Mobile City staff outline $3.5 million housing push, recommend CDBG, ESG and HOME funding allocations

At a Mobile City Council meeting, Neighborhood Development staff presented an update on a new Housing Improvement Program and recommended allocations of federal housing and homelessness grants, saying the city hopes to move quickly to secure dollars and launch targeted projects.

Jamie Robert, Neighborhood Development staff, told the council the department has added a Housing Improvement Program (HIP), hired a project manager and has an initial $1 million investment in hand. Robert said a resolution will be introduced to put an additional $2.5 million from District 2 into the HIP fund and that the mayor has proposed another $1 million; none of those transfers had been voted on during the meeting.

The presentation summarized ongoing work across several programs the department administers: single-family new construction (16 completed since 2020, with about 50 underway), multifamily developments (Maryville Place opened; Live Oak and others under construction), critical repair grants, down-payment assistance and tenant-advocate services. Robert said the HIP will focus on targeted lots in a selected neighborhood (referred to in the presentation as the Campground target area), including property identification, title clearance and design/build on individual lots.

The department…