HUD Requests Public Input About its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program
On Monday, HUD released a Request for Information in public inspection form to obtain input regarding its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program.
The Inflation Reduction Act signed into effect in August provided $1 billion to HUD’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs to implement the GRRP and to support benchmarking of water and energy use in multifamily assisted housing properties.
When implemented, the GRRP will provide grant and loan funding to facilitate retrofits of properties participating in its multifamily assisted housing programs to make them more energy-efficient and resilient in the face of natural disasters and climate change. Eligible properties will include those participating in the Section 8 Project-based Rental Assistance, Section 202 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Elderly and Section 811 Supportive Housing for Low-Income Persons with Disabilities programs.
“Implementing the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program will provide much-needed funding to reduce water and utility costs and keep the homes of the nation’s low-income individuals and families safe in the face of climate change,” said Julia Gordon, HUD Assistant Secretary for Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner. “But GRRP also provides a means of addressing issues of housing equity and environmental justice and reducing these properties’ climate impact.”
HUD noted the water and energy use benchmarking component of the program will enable multifamily property owners and HUD to better understand current water and energy usage to inform future policy and program development efforts.
Through this Request for Information, HUD seeks input on GRRP program design features, energy-saving measures, low-emission technology and resilience design measures that have proven effective in affordable multifamily buildings. In addition, HUD seeks input on the ways it can best implement and incentivize benchmarking of energy and water consumption of assisted multifamily properties.
HUD Deputy Assistant Secretary for Housing Ethan Handelman noted approximately 1.4 million households of limited means live in HUD multifamily assisted housing properties.
