HOPE VI Main Street Program

The HOPE VI Main Street Program from the HUD Office of Public & Indian Housing awards grants to communities of 50,000 people or fewer to redevelop historic business districts into affordable housing. The goal of the program is to preserve historic resources while stimulating economic development and providing affordable housing.

HUD expects to award approximately $2 million in funding with a maximum request of $1 million. Applications are due through Grants.gov by October 12, 2023 at 11:59 PM ET.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to:

  • Municipal governments
  • County governments
  • Special district governments

To be eligible, applicants must also:

  • Have a population of 50,000 or fewer
  • Not be served by a local or county/parish Public Housing Agency (PHA) OR 
  • Be served by a single PHA that administers more than 100 public housing units within the local government’s jurisdiction, excluding units subsidized by Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers.

Properties

Image by David Mark

To be eligible, properties must be:

  • Part of a historic, traditional central business district
  • Unused and/or obsolete

Properties may be publicly or privately owned.

Matching Requirement

A firmly committed match of at least 5% of the grant request is required and Commitment Letters must be included with the application. The match may be in cash or in-kind property, if the property is publicly owned or owned by a non-profit. Property owned by a for-profit business can not be counted toward the match.

This match requirement is the minimum needed to demonstrate support from the community. Additional leveraged funds and/or in-kind donations will result in more points during the review process.

Allowable Activities

Grant funds may be used for direct costs, such as:

Image by WOKANDAPIX
  • Remodeling commercial property
  • Rehabilitation of currently uninhabitable housing units
  • New construction of affordable housing units within the Main Street district
  • Renovation or new construction of the building envelope or commercial properties below or adjacent to affordable housing
  • Property acquisition
  • Architectural or engineering activities, surveys, permits and other planning and implementation costs
  • Staff training
  • Accounting and data processing systems
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