Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority

Norfolk Redevelopment & Housing Authority (doing business as NRHA), a tax-exempt corporate entity headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, is a federal grant recipient operating as a public housing agency and community development entity, receiving federal grants almost exclusively from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to fund public housing operations, capital improvements, resident services, and mixed-income redevelopment. NRHA does not hold federal contracts as a prime contractor and does not operate through contract vehicles; its federal footprint is entirely grant-funded, with 98% of awards as prime recipient and 2% as sub-recipient on HUD grant programs.

NRHA's grant portfolio is overwhelmingly concentrated in HUD's Public and Indian Housing Office (423 of 425 prime awards), with recent activity centered on three core programs. The Public Housing Operating Fund (CFDA 14.850) dominates the recipient base, providing formula-allocated operating subsidies for day-to-day maintenance, management, security, energy, and resident supportive services across NRHA's public housing portfolio serving low-income families, elderly residents, and persons with disabilities in Norfolk. Recent Operating Fund awards in 2026 include individual allocations of $4.010 million, $1.407 million, $1.120 million, and multiple smaller tranches ($515,061, $240,671, $235,584, $193,920, $109,292, and others) obligated through December 31, 2032. The Public Housing Capital Fund (CFDA 14.872) awards $10.724 million (obligated April 1, 2026 through March 31, 2030) for modernization, development, and capital activities, including construction and acquisition of public housing units specified in HUD-approved five-year action plans. The Family Self-Sufficiency Program (CFDA 14.896) funded $633,505 in January 2026 to support full-time equivalent FSS coordinator positions who enroll families, develop individual training and services plans, and build employer partnerships; NRHA is also a sub-recipient of HOME Investment Partnerships Program funds through the City of Norfolk, administering down payment and closing cost assistance, homeownership counseling through its HomeNet Homeownership Center, and Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) set-aside allocations.

Beyond routine operations, NRHA received a $1 million three-year Cooperative Agreement from the Department of Transportation Immediate Office of the Secretary (CFDA 20.945, Asset Concessions and Innovative Finance Assistance program) awarded September 1, 2026 (through August 31, 2029) to advance redevelopment of three transit-accessible assets—Calvert Square, Young Terrace, and Parcel 8A on East Freemason Street—through feasibility studies, environmental scans, transit access analysis, engineering and planning, capital stack modeling, value-for-money analyses, and public-private partnership procurement strategy. NRHA also holds two Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants from HUD's Public and Indian Housing Office totaling supplemental funding to address redevelopment and relocation for the Tidewater Gardens distressed public housing site, where NRHA is constructing approximately 784 new mixed-income units including 260 replacement public housing units, with completion targeted September 30, 2027. A Jobs-Plus Pilot Initiative grant (awarded June 5, 2025, completing May 31, 2028) supports employment outcomes for public housing residents.

Activity has remained steady at 18 to 23 awards per year across 2022 through 2026, with 22 awards reaching ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and therefore subject to grant renewal or recompete. Combined dollars obligated across all awards total $513.4 million. NRHA operates as a single-agency recipient with no corporate parent or subsidiary relationship; as a public housing authority, it functions under the Housing Act of 1937 and is subject to HUD oversight, including submission of Operating Fund calculations on Forms HUD-52723 and HUD-52722, maintenance of inventory data in HUD's Information Management System (IMS) and Public Housing Information Center (PIC) systems, and annual certifications and audits under 2 CFR 200. Work is performed in Norfolk, Virginia.