Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing)

Provider

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Application Deadline

October 15, 2024

Summary

The PRO Housing program’s primary purpose is to identify and remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation. Possible barriers include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Barriers caused by outdated zoning, land use policies, or regulations
2. Inefficient procedures
3. Gaps in available resources for development
4. Deteriorating or inadequate infrastructure
5. Lack of neighborhood amenities
6. Challenges to preserving existing housing stock such as increasing threats from natural hazards, redevelopment pressures, or expiration of affordability requirements

HUD will prioritize applicants that demonstrate: (1) progress and a commitment to overcoming local barriers to facilitate the increase in affordable housing production and preservation, primarily by having enacted improved laws and regulations that HUD reasonably expects to preserve or produce new housing units; and (2) an acute need for housing affordable to households with incomes below 100 percent of the area median income.

The program follows the CDBG framework and there is $100,000,000 available in funding for the FY24 round. HUD expects to make approximately 30 awards of up to $7,000,000 each from funds available. Eligible applicants include counties, municipalities, MPO’s, and multijurisdictional entities.

Common Eligible Projects

You can read the full suite of eligible activities starting on page 16 of the NOFO. These include:

1. Developing or updating housing plans, community development strategies, and zoning and land use policies such as overlays to encourage multifamily and mixed-use development or access to affordable housing, floating zones (such as redevelopment, workforce housing, or live/work zones in high opportunity areas), incentive zoning, transit-oriented development zones, floodplain management or climate resilience plans, or ordinances to encourage housing development or preservation.

2. Financing the construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing.

3. Facilitating the conversion of commercial or other properties to new housing.

4. Installing new utilities and/or infrastructure improvements necessary for the development or preservation of affordable housing.

5. Investing in neighborhood amenities that benefit low-and-moderate income residents, such as parks, community centers, bike lanes, and improvements to the physical environment that increase public safety such as streetlights or sidewalks.

6. Establishing loan or grant programs with affordability requirements or other mechanisms for rehabilitation of existing affordable housing units.

More Information

https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/pro_housing