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HOPE VI Main Street (HUD) Grant - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the HOPE VI Main Street program?

The HOPE VI Main Street program is a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) discretionary grant opportunity intended to help small communities revitalize older downtowns and traditional Main Street business districts. The program focuses on converting vacant or underused commercial space in existing buildings into affordable housing as a way to spark broader downtown reinvestment.

2) What is the main purpose of this grant?

The central idea is to bring life back to a downtown or Main Street area by adaptively reusing existing building space (such as empty storefronts or unused upper floors) to create affordable housing. That housing investment is meant to increase activity and foot traffic, improve building conditions, and support the district as a community hub while maintaining local character.

3) What kinds of projects does the program prioritize?

Based on the program description, it prioritizes projects that convert vacant or underused commercial space in existing downtown/Main Street buildings into affordable housing, and that use this redevelopment as a catalyst for downtown revitalization.

4) What are the four main objectives applicants are expected to address?

The opportunity outlines four core objectives:

• Redevelop Main Street areas by contributing to the physical and functional renewal of the downtown or central business district (not scattered or unrelated housing).
• Preserve historic or traditional architecture and design features so the project respects the existing look and feel of older buildings and streetscapes.
• Enhance local economic development efforts by supporting activity that complements small businesses, encourages reinvestment, and reinforces the district as a community hub.
• Increase affordable housing supply within the Main Street area using adaptive reuse to create units close to services, jobs, and amenities.

5) Does the program focus on new construction or reuse of existing buildings?

The program description emphasizes reusing existing building space in downtown/Main Street areas (for example, converting vacant or underused commercial space into housing). It is framed as an adaptive reuse approach rather than building new housing far from the town center.

6) How much funding was available under this particular announcement?

HUD expected to make a single award with estimated total funding of $500,000. The award ceiling was $500,000, indicating one grant at the maximum amount.

7) How many awards did HUD expect to make?

HUD expected to make one award for this announcement.

8) What type of funding instrument is this?

The funding instrument is a grant.

9) What is the activity category for this opportunity?

The activity category is community development and housing.

10) Is cost sharing or a match required?

Yes. The notice summary states that cost sharing or matching is required, meaning the applicant must bring additional resources beyond the federal award.

11) Does the information provided specify the required match percentage?

No. The summary notes that matching is required but does not specify a match percentage. The description suggests that HUD expected applicants to leverage other resources (local, state, philanthropic, private, or other eligible contributions) to complete the redevelopment and housing work.

12) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligibility is narrowly targeted to small local governments. To apply, an entity must:

• Be a local government as defined in the notice of funding availability (NOFA).
• Have a population of 50,000 or less.
• Not be served by a public housing agency (PHA) that administers more than 100 physical public housing units within the local government jurisdiction, with specific exclusions described in the notice.

13) What is the population limit for eligible local governments?

The local government must have a population of 50,000 or less.

14) How does the program treat public housing agency (PHA) unit counts for eligibility?

The applicant must not be served by a PHA that administers more than 100 physical public housing units within the local government jurisdiction. The notice also clarifies certain unit types that do not count toward that threshold.

15) Do Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) units count toward the 100-unit threshold?

No. HUD clarifies that Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) units do not count toward the 100-unit threshold.

16) Do public housing units in mixed-finance developments count toward the 100-unit threshold?

The notice states that public housing units in mixed-finance developments do not count toward the threshold when the PHA is not the general partner in the for-profit ownership entity.

17) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this announcement?

The Funding Opportunity Number is FR 5500 N 18.

18) What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The opportunity is associated with CFDA 14.878, described as Affordable Housing Development in Main Street Rejuvenation Projects.

19) When was the opportunity posted and when did it close?

The opportunity was posted on June 22, 2011. The original and final closing date was August 22, 2011. A technical correction was noted but did not change the deadline.

20) Is this funding opportunity still open?

No. The listing indicates it was archived on August 25, 2011.

21) How were applicants instructed to access the application package?

HUD indicated that applicants should download the application package using the CFDA number.

22) Who was the point of contact for questions or clarifications?

The notice provided the following email contact for questions or clarifications: lawrence.gnessin@hud.gov.

23) Was accessibility support listed for people with speech or hearing impairments?

Yes. The notice referenced access support through the Federal Information Relay Service TTY at (800) 877-8339 for individuals with speech or hearing impairments.

24) How does this program connect affordable housing with downtown revitalization?

The program is designed so that affordable housing created within existing downtown/Main Street buildings helps increase downtown activity and foot traffic, encourages reinvestment, and supports local businesses, while also improving building conditions and sustaining the district as a place to live, work, and gather.

25) Does the program require projects to preserve the historic or traditional character of Main Street?

Yes. One of the stated objectives is to preserve historic or traditional architecture and design features, meaning proposals are expected to respect the existing look and feel of older buildings and streetscapes rather than replacing them with out-of-context construction.

26) Does the program support projects outside the downtown or Main Street area?

The description emphasizes projects that contribute to the renewal of the Main Street area/downtown/central business district and explicitly contrasts this with funding scattered or unrelated housing. Based on the information provided, the focus is clearly on the Main Street area.

27) What outcomes is HUD trying to achieve through this program?

The intended outcomes include new affordable housing units in the Main Street area, improved utilization of existing buildings (such as empty storefronts or upper floors), increased foot traffic and activity downtown, strengthened local economic development efforts, and preservation of the district's historic or traditional character.