Congresswoman Torres Introduces Thriving Communities Act

Program will create a nexus of affordable housing and accessible transit

Washington, D.C. – RealEstateRama – Congresswoman Norma J Torres (CA-35) – a member of the Subcommittee on Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies announced the Thriving Communities Act, which creates a grant program to provide technical assistance and capacity building support to help underserved communities advance transformative, and equitable infrastructure projects. These projects would increase mobility, reduce pollution, and expand affordable transportation options to connect communities to critical services. The bill directs the Secretary of the Department of Transportation to work with the Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development to ensure more affordable housing is developed near accessible public transit.

“As the Inland Empire population expands, the federal government must take on a more coordinated approach to ensure residents have access to reliable transportation and housing resources,” said Congresswoman Torres. “This program will be critical to support municipalities of all sizes to develop more efficient, safer, and equitable transportation infrastructure ensuring affordable housing is planned and built along existing or future transit corridors. High-quality housing units that are close to transportation lines support job creation in our communities, all while limiting pollution that threatens our health. This grant program has helped many communities across the US, and these future investments will continue to help the Inland Empire and the nation thrive.”  

Background: The Thriving Communities Act:

• Allocates $100 million to Thriving Communities for technical assistance and capacity building to support transformative, equitable, environmentally friendly infrastructure projects in underserved areas.
• Ensures the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Transportation work together on the Thriving Communities initiatives to get communities affordable housing and transportation options. Reporting to the House Appropriations Committees on strategies for promoting transit-oriented development. The Department of Transportation will keep Congress informed about its collaboration with HUD to support the initiative.
• Enforces the Department of Transportation to report which equity metrics were used to distribute funding. The Committee provides an additional $5.5 million to the Department of Housing and Urban Development to facilitate coordination with the Department of Transportation.

Full bill text here.

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