Issue Position: Housing

Issue Position

In 2015, the City of Memphis was selected by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as one of nine finalists for this grant after a multi-year effort by Congressman Cohen, Mayor Wharton and others in the city, to encourage the Obama administration to designate Memphis as a Choice Neighborhood. President Obama's Choice Neighborhoods program aims to transform neighborhoods of poverty into viable mixed-income neighborhoods with access to economic opportunities through revitalization of severely distressed public and assisted housing by investing and leveraging in well-functioning services, effective schools and education programs, public assets, public transportation and improved access to jobs. The nine finalists were ranked on how well their vision addressed Choice Neighborhoods' three core goals: transforming distressed housing, supporting positive family outcomes and employment, and improving neighborhoods on a variety of levels.

To win this Choice Neighborhood grant, Memphis completed a comprehensive local planning process and developed a Transformation Plan to redevelop its target neighborhood. After being selected as a finalist in July, HUD evaluation teams visited the city's targeted housing and neighborhoods to meet with the applicants and partners to get a clear understanding of their individual Transformation Plans. The city received a $250,000 Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant in 2011.

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