Choice Neighborhoods will employ a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation.
The program will transform neighborhoods by revitalizing severely distressed public and/or assisted housing and investing and leveraging investments in well-functioning services, high quality public schools
and education programs, high quality early learning programs and services, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs.
Choice Neighborhoods will ensure that current residents will be able to benefit from this transformation, by preserving affordable housing or providing residents with the choice to move to affordable and accessible housing in another existing neighborhood of opportunity.
In the development of Choice Neighborhoods, HUD has focused on directing resources into three core goals:
1. Housing:
Transform distressed public and assisted housing into energy efficient, mixed-income housing that is physically and financially viable over the long-term; 2. People:
Support positive outcomes for families who live in the target development(s) and the surrounding neighborhood, particularly outcomes related to residents health, safety, employment, mobility, and education; and 3. Neighborhood:
Transform neighborhoods of poverty into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods with access to well-functioning services, high quality public schools and education programs, high quality early learning programs and services, public assets, public transportation, and improved access to jobs.
To achieve these core goals, communities must develop a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategy, or Transformation Plan.
This Transformation Plan will become the guiding document for the revitalization of the public and/or assisted housing units, while simultaneously directing the transformation of the surrounding neighborhood and positive outcomes for families.