HUD Invests $4 Million to Improve Housing for Kearney Families

HUD Assistant Deputy Secretary Peter Hunter (left) along with Seldin Company Chief Administrative Officer Cindy Powers (right), celebrate the award of $4 million in  federal clean energy and resilience funding for the Centennial Park Apartments located in Kearney, Nebraska (Photo Credit: HUD Great Plains)

OMAHA – Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) highlighted a $4,000,000 award to Centennial Park Apartments in Kearney, Nebraska under its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) to support significant energy efficiency and climate resilience renovations for 48 homes. This Comprehensive loan will increase energy and water efficiency, reduce climate pollution, generate renewable energy, reduce housing operating costs, promote the use of green building materials, and improve the quality of life for residents by making these homes more resilient to climate hazards.

HUD Assistant Deputy Secretary for the Office of Field Policy and Management (FPM), Peter Hunter, highlighted this $4,000,000 award today in Kearney, Nebraska and along with a similar award in the city of Valentine, Nebraska, are the first in the state under GRRP, supporting crucial upgrades for residents.

“HUD has awarded over $1.1 billion through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program to modernize housing for families across the country as the climate crisis continues to affect our most vulnerable communities,” said HUD Agency Head, The Honorable Adrianne Todman. “These awards advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s housing and clean energy goals to ensure families we serve live in resilient, energy efficient, and comfortable homes where they can thrive.”

President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act—the largest climate investment in history—established the GRRP in 2022 to fund energy efficiency and climate resiliency improvements for multifamily properties participating in HUD’s project-based rental assistance programs The investments announced today will advance environmental justice in line with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which sets a goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Over $1.12 billion from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act has now been awarded to 225 properties and nearly 26,000 rental homes, to make them greener, healthier, and safer for low-income households, seniors, and persons with disabilities.

“This $4 million through the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program at the Centennial Park Apartments is an important investment in making Kearney’s housing energy efficient and more resilient,” said Peter Hunter, HUD’s Assistant Deputy Secretary for Field Policy and Management. “We are proud to support improvements that improve the quality of life for residents and make homes more resilient in the years to come.”

“Too often, owners of federally assisted properties have to make financial decisions that limit their ability to substantially improve the energy efficiency and resiliency of their assets,” said HUD Great Plains Regional Administrator Ulysses Clayborn. “With these GRRP funds, the Centennial Park Apartments ownership can now focus on improving the quality of life and safety of its residents.”

“Seldin extends its sincere congratulations to the Tangram team for Centennial Park being awarded Nebraska’s first ever Green and Resilient Retrofit Grant,” said Cindy Powers, Chief Administrative Officer for the Seldin Company. “This award demonstrates the owner’s remarkable commitment to HUD programs and improving the quality of housing for Centennial Park residents, present and future, through substantial energy efficiency and climate resiliency efforts.  Seldin is honored to provide property management services for this property and work with Tangram on our aligned goals which include providing the best possible living environment for residents.”

Centennial Park Apartments is a 50-unit property that was originally built in the 1980s and is currently participating in HUD’s Section 8 project-based rental assistance program for low-income individuals and families.

FACT SHEET: Green and Resilient Retrofit Program Progress to Date
GRRP is the first HUD program to simultaneously invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, climate resilience, and low-embodied-carbon materials in HUD-assisted multifamily housing. All of the investments under the GRRP will be made in affordable housing communities serving low-income families, directly benefiting HUD-assisted housing, in alignment with the Justice40 Initiative.
 
As of October 2024, GRRP funding has been awarded to 225 properties and more than 25,940 rental homes, to make them greener, healthier, and safer for low-income households, seniors, and persons with disabilities. The projects span the range from targeted upgrades to major net-zero renovation for properties in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

GRRP funding is being used for insulation, energy efficient windows and doors, heat-resistant roofs, energy efficient heating and cooling, resiliency measures and other improvements.
 
Approximately 900 properties have also signed up for HUD’s free energy and water benchmarking service, funded with more than $40 million from the President’s Inflation Reduction Act, so that HUD-assisted housing property owners can better understand the energy and water consumption at their properties in relation to other similar properties. This benchmarking information can in turn be used to assess energy efficiency and water conservation upgrades that can be funded under the GRRP.

Green and Resilient Retrofit Program Background Detail
The GRRP Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and additional guidance detail the multiple funding options for which property owners may apply:

Elements provides funding to owners for proven and meaningful climate resilience and utility efficiency measures in projects that are already in the process of being recapitalized.
Leading Edge provides funding to owners with plans for ambitious retrofit activities to achieve zero energy retrofits and an advanced green certification.

Comprehensive provides funding to properties with the highest need for climate resilience and utility efficiency upgrades, regardless of prior development or environmental retrofit experience.