Plan will focus on English Woods/Fairmount community

CINCINNATI, OH – Jan. 10, 2012 – Today the Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority (CMHA) has been awarded one of 13 Choice Neighborhood Initiative (CNI) grants from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) totaling $200,000.

This two-year grant will be used to develop a comprehensive neighborhood transformation plan for the English Woods/Fairmount community within the city of Cincinnati.  CMHA will partner with local organizations and entities in the development of this comprehensive revitalization plan, which will address such issues as affordable housing, neighborhood services, commercial development and quality of life needs.

“This is an exciting opportunity for the English Woods/Fairmount neighborhood to formulate a productive, comprehensive community plan for the future,” said Ted Bergh, CMHA Interim Executive Director. “We look forward to working with the community to further our mission to provide safe, affordable housing for those who need it most.”

As a result of this grant, planning for the redevelopment of the English Woods/Fairmount area will become one of CMHA’s top priorities in 2012. The area consists of 70 acres of land where the now-demolished English Woods community once stood. The neighborhood suffers from high poverty rates – approximately 50 percent of the population lives below the poverty line – and vacancy rates that are nearly three times the average in Hamilton County, according to the USPS. In addition, the neighborhood’s only public school, Ethel M. Taylor Elementary School, is listed under the Improvement status by the State of Ohio, having met only one state requirement during the 2009-2010 school year.

“These statistics underscore the immense need this area has for total redevelopment. We are committed to developing a plan that will address as many elements of the neighborhood’s concerns as possible,” said Bergh.

The CNI planning grants were designed by HUD to support the development of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans that have the potential to transform communities into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods by linking housing improvements with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation and access to jobs. The three goals of the CNI grant include:

• Housing: transform distressed housing into viable energy efficient, mixed-income housing;
• People: support positive outcomes for families who live in the neighborhood, related to residents’ health, safety, employment, mobility, and education; and
• Neighborhood: transform distressed, high-poverty neighborhoods into viable, mixed-income neighborhoods with access to well-functioning services.