Biden-Harris Administration Announces $174 Million to Support Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience for ... - HUD

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $174 Million to Support Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience for Thousands of Low-Income Households as Part of Investing in America Agenda | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

HUD No. 23-284

HUD Public Affairs

(202) 708-0685
FOR RELEASE

Wednesday

December 21, 2023

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $174 Million to Support Energy Efficiency and Climate Resilience for Thousands of Low-Income Households as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Green and Resilient Retrofit Program grant and loan awards support improvements to HUD-assisted multifamily properties.

WASHINGTON – As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced it is awarding $173.9 million in new loans and grants under the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program’s(GRRP) Comprehensive and Elements categories. The awards announced today will support energy efficiency, electrification, clean energy, low embodied carbon materials, and climate resilience improvements in 30 HUD-assisted multifamily properties that include 3,070 rental homes for low-income individuals and families. These investments will help tackle the climate crisis and support equitable economic development in American communities as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and historic environmental justice agenda. GRRP grant and loan funding announced today will improve the quality of life for residents by expanding energy efficiency, reducing climate pollution, generating renewable energy, promoting the use of green building materials, improving indoor air quality, and enhancing climate resilience.

“Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we are boosting energy efficiency and combatting climate change in communities across the country,” said HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge. “I am deeply proud of our HUD team for getting hundreds of millions of dollars from the President’s Inflation Reduction Act on the street through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program. Together, we are directing these funds to the people we serve, and ensuring thousands of American families can live in more resilient, efficient, and affordable communities.”

Today’s announcement includes the first set of awards made under the GRRP’s Comprehensive category, which provides funding to properties with the highest need for climate resilience and energy efficiency upgrades. Prior energy saving retrofit and green building experience is not needed with scopes of work developed in partnership with a HUD-provided contractor, ensuring access to all owners of eligible HUD-properties. Among the 19 properties receiving Comprehensive awards, five have fewer than 50 units, seven have between 50 and 100 units, and all serve low-income residents and roughly half serve seniors. Sixteen of the properties face notable risk from climate and natural hazards such as flooding, heat waves, earthquakes, tornados, lightning, hail, severe winter weather and ice storms.

“Far too many Americans struggle to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” said John Podesta, Senior Advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation. “Today’s awards from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will boost the quality of life for thousands of moderate- and low-income American families by making their homes safer and more comfortable.”

The announcement also includes 11 awards under the GRRP’s Elements category. This is the second set of awards for this category, which provides funding for property owners to include climate resilience and energy and water efficiency improvements as part of a development or rehabilitation transaction that was already underway.

“As we look back on the climate- and weather-related disasters of the past few years, we see vividly how vital this funding is to ensure the long-term safety and viability of households and communities,” said Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordon. “Awards through the GRRP program illustrate the immediate and concrete steps that the Biden-Harris Administration is taking to protect the nation’s low-income residents and the environment.”

President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history—established the GRRP, providing more than $800 million in grant funding and $4 billion in loan commitment authority. Investments under the GRRP will advance environmental justice by serving low-income families as part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Retrofitting these homes will make them more resilient to extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent due to climate change and enhance the ability of residents and owners to better cope with and recover from such events.

See here for the full list of grantees.

Green and Resilient Retrofit Program Comprehensive Round One Awards

Awardee

City, State

Property Name

Award Amount

Award Type

Wesley Living

Jonesboro, AR

Wesley on the Ridge

$2,960,000

Grant

JM Investment

Alturas, CA

Alturas Gardens

$5,120,000

Grant

Fairstead Capital

Mayfield, KY

Mayfield Plaza Apartments

$7,360,000

Grant

Hebrew SeniorLife

Revere, MA

Jack Satter House

$20,000,000

Grant

Jonathan Rose Companies, Inc

St. Louis, MO

Council Tower

$18,160,000

Grant

HW Development

Hobbs, NM

Four Seasons Apartments

$6,400,000

Loan

Conifer

Liberty, NY

Barkley Gardens Apartments

$4,080,000

Loan

POAH

Cincinnati, OH

Terri Manor (Terri Estates)

$6,480,000

Loan

HumanGood

Philadelphia, PA

Riverside Presbyterian Apartments

$12,080,000

Grant

HumanGood

Philadelphia, PA

South Philadelphia Presbyterian Apartments / Jackson Place

$5,280,000

Grant

HumanGood

Philadelphia, PA

Tioga Presbyterian Apartments

$9,120,000

Grant

Wesley Living

Adamsville, TN

Wesley at Adamsville

$2,000,000

Grant

Wesley Living

Dyersburg, TN

Wesley Hills Dyersburg

$1,840,000

Grant

Wesley Living

Humboldt, TN

St Matthew Manor

$3,200,000

Grant

Wesley Living

Martin, TN

Wesley At Martin

$3,200,000

Grant

Exotic Meson States

Jasper, TX

Hope Village Apartments

$7,040,000

Grant

ITEX

Port Arthur, TX

Crystal Creek

$16,160,000

Loan

ITEX

Port Arthur, TX

Cedar Ridge

$16,000,000

Loan

ITEX

Port Arthur, TX

Heatherbrook

$20,000,000

Loan

Green and Resilient Retrofit Program Elements Round Two Awards

Awardee

City, State

Property Name

Award Amount

Award Type

Standard Communities

Washington, DC

Trinity Towers Apartments

$750,000

Loan

Redwood Housing

Augusta, GA

Richmond Summit

$750,000

Grant

American Community Developers (ACD)

Junction City, KS

Green Park Apartments

$750,000

Grant

Wollaston Lutheran Church

Quincy, MA

Bauer House

$750,000

Grant

Sunrise Opportunities

Calais, ME

St. Croix Apartments

$231,623

Grant

BLVD Group

Concord, NH

Concord Gardens

$750,000

Grant

Lemor Development Group, LLC

New York, NY

Abyssinian Towers

$749,101

Grant

Housing Preservation Inc./Silver Tree Residential

Centerville, TN

Tulipwood Apartments

$750,000

Grant

Housing Preservation Inc./Silver Tree Residential

Gallatin, TN

Christian Towers of Gallatin

$750,000

Grant

Housing Preservation Inc./Silver Tree Residential

Fort Worth, TX

Mollie and Max Barnett Apartments

$625,502

Grant

Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp

Waukesha, WI

East Terrace Apartments

$582,887

Grant

About GRRP

GRRP is the first HUD program to simultaneously invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, climate resilience, and low embodied carbon materials in HUD-assisted multifamily housing. Investments under the program will be made in affordable housing communities serving low-income families under Bidenomics—President Biden’s agenda for building the American economy from the middle out and the bottom up.

The GRRP Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and additional guidance detail the multiple funding options for which property owners may apply:

Elements provides funding to owners for proven and meaningful climate resilience and utility efficiency measures in projects that are already in the process of being recapitalized.
Leading Edge provides funding to owners with plans for ambitious retrofit activities to achieve zero energy retrofits and an advanced green certification.
Comprehensive provides funding to properties with the highest need for climate resilience and utility efficiency upgrades, regardless of prior development or environmental retrofit experience.

Property owners are encouraged to continue to submit applications for grant awards or loans in any of the three categories. HUD is reviewing applications under one category each month for the duration of funding availability. HUD expects to announce awards regularly throughout 2024.

The Inflation Reduction Act also established HUD’s Energy and Water Benchmarking Service, available now for properties receiving rental assistance from its Multifamily project-based programs. This new, free service provides participating multifamily property owners with data on energy and water consumption at their properties to aid in identifying opportunities to improve efficiency. Property owners can also use the Energy and Water Benchmarking information to assess rehabilitation efforts that may be eligible for grant or loan funding under the GRRP or other sources of funding.