It was likely helped by north St. Louis and north St. Louis County’s designation as a federal Promise Zone, which gives the region bonus points on applications for federal grants to aid the poorest neighborhoods in St. Louis. Castro was here in early 2015 to announce St. Louis’s inclusion into the exclusive program. A few months later, he was back to announce $24 million in federal grant funding for north St. Louis County housing developments near MetroLink stations.

The competitive Choice program being awarded to St. Louis Monday requires cities or housing authorities to line up private and nonprofit resources to supplement the federal money with education and employment training programs.

St. Louis, which partnered with housing developer McCormack Baron Salazar, St. Louis Public Schools, and human services coordinating firm Urban Strategies, expects to leverage some $75 million or more worth of services on top of the federal money.