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HUD Announces Application for Cities Seeking Direct Technical Assistance, Economic Revitalization
Last week, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a Request for Applications (RFA) for cities seeking economic revitalization through the National Resource Network (The Network), a public-private initiative that works with national experts and strategic partners to increase the economic competitiveness of cities and reverse population decline, job loss, and high poverty rates. The Network, which was created out of demand from cities across the country, was funded by $10 million from HUD and is a component of the Obama administration’s Strong Cities, Strong Communities Initiative. Through The Network’s direct technical assistance program, local governments and their partners in economically challenged communities will receive support in developing and implementing strategies for economic recovery.
Although over 275 cities are eligible to receive assistance, it is limited to those cities with more than 40,000 residents and exhibiting one of the following: a 2013 annual unemployment rate greater than 9 percent, a population decline of 5 percent or more between 2000 and 2010, or a poverty rate of 20 percent or more (excluding students enrolled in undergraduate, graduate, or professional schools). Currently, eight pilot cities are participating in the Network, with dozens of cities expected to receive on-the-ground assistance by 2016.