PATHWAYS TO REMOVING OBSTACLES TO HOUSING (PRO HOUSING)
Communities nationwide are suffering from a lack of affordable housing, and housing production is not meeting the increasing demand for accessible and available units in many urban and rural areas, particularly areas of high opportunity.
Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) supports communities who are actively taking steps to remove barriers to affordable housing, such as:
- Barriers caused by outdated zoning, land use policies, or regulations;
- Inefficient procedures;
- Gaps in available resources for development;
- Deteriorating or inadequate infrastructure;
- Lack of neighborhood amenities; or
- Challenges to preserving existing housing stock such as increasing threats from natural hazards, redevelopment pressures, or expiration of affordability requirements.
HUD is issuing a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) under the authority of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328, approved December 29, 2022) (Appropriations Act), which appropriates $85 million for competitive grant funding for the identification and removal of barriers to affordable housing production and preservation. Congress has directed HUD to undertake a competition using the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) statutory and regulatory framework. HUD will be accepting applications for PRO Housing grants to identify and remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation.
NOTE: Before submitting to HUD, applicants must publish their PRO Housing application or amendment in its entirety for public comment. The streamlined requirements mandate at least one public hearing for the application and for each substantial amendment and require providing a reasonable notice (at least 15 days) and opportunity for public comment and ongoing public access to information about the use of grant funds. For more information, please visit Section VI.E.5.a.iii of the NOFO.
Grantees may use awards to further develop, evaluate, and implement housing policy plans, improve housing strategies, and facilitate affordable housing production and preservation. Eligible applicants are local and state governments, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and multijurisdictional entities.
FY 23 PRO Housing Quick Summary
Notice Of Funding Opportunity:
The NOFO and application package materials can be viewed here:
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO
- Lobbying Form
- HUD 424-CBW
- HUD 424B
- Disclosure Update Report
- SF 424
- SF LLL
- Optional template for Partner Letter
- Optional template for Partnership Agreement
The application deadline is October 30, 2023, at 11:59pm ET (8:59pm PT) on Grants.gov.
The full application package must be downloaded through www.grants.gov. The CFDA number is 14.023. Interested applicants may submit questions on the NOFO to the following email address: [email protected].
PRO Housing Related Materials:
- FY 23 PRO Housing Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO FAQ (updated Sept. 8 2023)
- FY 23 PRO Housing List of Priority Geographies (The Overview and Methodology tab and the updated NOFO FAQ provides clarification with jurisdictions that U.S. Census has listed as a place and a county.)
- PRO Housing Mapping Tool and Demonstration Video (coming soon) – The mapping tool is designed to help PRO Housing applicants search for priority geographies. Under the Need rating factor, applicants will be awarded ten (10) points if their application primarily serves a priority geography.
- State Governments
- County Governments
- City or Township Governments
- Metropolitan Planning Organizations
- Multijurisdictional Entities
HUD is providing a series of webinars with a specific focus on the PRO Housing NOFO and application requirements. These one-hour webinars were designed for interested PRO Housing applicants. Latter webinars in the series address Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and inquiries received in the [email protected] mailbox.
Live webinar dates and access links are provided by each webinar below. Follow the prompts to connect audio by computer or telephone. If you have issues, contact Webex Support: 888-793-6118. The recording will be posted here after the live webinar.
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO Walkthrough Webinar
- View webinar recording. Read the transcript. View the slides.
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO Appendix/Regulations Webinar
- View webinar recording. Read the transcript. View the slides.
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO Data Resources and Tools Webinar
- View webinar recording. Read the transcript. View the slides.
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO FAQs Webinar
- View webinar recording, transcript, and slides.
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO Resilience Considerations Webinar
- View webinar recording, transcript, and slides.
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO Fair Housing Considerations Webinar
- View webinar recording, transcript, and slides.
- FY 23 PRO Housing NOFO Q&A Office Hours
- View webinar recording (coming soon), transcript, and slides.
Q: What does PRO Housing stand for?
A: Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing
Q: How much funding has Congress designated?
A: $85 million
Q: When are applications due?
A: The Application due date will be listed in grants.gov. All applications should be submitted no later than 11:59pm Eastern Time (8:59pm Pacific Time) on the stated deadline.
Q: I’m an individual. Am I able to apply?
A: No. This announcement does not fund individuals. Eligible applicants include State governments, County governments, City governments or townships, multijurisdictional entities, and metropolitan planning organizations.
Q: Where do I submit my application?
A: The NOFO is published on Grants.gov and all applications must be submitted to grants.gov to be eligible for review.
Q: Where can I learn more about barriers to affordable housing that may be present in my community?
A: The Barriers to Affordable Housing webpage hosts resources where applicants learn more about barriers and take trainings associated with addressing barriers. There is also a link to the barriers clearinghouse tool to further assist applicants who wish to apply.
Content Current as of September 21, 2023.
