WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker announced today that Camden has been selected by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as one of nine finalists for a Choice Neighborhoods implementation grant that would provide an infusion of federal dollars to help the city in its redevelopment and revitalization of the Mt. Ephraim neighborhood.

“I’m so pleased and proud that Camden’s comprehensive plan for transforming the Mt. Ephraim neighborhood has been recognized by HUD,” said Sen. Menendez, who wrote the Department on behalf of the city’s application earlier this year. “I’m confident that Mayor Redd and her partners in this vision will soon be celebrating their final selection and the infusion of important federal funding that will help turn that vision into reality.”

“I am thrilled that HUD has selected the city of Camden as a finalist for this redevelopment grant,” Sen. Booker said. “These funds have the potential to expedite revitalization efforts for those who live in the Mt. Ephraim neighborhood. I’m proud to stand with Mayor Redd, local leaders, and stakeholders in their efforts to expand economic opportunity in Camden. When we invest in our communities, especially underserved communities, we get a long-term return on our investment.”

“I am very excited that Camden is a finalist for the Choice Neighborhood grant," Mayor Dana L. Redd said. "The City, along with the Housing Authority, put forth an exceptional application which I believe will be one of the five chosen later this year. If selected, the Choice Neighborhood grant will certainly assist in improving the quality of life for the targeted areas. I am truly thankful for all the support we received from Senator Menendez throughout this process and I look forward to working with him to demonstrate why Camden deserves to be selected."

During the finalist stage, HUD staff will conduct site visits in order to make final determination for the grant awards which it plans to announce later in the year.

Menendez is the lead sponsor of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Act, which would authorize and strengthen the program, and plans to re-introduce his bill in the coming weeks. He’s also led the call for robust funding in the face of Republican efforts to gut the program. This year, Menendez led a letter to Senate appropriators in strong support of the $250 million in funding requested by the President’s Budget. At the same time, congressional Republicans are trying to reduce funding to the lowest level since the program began in 2010.

Camden’s housing authority received a $300,000 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grant from HUD in 2012 to fund a transformation plan for the Mt. Ephraim neighborhood, to lay out a path for developing from an area with high poverty and struggling schools to a thriving, mixed-income community. The plan includes development of 460 mixed-income housing units that will conform to green communities sustainability and energy efficiency standards, including two new transit-oriented developments adjacent to the PATCO station; new small businesses; park upgrades; public safety enhancements; and $50 million in committed Board of Education funding for two new schools.

The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative supports locally driven strategies to address struggling neighborhoods with distressed public or HUD-assisted housing through a comprehensive approach to neighborhood transformation. Local leaders, residents, and stakeholders, such as public housing authorities, cities, schools, police, business owners, nonprofits, and private developers, come together to create and implement a plan that transforms distressed HUD housing and addresses the challenges in the surrounding neighborhood. The program is designed to catalyze critical improvements in neighborhood assets, including vacant property, housing, services, and schools.

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