I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 816 
To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 
a grant program to help revitalize certain localities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 4, 2021 
Ms. KAPTUR (for herself, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. RUSH, Mr. GRI-
JALVA, Mr. COOPER, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. CARSON, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
RYAN, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. JONES, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. 
GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. MCGOVERN, Ms. BLUNT 
ROCHESTER, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. PERLMUTTER, Mrs. HAYES, Ms. 
MCCOLLUM, Ms. BUSH, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. 
BARRAGA´N, Mr. COHEN, Mr. UPTON, and Mrs. DINGELL) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
to establish a grant program to help revitalize certain 
localities, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Restoring Commu-
nities Left Behind Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) As the Nation continues to feel the dev-
astating economic impacts of Coronavirus Disease 
2019 (COVID-19), many urban and rural commu-
nities are still suffering from the effects of under-
water mortgages, vacancy, abandoned properties, 
blight, aging housing stock, properties with deferred 
maintenance and harmful materials such as lead, as-
bestos, and mold, unemployment, and population 
loss. 
(2) While some cities and counties struggle with 
disinvestment and population loss, there are also 
pockets of economic distress in otherwise prosperous, 
growing areas. 
(3) Investments targeted to these communities 
left behind will be critical to ensure equitable eco-
nomic recovery, job creation, and housing and neigh-
borhood infrastructure revitalization. 
(4) The need to revitalize neighborhoods is 
greater than what can be supported with existing 
local tax bases. 
(5) Communities continue to suffer from the 
impact of governmental policies and private sector 
practices that forbade or discouraged mortgage lend-
ing in neighborhoods having significant minority 
populations. 
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(6) Many State and local governments, land 
banks, and nonprofit organizations across the 
United States have responded to the housing crisis 
by creating cost-effective strategies to revitalize 
neighborhoods. 
(7) 2016 data from the United States Census 
Bureau shows that non-Hispanic, White households 
have an average net worth of $143,600, while Black 
households have an average net worth of $12,920, 
and Hispanic households have an average net worth 
of $21,420. 
(8) Housing equity is a significant portion of 
Black and Hispanic households’ net worth, making 
up nearly 57 percent of Black households’ net worth, 
66.5 percent of Hispanic households’ net worth, and 
40.8 percent of White households’ net worth, accord-
ing to the Urban Institute’s calculations from the 
2016 Survey of Consumer Finances. 
(9) The 2008 Great Recession and the COVID- 
19 Recession have exacerbated the racial wealth gap. 
(10) Funding innovative local neighborhood 
strategies will allow the United States to close the 
racial wealth gap, ensure equitable access to housing 
and economic mobility, and counter the lasting leg-
acy of redlining policies. 
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(11) Despite the strong requirement to affirma-
tively furthering fair housing under the Fair Hous-
ing Act, the lack of accountability measures imple-
mented by the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development to ensure equitable use of housing and 
community development dollars in Federal programs 
has allowed for the perpetuation of the legacy of red-
lining and neighborhood disinvestment. 
(12) It is imperative that the Federal Govern-
ment make funding available for the best local strat-
egies to increase homeownership and preserve home 
equity in impacted areas, access to safe and afford-
able rental housing, economic growth, job creation, 
and to build on local assets to improve communities 
in ways that affirmatively further fair housing. 
SEC. 3. COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than the expiration 
of the 120-day period beginning on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development shall establish a program to award competi-
tive grants to eligible local partnerships to carry out more 
than one neighborhood revitalization support activity in an 
eligible locality. 
(b) CRITERIA.— 
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(1) ELIGIBLE
LOCAL
PARTNERSHIP.—A local 
partnership is eligible to receive a grant under the 
program established under this section if it meets 
the following requirements: 
(A) The local partnership includes a na-
tional or local nonprofit organization with ex-
pertise in community planning, engagement, or-
ganizing, development, or neighborhood revital-
ization and at least one of the following entities: 
(i) A city or county government. 
(ii) A land bank. 
(iii) A fair housing enforcement orga-
nization (as such term is defined in section 
561 of the Housing and Community Devel-
opment Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 3616a)). 
(iv) An anchor institution. 
(v) A nonprofit organization. 
(vi) A State housing finance agency 
(as such term is defined in section 106(h) 
of the Housing and Urban Development 
Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701x(h))). 
(vii) A community development finan-
cial institution (as such term is defined in 
section 103(5) of the Community Develop-
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ment Banking and Financial Institutions 
Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702(5))). 
(viii) A public housing agency (as 
such term is defined in section 3(b) of the 
United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
U.S.C. 1437a(b))). 
(B) Such local partnership will use a grant 
awarded under this section to carry out neigh-
borhood revitalization support activities in fur-
therance of a neighborhood revitalization strat-
egy for eligible localities. 
(2) ELIGIBLE LOCALITY.—For the purposes of 
this section, an eligible locality is a geographic area 
or areas at the neighborhood or county level that 
meet at least four of the following objective criteria 
of economic distress: 
(A) Dwelling unit sales prices are lower 
than the cost to acquire and rehabilitate, or 
build, a new dwelling unit. 
(B) High proportions of residential and 
commercial properties are vacant due to fore-
closure, eviction, abandonment, or other causes. 
(C) Low rates of homeownership. 
(D) Racial disparities in homeownership 
rates. 
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(E) High rates of poverty. 
(F) High rates of unemployment and 
underemployment. 
(G) Population loss. 
(H) Lack of private sector lending on fair 
and competitive terms for individuals to pur-
chase homes or start small businesses. 
(I) Other indicators of economic distress, 
such as the lack of housing affordability, stem-
ming from long-standing government policies 
and private sector practices that prevented 
mortgage lending in some communities, such as 
redlining. 
The Secretary shall establish thresholds for the cri-
teria of economic distress under this paragraph. 
(3) NEIGHBORHOOD REVITALIZATION SUPPORT 
ACTIVITIES.—For purposes of this section, neighbor-
hood revitalization support activities are the fol-
lowing: 
(A) Providing assistance to existing resi-
dents experiencing economic distress or at risk 
of displacement with homeowner rehabilitation 
assistance, weatherization, improved housing 
accessibility and livability for seniors and per-
sons with disabilities, energy efficiency improve-
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ments, refinancing, housing counseling certified 
by the Secretary, including loss mitigation 
counseling, property tax relief, clearing and ob-
taining formal title, addressing outstanding 
housing-related expenses, or other activities 
that the Secretary determines are appropriate. 
(B) Purchasing non-performing mortgages 
to assist existing homeowners and advance 
neighborhood stability. 
(C) Supporting the purchase and redevel-
opment of vacant, abandoned, or distressed 
properties to create affordable rental housing, 
homeownership or shared equity homeownership 
opportunities, mixed-use properties, or commer-
cial properties. Properties supported with as-
sistance under this subparagraph may be con-
verted between rental and homeownership, in-
cluding shared equity homeownership, upon ter-
mination of the lease or transfer of the property 
during the relevant period of affordability to en-
sure local community needs are met, properties 
do not sit vacant, and affordability is preserved. 
(D) Providing pre-purchase counseling 
through housing counselors certified by the Sec-
retary for neighborhood revitalization support 
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