Birmingham, AL – Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) welcomed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge to Birmingham, Alabama to announce a $50 million HUD Choice Neighborhoods Implementation (CNI) Grant to revitalize the Smithfield, College Hills, and Graymont neighborhoods. At a press conference Wednesday morning, Rep. Sewell joined Secretary Fudge, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD) President and CEO Dontrelle Young-Foster, and community members to celebrate the historic funding which will be used to construct nearly one thousand mixed-income affordable housing units.

“This is a truly exciting and historic day for the City of Birmingham!” said Rep. Sewell. “With this monumental $50 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, we will be able to revitalize the historic Smithfield, College Hills, and Graymont neighborhoods with new, affordable housing units. Not only will this project allow residents to Iive more comfortably and affordably, but it will attract millions in new investments. I want to thank Mayor Woodfin, the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District, and the Birmingham City Council for their collaboration on this important project. We are so grateful to Secretary Fudge for traveling to Birmingham and the entire Biden-Harris Administration for continuing to pour into our communities.”

“This investment represents HUD’s commitment to creating new housing for Birmingham residents and communities across the country,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “When we envision the future of public housing investment, we think of programs like Choice Neighborhoods. These awards promote the innovative collaboration needed to tackle the affordable housing crisis. A community-driven, whole-of-government approach to neighborhood revitalization is what leads to impactful changes in the neighborhoods that need it the most.”

The funding awarded today is part of a $370 million nationwide investment by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Department of Housing and Urban Development. HABD received the maximum possible award under the Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Program which helps revitalize and transform distressed public and/or assisted housing and neighborhoods across the country, while also providing residents with services focused on income, health, and education. 

Find more information about the project here. Find photos from today’s event here.