Feature Story

October 2, 2008

PRESTON ALLOCATES NEARLY $4 BILLION TO STABILIZE NEIGHBORHOODS IN STATES AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES HARD-HIT BY FORECLOSURE

From HUD Press Releases:

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today allocated a total of $3.92 billion to all states and particularly hard-hit areas trying to respond to the effects of high foreclosures.

HUD's new Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) will provide targeted emergency assistance to state and local governments to acquire and redevelop foreclosed properties that might otherwise become sources of abandonment and blight within their communities.

HUD plans to host a national housing summit in Washington, DC on October 7-8, as well as a series of regional conferences to explain the details of this new program to governors, mayors, county executives and other State and local leaders.

Now the real work begins and HUD stands ready to support these States and communities as they work to stabilize their neighborhoods."

The funding is provided through HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008.

These targeted funds will be used to purchase foreclosed homes at a discount and to rehabilitate or redevelop them in order to respond to rising foreclosures and falling home values.

State and local governments can use their neighborhood stabilization grants to acquire land and property; to demolish or rehabilitate abandoned properties; and/or to offer downpayment and closing cost assistance to low- to moderate-income homebuyers (household incomes not exceed 120 percent of area median income).

In addition, these grantees can create "land banks" to assemble, temporarily manage, and dispose of vacant land for the purpose of stabilizing neighborhoods and encouraging re-use or redevelopment of urban property.

In determining the allocations announced today, HUD followed Congress's direction that grants be targeted to areas based on the number/percent of foreclosures, subprime mortgages and mortgage defaults and delinquencies.

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