Economic Stimulus Learning Center

Department of Housing and Urban Development

State and Local Government

Public Housing Capital Fund

The department’s Public Housing Capital Fund received an infusion of $4 billion, $1 billion of which will be distributed through competitive grants to public housing agencies. Of that total, $600 million is designated to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of public housing properties. Another $100 million will be directed to help housing authorities address the blight of public housing projects by providing funds for renovating them or for demolishing them and redeveloping the site. If there are insufficient successful applications for all of the funding, HUD will make adjustments in its plans for disbursing the funding.

For an overview of the program, click here

For HUD’s guidance on this competition, which was modified in mid-June, 2009, click here. Some of the initial application deadlines have passed.

Separately, HUD awarded nearly $3 billion worth of funding for public housing capital projects by formula. These funds can be used for a variety of purposes, including modernization of public housing units.

Click here for details about this grant program.

Click here to review the allocations that HUD has made to local housing authorities.

Community Development Block Grants

The stimulus act also provided close to $1 billion in additional Community Development Block Grants to help state and local governments fund a variety of community development projects. The funds could be used for financing for activities associated with infrastructure, housing, economic development and public service, real property acquisition and administrative costs. Projects were required to meet at least one of three goals:

  • Provide benefits to low- and moderate-income persons;
  • Eliminate slums and blighting conditions;
  • Address urgent needs and/or imminent threats within the community.

Click here for more details about this program

Click here for an interactive map showing the activities that localities have proposed 

Click here to see how much each community was allocated