By Megan Hopkins
• May 31, 2013 • 1:12pm
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Friday that it will provide $109 million in grants to revitalize public and HUD-assisted housing in order to revitalize communities.

HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods Program, which supplies communities with the tools necessary to transform desolate communities, will be providing the grants.

"The Choice Neighborhoods program is critical to building stronger, safer neighborhoods that thrive and provide ladders of opportunity for hard working families," said Shaun Donovan, secretary of HUD.

He added, "We look forward to working with community leaders across the country to expand this program, while supporting President Obama’s proven tools that strengthen and support our nation’s hard working communities."

In order to help transform communities, the grantees will join forces with HUD’s team, local resident and city leaders to help turn these neighborhoods into thriving communities.

The Choice Neighborhoods program focuses on three goals: replacing distressed housing, improving educational outcomes for youth and rehabilitating decimated neighborhoods.

Grants from The Choice Neighborhoods program are available for public housing authorities, local governments, nonprofit organizations, tribal entities and profit developers who apply jointly with a public entity to extend neighborhood revitalization efforts beyond the realm of public and/or assisted housing.

HUD has granted nine Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grants since 2010, totaling $231 million, in order to stimulate neighborhood transformation in Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Cincinnati, San Antonio and Tampa.

These grants have also generated nearly $2 billion in leveraged funding that significantly impacts the transformation of these communities, writes HUD in a press release.

Applicants have until Sept. 10, 2013 to apply for FY 2013 Choice Neighborhoods Implementation grants. HUD anticipates awarding four grants with a maximum award of $30 million each.