HUD reviews climate resilience funding options in Puerto Rico, USVI
During a roundtable, officials discussed the Green and Resilient Retrofit Program.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hosted a bilingual roundtable to discuss its Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP) with participants from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
More than 150 attendees learned about GRRP and other federal funding sources for making properties more energy efficient and climate resilient.
During the event, HUD officials outlined grant and loan funding opportunities available under the GRRP and from other federal sources, including the Inflation Reduction Act. These funds assist multifamily properties in the agency’s project-based rental assistance programs nationwide to improve energy efficiency and resilience against extreme weather events, improving residents’ living conditions.
Officials provided guidance, discussed award types, eligibility requirements and the application process for funding.
Established by the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022, the GRRP has so far awarded $544 million — about 50% of its available funds — for projects ranging from targeted upgrades to major net-zero renovations across 109 properties in 36 states and the District of Columbia, impacting more than 12,500 homes.
“The Green and Resilient Retrofit Program is helping to improve properties and create more resilient communities for families across our nation,” said Ethan Handelman, deputy assistant secretary for Multifamily Housing Programs. “We’re committed to creating safer and healthier homes for low-income residents and look forward to supporting more projects with funding through GRRP.”
GRRP marks the first HUD program to simultaneously invest in energy efficiency, renewable energy generation, climate resilience and low-embodied-carbon materials in HUD-assisted multifamily housing.
It targets affordable housing communities serving low-income families and can fund a variety of retrofit measures including insulation, energy-efficient windows and doors, hurricane-resistance retrofits, heat-resistant roofs, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, and renewable energy generation.
