U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia Fudge will visit Birmingham today to make a major announcement. She will be joined by Congresswoman Terri Sewell and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin.
Sec. Fudge is expected to announce a major federal investment in affordable housing and community development.
“I look forward to welcoming Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge to the City of Birmingham this Wednesday and to participate in the major announcement and tour,” said Rep. Sewell. “I have been working with the City of Birmingham to address the housing needs in the Smithfield, College Hills, and Graymont neighborhoods. If awarded, this funding would be the catalyst for transformational change in the City of Birmingham.”
Secretary Fudge is the 18th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Secretary Fudge served as U.S. Representative for the 11th Congressional District of Ohio from 2008 to March 9, 2021. She was a member of several Congressional Caucuses and past Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.
In 1999, Secretary Fudge was elected the first female and first African American mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, a position she held for two terms. As a former mayor, Secretary Fudge has seen firsthand the need for economic development and affordable housing. She prioritized improving the City’s tax base and expanded opportunities for affordable housing.
Secretary Fudge’s career in public service began in the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, rising to the rank of Director of Budget and Finance.
While the Birmingham-Hoover metropolitan area remains the largest metro area in the state, Birmingham itself has been in a long slow decline since its zenith at over 340,900 people in 1960. Today Birmingham has a population of just over 192,557. Fast-growing Huntsville is now the largest city in Alabama. Montgomery, though also in decline, has a slightly larger population than Birmingham. Recent annexation elections in Mobile mean that that city has vaulted into second place ahead of both Birmingham and Montgomery. Birmingham officials are eager to address the decaying housing problem as well as crime in order to stem the tide of migration out of the city limits.
Fudge will join Woodfin, Sewell, and community leaders at a press conference to announce the expected federal investment in affordable housing for the city. They will also be joined by Dontrelle Young-Foster, President, and CEO of the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District (HABD), and Karen Lawrence, Smithfield Court Resident. The announcement is scheduled for 10:20 a.m. CT in the Smithfield Court Community.
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