HUD News

Washington- The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is awarding $73.5 Million in new loans and grants under the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) to support energy efficiency and other renovations for low-income Americans as a part of Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. This investment will make homes safer, efficient, and resilient to the climate crisis at 10 HUD-assisted multifamily properties to provide affordable housing for around 1400 low-income families along with 44 homes for seniors. HUD has made more than $368 Million in GRRP to support renovations and improve around 9000 homes.

HUD’s Secretary Marcia L. Fudge said, “The Green and Resilient Retrofit Program ensures low-income individuals and families are not left out of the climate change conversation. HUD wants these families to have better access to clean energy upgrades like solar panels and modern and efficient heating and cooling systems so that they too can have resilient homes. This additional round of funding builds on President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, as we continue to boost energy efficiency and combat climate change in communities throughout the country.”

The Inflation Reduction Act is the largest climate investment in history, providing more than $800 Million in grants and $4 Billion in funding for efficiency and resiliency commitments. All the investments under GRRP are aligned with the Administration’s Justice 40 Initiative which strives to deliver 40% of the benefits to disadvantaged communities. Retrofitting homes will make them more resilient to extreme weather events and enhance their ability so that they can recover from such events. Today’s announced grants and loans represent HUD’s second set of awards under the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program’s (GRRP) Leading Edge category. This program mandates that property owners commit to obtaining recognized high-performance green building certifications, like the National Green Building Standard’s Gold certification with the Green+ Net Zero Energy designation. These certifications acknowledge major property enhancements, including the installation of on-site solar power generation and wind turbines, as well as the use of impact- and wind-resistant roofing. Other significant improvements involve various energy efficiency and climate resilience measures.

Deputy Assistant Secretary Ethan Handelman said, “Today’s award for Stuart Gardens will help Vitus invest in their property to make it more efficient and resilient for the long-term benefit of the families that live there and the Newport News community. This is what GRRP awards are doing around the country – investing in homes and communities to make them healthier and more resilient for the future.”

The 10 properties that have received awards consist of a mix of sizes. The majority of the properties in question benefit from the support of HUD’s Multifamily Section 8 project-based rental assistance program. Among these, six properties comprise between 100 and 200 affordable rental homes, while two properties feature fewer than 100 homes.