HUD announces $837M in grants to help make multifamily buildings for low-income residents greener

Center Line — More than $800 million in new federal funding is available to help government-assisted multifamily properties serving low-income residents nationwide become greener, officials said Thursday.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is making available $837.5 million in grants to help the owners of HUD-assisted multifamily properties retrofit them with energy-saving and environmentally-friendly technologies such as solar panels, heat pumps, wind-resistant roofing, insulation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make them healthier and safer for residents.

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge announced the program at a news conference Thursday morning at the Dunn Family Co-op Apartments near 10 Mile and Van Dyke roads in Center Line.

"This is not a little bit of money," Fudge said. "This is a whole lot of money and it is for you. It's always the people we represent who are left out. But not today. Today, you are No. 1."

She said HUD would begin taking applications for grants Thursday. The process is being handled by HUD's Green and Resilient Retrofit Program.

Funding for the HUD grants comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law last year, officials said. The act also provides HUD with $4 billion in loan commitment authority for the new program.

Thursday's announcement is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to "rebuild the economy from the bottom up and the middle out," officials said.

Fudge was joined at the conference by John Podesta, senior advisor to the President for Clean Energy Innovation and Implementation, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, Center Line's Mayor Pro-Tem Richard Moeller and other local officials. More than four dozen people gathered near the circular driveway in front of the Dunn Family Apartments' main office.

"Today's announcement is a central part of President Biden's agenda because it shows that clean energy is for everyone," Podesta said. "It's not just an esoteric debate in Washington. It really is going to help people around the country."

Officials said Thursday that the Center Line apartment complex was chosen as the backdrop for making the announcement because its owner, a non-profit called CSI Support & Development, has been making significant investments in making its units more energy-efficient and serves a model of what property owners can do with the new HUD grant.

Duggan said he welcomes the announcement.

"What happens so often in this country is that as housing units get modernized, people of low-income get the latest amenities last and least," the mayor said. "What the President has done through the Inflation Reduction Act is make sure people of all income can benefit."

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez