrate Atlanta Housing and the City of Atlanta as they received the grant check of $40 million to transform the Bowen Choice Neighborhood (BCN). The check presentation was preceded by a guided bus tour of the BCN footprint with stops throughout the surrounding neighborhood, the Brownfields remediation site, and local businesses. This federal grant will catalyze hundreds of millions of dollars for the Bowen Homes community.
“I am so excited to see Atlanta get this Choice Neighborhoods award,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “The City of Atlanta and [Atlanta Housing] have demonstrated their commitment to neighborhood revitalization, having undergone a comprehensive planning effort to redevelop Bowen Homes and the entire Bowen area. The whole-of-government approach to neighborhood revitalization is what leads to impactful changes in the neighborhoods that need it the most.”
The CN program is consistent with the Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens’ vision for neighborhood revitalization and is part of the West Hollowell segment of the Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway transformational corridor initiative. AH has been working with the mayor’s office to develop strategies and focus resources in three areas consistent with the grant requirements: Housing, People, Neighborhood.
The Housing strategy supports the redevelopment of the former Bowen Homes site, with more than $300 million allocated for housing. The People strategy focuses on developing programs that will improve health, education and economic outcomes for former Bowen residents and the BCN community. The program leverages partnerships and resources with the Boys and Girls Club, Communities in Schools, Families First, Ga Tech CEISM, Goodwill of North Georgia, Grady Health System, Morehouse School of Medicine, Quality Care for Children, United Way, Urban League, Westside Works (CareerRise) and YMCA. Total funding for the People strategy is $42 million. The Neighborhood strategy focuses on residential and commercial blight removal, neighborhood housing development, acquisition and clean-up of contaminated properties, and public safety, with a budget of more than $200 million.
“This Choice Neighborhood grant will be transformational for the Bowen Choice Neighborhood and will leverage hundreds of millions in public and private resources to create new affordable housing, improve neighborhood amenities and provide new opportunities for current and former residents,” said Eugene E. Jones, Jr., president and CEO of Atlanta Housing. “Today is a great day.”
This is the second Choice Neighborhoods Grant awarded to AH and the City of Atlanta.
ABOUT ATLANTA HOUSING
Led by President and CEO Eugene Jones, Jr., the Housing Authority of the City of Atlanta, Georgia (AH), is the largest housing authority in Georgia and one of the largest in the nation. AH provides and facilitates affordable housing resources for nearly 27,000 low-income households comprised of approximately 45,000 people, including AH-owned residential communities, tenant-based vouchers, supportive housing, and homeownership opportunities. Programs are funded and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Visit AH at atlantahousing.org or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn at @housingatlanta.
SOURCE Atlanta Housing
