Alexandria Redevelopment & Housing Authority (ARHA) Tuesday night unanimously approved the filing of a $16.5 million HOPE VI grant application to the U.S.Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). The application had to be submitted to HUD no later than midnight Wednesday, Nov. 7, according to A. Melvin Miller, chair, ARHA.
"Now we just have to wait as HUD processes all the applications that have been submitted," Miller said. There is no established deadline for a HUD decision. ARHA feels they have a reasonable chance of approval based on the fact they were able to react quickly to HUD's reopening of the HOPE VI program.
The federal agency announced in late September that they would make approximately $90 plus million available to communities nationwide for another round of HOPE VI funds. Previously HUD had said there would be no future funds under the program.
It was HOPE VI funds that enabled ARHA and the City to create Chatham Square which replaced the Section 8 housing portion of what was known as "The Burg" in the north end of the City. That development has become a national model for the creation of mixed subsidized and market rate housing.