Planning Team

The planning process will be led by MHB in cooperation with the City of Mobile. The entire process will be overseen by HUD, and coordinated by Camiros. The Choice planning team will also work with residents, non-profit organizations and local businesses to create a Plan that reflects the visions and aspirations of the entire community.

The Community

The community are the residents of the Southside neighborhoods and the stakeholders within and beyond the neighborhood who invest their time, skills and money toward the continued improvement of the quality of the neighborhood, and the quality of life of its residents.

HUD

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all.  HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business.

Mobile Housing Board (MHB)

Incorporated in 1937, the Mobile Housing Board (MHB) is chartered under the laws of the State of Alabama to provide and administer affordable housing programs for the citizens of Mobile. The Agency receives policy guidance and operational approval from its five-member governing Board of Commissioners. Commissioners are appointed to five-year terms by the Mayor of the City of Mobile. The majority of funding for the MHB is provided by the federal government though the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Mobile Housing Board, as a public agency, plays a major role in providing housing services to the citizens of Mobile. Through the traditional Public Housing and Section 8 Housing Programs, we currently provide housing or housing assistance to over 7,000 families. Many people think that this is where the story ends. However, the MHB does much more than provide a place to live. Through the years, the role of public housing authorities has changed. Now, as importantly as providing housing, we provide beneficial programs for residents of all ages to enable and encourage family self-sufficiency. We provide extracurricular youth activities, educational opportunities, career counseling and job opportunities. The goal of these programs is to raise the quality of life for our clients and enable them to reach financial independence.

Camiros

Camiros, Ltd. is a nationally recognized planning firm based in Chicago who has worked to build sustainable communities since 1976. Camiros is also serving as the Planning Coordinator for the successful Ellis Heights CNI Planning Grant for the Rockford Housing Authority, awarded in 2012 and the Rosewood CNI Planning Grant for the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, awarded in 2013. Camiros has effectively led comparable neighborhood transformation assignments in over 40 distressed urban neighborhoods in Chicago, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Detroit and Newark, among others. The firm has worked extensively in most of Chicago’s distressed low-income neighborhoods ranging in size from 6,600 to 60,000 residents. It has also actively participated in the Preservation of Affordable Housing’s (POAH) and City of Chicago’s planning for the Grove Park/Woodlawn project, a recipient of a CNI Implementation Grant.