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FY 2023 Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) 

Program Description: Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) is authorized and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328, approved December 29, 2022) (Appropriations Act). Congress has directed HUD to undertake a competition using the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) statutory and regulatory framework. Under this NOFO, HUD will provide PRO Housing grants to identify and remove barriers to affordable housing production and preservation. 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.

HUD has six goals for this competition:

  • Fairly and effectively award the PRO Housing grant funding
  • Elevate and enable promising practices dedicated to identifying and removing barriers to affordable housing production and preservation, while preventing displacement
  • Institutionalize state and local analysis and implementation of effective, equitable, and resilient approaches to affordable housing production and preservation
  • Provide technical assistance to help communities better fulfill the Consolidated Plan’s requirement of identifying barriers to affordable housing and implementing solutions to address those barriers
  • Affirmatively further fair housing by addressing and removing barriers that perpetuate segregation, barriers that inhibit access to well-resourced areas of opportunity for protected class groups and vulnerable populations, and barriers that concentrate affordable housing in under-resourced areas.
  • Facilitate collaboration and harness innovative approaches from jurisdictions, researchers, advocates, and stakeholders.

This NOFO makes available approximately $85,000,000 for the identification and removal of barriers to affordable housing production and preservation.

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; and (2) an acute demand for housing affordable to households with incomes below 100 percent of the area median income. If applicable, proposals should also explain how the funds would be used to identify and remove barriers to affordable housing in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing by expanding access to housing opportunities in well-resourced areas for protected class groups. HUD will also prioritize applicants that demonstrate a commitment and ability to identify and remove barriers to (1) expanding affordable housing in a manner that would promote desegregation; (2) expanding affordable housing in well-resourced areas of opportunity for protected class groups that have systematically been denied equitable access to such areas; or (3) deconcentrating affordable housing and increasing housing choice. HUD encourages applications that incorporate a discussion of key barriers related to land-use regulations, permitting, or related procedural issues. HUD further encourages applicants to outline and discuss how their proposed activities will advance equity, locate affordable accessible housing near transit and bolster access to services and opportunities, increase community resilience and mitigate the effects of natural and environmental hazards, and develop and preserve affordable housing in accordance with input from community members and other stakeholders.

As with all CDBG assistance, the priority is to serve low- and moderate-income people.

PRO Housing grantees must administer the PRO Housing grant in a manner that affirmatively furthers fair housing, which means taking meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination, to overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics. Specifically, affirmatively furthering fair housing means taking meaningful actions that, taken together, address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunities, replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws.

Program Office: Office of Community Planning and Development

Funding Opportunity Title: Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing)

Funding Opportunity Number: FR-6700-N-98

Assistance Listing Number: 14.023

OMB Approval Number(s): 2506-0220

Estimated Opening Date for Applications: 09/07/2023

Estimated Due Date for Applications: 11/06/2023

FONSI

Program NOFO

Agency Contact: CDBG-PROHousing@hud.gov

Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, or who have speech and other communication disabilities may use a relay service to reach the agency contact. To learn more about how to make an accessible telephone call, visit the webpage for the Federal Communications Commission. Note that HUD staff cannot assist applicants in preparing their applications.