On June 26, the White House and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced 21 awards totaling nearly $85 million under the Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing) Fiscal Year 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity.

PRO Housing provides grant funding to communities that have shown progress in addressing local housing barriers including outdated local regulations and land use policies, inadequate infrastructure, lack of available financing for development, and risks associated with extreme weather and an aging housing stock. Winners of the PRO Housing competition will update state and local housing plans, revise land use policies, streamline the permitting process, provide construction funds and more.

In the first round of PRO Housing funding, HUD received applications from more than 175 communities — representing a wide variety of demographics, geographies and population sizes — across 47 States and territories. Successful applicants have shown commitment to eliminating barriers to housing and creating more housing-forward communities.

Later this summer, HUD will make $100 million in additional funding available for the competition’s second round.