The Selma Housing Authority and the City of Selma officially accepted a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Office of Housing and Urban Development to plan the renovation of the GWC Housing Project in a ceremony on Tuesday.
Selma Housing Authority President and CEO Kennard Randolph along with Selma Mayor James Perkins Jr. celebrated the grant in an event at the authority’s office with state HUD Director Kenneth Free and other dignitaries.
Free said receiving the grant is “a very competitive process. There are numerous cities throughout the country that put in for these grants, but very few were awarded.”
The money will be the first steps toward renovating GWC Housing Projects. The goal is to improve the neighborhood for the people and help encourage businesses to locate in the area, he added.
“No residents will be displaced,” Randolph said. He explained this grant is a grant for planning. “It gives us the opportunity to take the necessary time and steps to ensure we are doing the right thing for the GWC residents,” Randolph said.
Once the planning is completed, the city can apply for a Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant for actual improvements. Randolph added, “I hope in two years or so HUD will be coming back to award us $50 million.” Free said Birmingham was recently awarded a Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grant for over $50 million.
Randolph added that it will not be just the City or the Housing Authority making all of the decisions. “The community stakeholders will have input in this process in what they want GWC to look like,” he said. Affordable housing in Selma will not look the same any longer, he said.
"The amount of housing strategy that has been put together is extraordinary,” Perkins said. HUD recently presented a check for $45.5 million for Selma Square Property, and he said there is more to come he cannot announce yet.
Randolph agreed. He told everyone to “stay tuned. We look forward to making another big announcement soon.”
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