The Housing Authority of Baltimore City's (HABC) has received $66 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds. Included in the funds are $32.7 million awarded for capital improvements and an additional $33.4 million in grants under ARRA's highly competitive Capital Fund Recovery Competition (CFRC). The monies have been allocated use by public housing authorities across the country to redevelop distressed public housing and eliminate blight. HABC will use the stimulus funds to renovate some 240 dilapidated scattered sites and 30 conventional public housing units located around Baltimore.
"We are excited that the Obama Administration recognized Baltimore's need with these economic recovery dollars to renovate existing public housing stock," said Mayor Sheila Dixon. "Through these restoration efforts, we will be able to offer more affordable, quality housing to our residents in need."
The funds also will enable HABC to make a few environmentally friendly improvements energy consumption measures in these sites and in the public housing developments. The agency will be able to replace inefficient lighting with compact fluorescent lighting, replace existing flapper style toilets with low flow models and install flow limiting fixtures and devices in bathrooms and kitchens. The project also entails installing tenant metering to measure resident energy consumption as well as improving the local controls for heating within the individual units
Combined with investments for the Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD), the proposed renovations will serve to reinvigorate neighborhoods that have been neglected for many years and are anticipated to attract significant private interest. The ongoing investment is expected to create a vibrant mixed-income neighborhood that will provide households of all income levels, but particularly those of low and moderate income the chance to build wealth through improved employment, education and homeownership opportunities.
The scattered site units selected are long-term vacant units that will be fully renovated to meet both historical restoration guidelines, where applicable, and energy efficiency construction.
"Without the ARRA funds, these scattered site units, would remain dilapidated and unoccupied," Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano says. "The funds will greatly help HABC's endeavor to bring these units back into productive use, provide affordable housing to our residents, and reinvigorate distressed neighborhoods."
Source: Housing Authority of Baltimore City
Writer: Walaika Haskins