In December 2020, the Montgomery Housing Authority, in partnership with the City of Montgomery, Alabama received a Choice Neighborhood’s Initiative (CNI) Planning Grant in the amount of $450,000 for Montgomery’s Centennial Hill Community.

In addition to the funding received, MHA and the City of Montgomery have devoted an additional $105,000 for this project. 

CNI awards fall into two categories: Planning and Implementation Grants

The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative focuses on three core goals:

• Housing: Replace distressed public and assisted housing with high quality mixed income housing that is well managed and responsive
• People: Improve outcomes of households living in the target housing related to employment and income, health, and children’s education; and
• Neighborhood: Create the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in   distressed neighborhoods to offer the kinds of amenities and assets, including safety, good schools, and commercial activity, that are important to families’ choices about their community

Next Steps:

• CNI Two Year Planning Process to create a Transformation plan
• Extensive Resident and Community Engagement through frequent planning meetings and charettes; face to face interviews; input from provider organizations and analysis of data sources.
• Early Action Activity “doing while planning project” involving enhanced lighting and beautification project of three major bridge underpasses in the Centenniel Hill neighborhood.