[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 131 (Monday, July 8, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35906-35913]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-17258]
[[Page 35905]]
_______________________________________________________________________
Part V
Department of Housing and Urban Development
_______________________________________________________________________
Office of Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner
_______________________________________________________________________
FY 1996 Funding Availability for HUD-Approved Housing Counseling
Agencies; Notice
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 131 / Monday, July 8, 1996 /
Notices
[[Page 35906]]
DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing
Commissioner
[Docket No. FR-4073-N-01]
FY 1996 Funding Availability for HUD-Approved Housing Counseling
Agencies
AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing
Commissioner, HUD.
ACTION: Fiscal year 1996 notice of funding availability for HUD-
approved housing counseling agencies.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of Fiscal Year (FY)
1996 funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) for HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to provide housing
counseling to homebuyers, homeowners, and renters. HUD announces the
availability of up to $10.5 million dollars for housing counseling
services through this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). All
housing counseling agencies approved by HUD as of the publication date
of this NOFA may apply for FY 1996 funding. This includes: (1) multi-
State, regional, or national intermediary organizations, and (2) local
housing counseling agencies that do not elect to affiliate with a HUD-
approved intermediary organization.
This NOFA contains additional information on the purpose and
background of the NOFA and funding levels available to local counseling
agencies and intermediary organizations respectively; eligible
activities and funding criteria; and application requirements and
procedures.
DATES: Completed applications must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m.
local time on August 7, 1996. As further described below, any completed
application must be physically received by this deadline date and hour
at the appropriate local HUD office (for local applicants) or at the
Office of Housing, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th
Street, SW, Room 9282, Washington D.C. 20410 (for national, regional or
multi-State applicants). In the interest of fairness to all applicants,
late applications will be treated as ineligible for consideration.
Applicants should take this requirement into account and make early
submission of their applications to avoid loss of eligibility brought
about by any unanticipated delays or other delivery-related problems.
It is not sufficient for an application to be postmarked within the
deadline. Applications sent by facsimile (FAX) will not be accepted.
HUD will not waive this submission deadline for any reason.
ADDRESSES: For local housing counseling agency applicants: An original
and two copies of the completed application must be submitted to the
local HUD office having jurisdiction over the locality or area in which
the proposed program is located. These copies should be sent to the
attention of the Single Family Division Director, and the envelope
should be clearly marked, ``FY 1996 Counseling Application''. A list of
Single Family Division Directors and local HUD Offices appears at the
end of this NOFA. Failure to submit an application to the correct
office in accordance with the above procedures will result in
disqualification of the application.
For national, regional and multi-State housing counseling agencies:
An original and two copies of the completed application must be
submitted to the person listed below in HUD Headquarters. The envelope
should be clearly marked, ``FY 1996 Counseling Application.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan Morgan, Chief, Product
Development and Special Projects Branch, Office of Housing, Department
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room 9272,
Washington D.C. 20410; telephone (202) 708-0614, extension 2213
(voice), or (202) 708-4594 (TTY number). (These are not toll-free
numbers.)
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement
The information collection requirements contained in this NOFA have
been approved by the Office of Management and Budget, under section
3504(h) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520),
and assigned OMB control number 2502-0261. An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of
information unless the collection displays a valid control number.
I. Purpose and Substantive Description
A. Authority and Purpose
HUD's housing counseling program is authorized under section 106 of
the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701x). The
purpose of the program is to promote and protect the interests of
housing consumers participating in HUD and other housing programs, as
well as to help protect the interests of HUD and mortgage lenders. The
Housing Counseling program is generally governed by HUD Handbook
7610.1, REV-4, dated August 9, 1995.
Section 106 authorizes HUD to provide counseling and advice to
tenants and homeowners with respect to property maintenance, financial
management, and such other matters as may be appropriate to assist
tenants and homeowners in improving their housing conditions and in
meeting the responsibilities of tenancy and homeownership. In addition,
HUD-approved counseling agencies are permitted and encouraged by HUD to
conduct community outreach activities and provide counseling to
individuals with the objective of increasing awareness of homeownership
opportunities and improving access of low and moderate income
households to sources of mortgage credit. HUD believes that this
activity is key to the revitalization and stabilization of low income
and minority neighborhoods.
Under the housing counseling program, HUD contracts with qualified
public or private nonprofit organizations to provide the services
authorized by the statute. When Congress appropriates funds for this
purpose, HUD announces the availability of such funds, and invites
applications from eligible agencies, through a notice published in the
Federal Register. Currently there are 705 HUD-approved local housing
counseling agencies with 386 Branch Offices and 10 HUD-approved
intermediary organizations. Annually, all HUD-approved agencies are
eligible to apply for housing counseling grants. However, an agency
that is approved by HUD does not automatically receive HUD funding, and
HUD expects that all counseling agencies will continually work to
develop other funding resources. In FY '95, 240 HUD-approved local
housing counseling agencies and 5 HUD-approved national/regional/multi-
state housing counseling agencies received funding from HUD.
B. Allocation Amounts
Twelve million dollars ($12 million) has been appropriated from the
1996 Appropriations Act, P. L. 104-134, 110 Stat. 1321, approved April
26, 1996 for this program. Of this amount, $10.5 million is being made
available under this NOFA for lump-sum, performance-based grants, as
defined at 24 CFR part 84, subpart E. Approximately $4 million is being
set aside to fund national, regional and multi-State organizations that
apply for funding under this NOFA. No national, regional, or multi-
State agency may receive more than $1
[[Page 35907]]
million. Approximately $6.5 million has been made available for grants
to local HUD approved housing counseling agencies, and it has been
allocated to each of the 10 HUD geographical areas (formerly Regions)
by a formula that gives equal weight to the percentage of HUD insured
single family mortgage defaults within each geographical area as of
September 30, 1995, compared to the nationwide total and the percentage
of first-time homebuyers that were approved for FHA-insured mortgages
by geographical area during FY 1995 compared to the nationwide total
for that period. This formula reflects the increased emphasis that HUD
is placing on the expansion of homeownership opportunities for first-
time homebuyers. For FY 1996, no individual local housing counseling
agency may be awarded more than $100,000.
Allocations for use in local agency programs, by HUD geographical
area, are estimated as follows:
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Default data First-time Homebuyer Data
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geographical areas Nat'l. 1st
No. of Nat'l defaults Allocation No. of 1st timers Allocation Total
defaults (Percent) amount timers (Percent) amount allocation
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New England............................. 2,836 1.95 63,465 11,887 3.26 105,959 169,424
NY/NJ................................... 11,853 8.16 265,252 23,034 6.32 205,322 470,573
Mid-Atlantic............................ 16,502 11.36 369,289 41,427 11.36 369,274 738,563
SE/Caribbean............................ 36,049 24.82 806,721 72,746 19.95 648,447 1,455,168
Midwest................................. 23,087 15.90 516,651 63,812 17.50 568,811 1,085,462
Southwest............................... 19,834 13.66 443,854 40,238 11.04 358,676 802,530
Great Plains............................ 4,102 2.82 91,796 14,671 4.02 130,775 222,572
Rocky Mts............................... 3,607 2.48 80,719 21,014 5.76 187,316 268,035
Pac/Hawaii.............................. 24,685 17.00 552,412 62,277 16.25 555,128 1,107,540
NW/Alaska............................... 2,674 1.84 59,840 13,495 3.70 120,292 180,132
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Totals.............................. 145,229 100 3,250,000 364,601 100 3,250,000 6,500,000
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An allocation of $1.5 million in program funding has been set aside
for Housing Counseling support which may include: Continuation of the
Housing Counseling Clearinghouse, 800 service to provide information to
the public regarding local HUD-approved housing counseling agencies,
and/or other HUD counseling initiatives.
If funds remain after HUD has funded all approvable grant
applications in a HUD geographical area, or if any funds become
available due to deobligation, that amount shall be reallocated and
used in keeping with the statute and in a manner that will improve the
delivery of housing counseling service nationwide.
C. Eligible Applicants
1. General. There are two types of HUD-approved organizations that
are eligible to submit applications pursuant to this NOFA: (1)
national, regional, or multi-State housing counseling organizations
(also known as ``intermediaries'' or ``umbrella groups''); and (2)
local housing counseling agencies.
National, regional, and multi-State nonprofit, intermediary
organizations must identify all their proposed affiliates in their
application. These intermediaries must assure that their proposed
affiliates are unique to their team and will not undertake a separate
application for funds either as an affiliate of another intermediary or
directly as a HUD-approved local counseling agency. Should any
duplication occur, both the intermediary organization and the local
agency involved will automatically be ineligible for further
consideration to receive FY 1996 housing counseling funds. In addition,
an intermediary-applicant must also assure that it has executed a sub-
agreement with its affiliates that clearly delineates their mutual
responsibilities for program management, incorporating appropriate
timeframes for reporting results to HUD.
Once funded, the national, regional, and multi-State intermediaries
will be given broad discretion in implementing their housing counseling
programs. On behalf of HUD, the intermediaries will act as managers in
the housing counseling process and, as such, may determine funding
levels and counseling activity for each of their affiliates, except
that no single affiliate may receive more than $100,000. HUD will hold
the intermediary organization accountable for the performance of its
affiliates.
Local counseling agencies may apply either directly to HUD for
funding, or as a part of an affiliated intermediary network. Since
continuation of funding for housing counseling activities as a separate
and discrete program for FY 1997 and thereafter is not guaranteed, HUD
encourages local agencies to consider affiliating with a larger entity
as one avenue of possible future funding and support for local
programs. Local housing counseling agencies that are not currently HUD-
approved may receive FY 1996 funding only as an affiliate of a HUD-
approved national, regional, or multi-State intermediary's application
for FY 1996 funds. In this instance, the intermediary organization must
certify that the quality of services provided will meet, or exceed,
standards for local HUD-approved agencies.
2. Civil Rights Prerequisites. Applicants that fall into any one of
the following categories will be ineligible for funding under this
NOFA:
a. The Department of Justice has brought a civil rights suit
against the applicant and the suit is pending;
b. There has been an adjudication of a civil rights violation in a
civil action brought against the applicant by a private individual,
unless the applicant is operating in compliance with a court order, or
implementing a HUD-approved compliance agreement designed to correct
the areas of noncompliance;
c. There are outstanding findings of noncompliance with civil
rights statutes, Executive Orders or regulations as a result of formal
administrative proceedings, or the Secretary has issued a charge
against the applicant under the Fair Housing Act, unless the applicant
is operating under a conciliation or compliance agreement designed to
correct the areas of noncompliance; or
d. HUD has deferred application processing by HUD under one of the
following authorities:
i. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the implementing
guidelines of the Attorney General (28 CFR 50.3) and the HUD
regulations (24 CFR 1.8);
[[Page 35908]]
ii. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the HUD
section 504 regulations (24 CFR 8.57);
iii. Executive Order 11063, as amended by Executive Order 12892 and
HUD regulations (24 CFR Part 107);
iv. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and
applicable regulations (28 CFR Part 36); or
v. The Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 6101-6107) and
implementing regulations (24 CFR Part 146).
3. Requirements Applicable to Religious Organizations. Where the
applicant is, or proposes to contract with, a primarily religious
organization, or a wholly secular organization established by a
primarily religious organization, to provide, manage, or operate a
housing counseling program, the organization must undertake its
responsibilities under the counseling program in accordance with the
following principles:
a. It will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for
employment under the program on the basis of religion and will not
limit employment or give preference in employment to persons on the
basis of religion;
b. It will not discriminate against any person applying for
counseling under the program on the basis of religion and will not
limit such assistance or give preference to persons on the basis of
religion; and
c. It will provide no religious instruction or religious
counseling, conduct no religious services or worship, engage in no
religious proselytizing, and exert no other religious influence in the
provision of assistance under the housing counseling program.
D. Eligible Activities
Eligible activities will vary depending upon whether the applicant
is a HUD-approved local counseling agency or a HUD-approved national,
regional, or multi-State housing counseling intermediary.
1. Local Housing Counseling Agencies. Local housing counseling
agencies funded under this NOFA may use HUD funds to deliver
comprehensive housing counseling or to specialize in the delivery of
particular housing counseling services according to the housing needs
they identified for their target area in the plan that was previously
approved by HUD. HUD recognizes that local housing counseling agencies
may offer a wide range of services, including:
a. Renter assistance, including information about rent subsidy
programs, rights and responsibilities of tenants, lease and rental
agreements, etc.;
b. Outreach initiatives, including providing general information
about housing opportunities within the community and providing
appropriate information to persons with disabilities;
c. Pre-purchase homeownership counseling, covering such issues as
purchase procedures, mortgage financing, downpayment/closing cost fund
accumulation, accessibility requirements of the property--if
appropriate, credit improvement, debt consolidation, etc.;
d. Post-purchase counseling, including such issues as property
maintenance, personal money management, home equity conversion
mortgages, etc.; or
e. Mortgage delinquency and default resolution, including
restructuring debt, arrangement of reinstatement plans, loan
forbearance, loss mitigation, etc.
HUD-funded local counseling agencies may elect to offer their
services to a wide range of clients or may elect to serve a more
limited audience. Potential clients include: renters; potential
homebuyers; homeowners eligible for and applying for HUD-related, VA,
FmHA (or its successor agency), State, local, or conventionally
financed housing or housing assistance; or persons who occupy such
housing and seek the assistance of a HUD-approved housing counseling
agency to resolve a housing need (including the need of a person with a
disability for accessible housing) or problem. Local housing counseling
agencies may elect to offer this assistance in conjunction with any HUD
housing program but must be familiar with FHA's single family and
multifamily housing programs.
2. National, Regional, or Multi-State Counseling Intermediaries.
The primary activity of national, regional, or multi-State nonprofit
housing counseling intermediaries will be to manage the use of HUD
housing counseling funds, including the distribution of counseling
funding to affiliated local housing counseling organizations. Local
affiliates of the selected national, regional, or multi-State
counseling intermediaries are eligible to undertake any or all of the
housing counseling activities outlined above for the HUD-approved local
housing counseling agencies. The local affiliates receiving funding
through intermediaries do not need to be HUD-approved in order to
receive these funds from the intermediary. However, the national,
regional, or multi-State intermediary organization must be HUD-approved
as of the NOFA publication date.
E. Selection Process
1. Housing Counseling Agencies. All applications meeting the
requirements of this NOFA will be selected for funding within their
competitive category, if sufficient funds are available: (1) in the set
aside for National, Regional, or multi-State organizations, or (2)
within the HUD geographic allocation area for local housing counseling
agency applicants.
a. Criteria/Ranking Factors. All applications will be rated and
ranked by staff in the appropriate local HUD Office and by the
Secretary's Representative in the appropriate State office. The
Secretary's Representative and the local HUD Office staff will use the
same criteria and ranking factors, as follows:
i. Capability of the applicant as determined by HUD, including
competent delivery of counseling services and timely drawdown of any
HUD funds awarded in the prior Fiscal Year--up to 50 points (up to 45
points assigned by HUD's Housing staff; up to 5 points assigned by the
Secretary's Representative);
ii. Adequacy of the activities proposed by the applicant in
response to housing needs identified in the applicant's housing
counseling plan as previously approved by HUD--up to 25 points (up to
20 points assigned by HUD's Housing staff; up to 5 points assigned by
the Secretary's Representative);
iii. Evidence of private funding sources contributing to the
applicant's operating budget over the past calendar year--up to 15
points assigned by HUD's Housing staff; and
iv. Evidence of current funding support from units of government
located within the target area which the applicant intends to serve--up
to 10 points.
b. Selection Procedure. National, regional, and multi-State
applications will be rated and ranked in Headquarters and selected for
funding, in rank order, until all funds for such agencies are depleted.
Local agency applications will be reviewed by the Field Office and
assigned points under the selection criteria. Then the Field Office
will submit its recommendations for funding to HUD Headquarters for
final review, to ensure appropriate geographical distribution of
program funds and consistent application of the criteria described
above. HUD Headquarters will then rank the local agency applications
within the geographical areas and select for funding, in rank order,
all acceptable applications to the point at which all funds are
depleted.
[[Page 35909]]
i. Breaking a Tie. If two or more applications receive the same
number of points and sufficient funds are not available to fund all
such applications, first the application or applications requesting the
smallest grants will be selected, if a sufficient amount remains to
fund them. If two or more tied applications request the same amount and
sufficient funds are not available to fund all such applications, the
following system will be used to break the ties:
A. If the tied applications are for programs to be carried out in
different jurisdictions, applications with the highest number of points
for the rating criterion a.ii. (adequacy of activities) stated above
will be selected, if sufficient funds remain.
B. If the tied applications are to be carried out in the same
jurisdiction, applications with the highest number of points for the
rating criterion a.i. (capability) stated above will be selected, if
sufficient funds remain.
ii. Reallocations. Funds remaining after applying the procedures
described in paragraph E.1.b. will be reallocated to fund the highest
ranking remaining applications without regard to their location.
iii. Procedural Errors. Procedural errors by HUD discovered after
initial ratings, but before notification to Congress of selected
applicants, will be corrected and rankings will be revised.
iv. Reductions. HUD will approve an application for an amount lower
than the amount requested or adjust line items in the proposed budget
within the amount requested (or both) if it determines that:
A. The amount requested for one or more eligible activities is
unreasonable, unnecessary, or unjustified;
B. An activity proposed for funding does not qualify as an eligible
activity;
C. The applicant is not able to carry out all the activities
requested; or
D. Insufficient amounts remain in that funding round to fund the
full amount requested in the application.
v. Limitation of Geographic Scope. HUD may reduce the geographic
scope of the proposed program if it determines that:
A. Two or more fundable applications substantially overlap; or
B. The proposed geographic scope is overly large given the capacity
of the organization.
2. National, Regional, and Multi-State Counseling Organizations. If
more applications are submitted to HUD Headquarters from national,
regional, and multi-State organizations that meet all the requirements
of this NOFA than can be funded with the amount allocated for this
purpose, they will be rated by staff in HUD Headquarters using the
above ranking criteria stated in paragraph 1.a., and the top-rated
applicants will be selected. Paragraphs 1. c.iii., c.iv., and c.v.,
above also apply to the selection of national, regional, and multi-
State counseling organizations.
3. Notification of Approval or Disapproval. After completion of the
selection process, but no later than six months after the deadline date
for submission of the applications, as stated in this NOFA, HUD will
notify, in writing, the applicants that have been selected and the
applicants that have not been selected.
F. Funding Levels
Funding levels will be based on the amount authorized by the
Congress, geographical distribution as described above, the performance
record of each counseling agency as determined by HUD's analysis of
prior year counseling workload and results of the most recent biennial
performance review, competent delivery of counseling services and
timely drawdown of funds awarded, and the agency's needs, as specified
in the application according to its housing counseling plan previously
approved by HUD. In addition, applicants that can demonstrate
successful efforts to obtain non-HUD funding in their applications will
receive extra consideration in HUD's rating and ranking process. HUD
funding provided must be less than the total actual cost of the
agency's housing counseling program.
1. Local Housing Counseling Agencies. HUD will fund local agencies
according to the budget submitted with the application, in an amount
not to exceed $100,000. Amounts requested by local housing counseling
agencies should reflect anticipated operating needs for housing
counseling activities, based upon counseling experience during the last
year and existing agency capacity. To the maximum extent possible,
local counseling agencies also must seek other private and public
sources of funding to supplement HUD funding. HUD never intends for its
counseling grant funds to cover all costs incurred by an agency
participating in the program.
Local housing counseling agencies may use the HUD grant to
undertake any of the eligible counseling activities described in this
NOFA and included in their HUD-approved plan. FY 1996 housing
counseling grant funds also may be used for ``capacity building'' as
defined in this NOFA. Up to $4,000 of the grant amount may be used to:
purchase computer equipment that meets, or exceeds, HUD specifications;
enhance existing telephone service, such as purchasing
telecommunications equipment for the hearing-impaired (TTY) to serve
persons with hearing impairments (as an alternative to using the TTY
relay service); and install FAX machines. The Department will require
that all grantees funded in 1996 which do not currently have adequate
computer systems (and were not funded by HUD under the FY 1995 NOFA)
use all or a portion of their $4,000 capacity building portion of the
grant to purchase computer hardware according to HUD specifications.
Computer training for one staff person also may be paid from the $4,000
set-aside, as may training on how to use a TTY. Title to equipment
acquired by a recipient with program funds shall vest in the recipient,
subject to the provisions of 24 CFR part 84, subpart E. Agencies funded
under the FY 1995 NOFA already received an allocation of capacity
building funds and may not request additional capacity building funds
in 1996.
2. National, Regional, or Multi-State Counseling Intermediaries.
The intermediary organization will distribute the majority of funds
awarded to their proposed local housing counseling affiliates.
Intermediaries should budget an amount which reflects their best
estimate of cost to oversee and fund these counseling efforts, as well
as the funding needs of their affiliates. Note that HUD housing
counseling funding is not intended to fully fund either the
intermediary's housing counseling program or the housing counseling
programs of the local affiliates. To the maximum extent possible,
intermediaries and their local affiliates are expected to seek other
private and public sources of funding for housing counseling to
supplement HUD funding.
An intermediary may use up to $5,000 of its total grant amount for
capacity building expenses such as: purchasing computer equipment;
enhancing telephone service, such as purchasing telecommunications
equipment for the hearing-impaired (TTY) to serve persons with hearing
impairments (as an alternative to using TTY relay service); installing
FAX machines; and preparing or publishing counseling materials. If the
intermediary does not have an adequate computer system and was not
funded under the FY 1995 NOFA, the Department will require that the
$5,000 capacity building portion of the grant be used to purchase
necessary equipment meeting HUD specifications. Title to equipment
acquired by a recipient with program funds shall vest in the recipient,
subject to the provisions of 24 CFR part 84, subpart E. Intermediaries
[[Page 35910]]
funded under the FY 1995 NOFA may not request additional capacity
building funds in FY 1996.
HUD will give the selected nonprofit intermediaries wide discretion
to implement the housing counseling program with their affiliates. The
intermediary may decide how to allocate funding among its affiliates
and may determine funding levels at or below $100,000 for individual
affiliates with the understanding that a written record will be kept of
how this determination is made. This record shall be made available to
the agencies affiliated with the intermediary.
III. Checklist of Application Submission Requirements
A. General
Contents of an application will differ somewhat for local housing
counseling agencies and for national, regional, or multi-State
intermediaries; however, all applicants are expected to submit:
1. Standard Form 424, Application for Federal Assistance
2. Standard Form 424B, Assurances--Non-construction Programs
3. Drug-Free Workplace Requirements Certification
4. Applicant/Recipient Disclosure/Update Report, Form HUD-2880
5. Certification and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, Standard
Form LLL, for National Intermediaries only, if applicable
6. Certification Regarding Civil Rights
7. Form HUD-9902, Housing Counseling Agency FISCAL YEAR Activity
Report for fiscal year October 1, 1994 through September 30, 1995.
Where an applicant did not participate in HUD's Housing Counseling
Program during FY 1995, this report should be completed to reflect the
agency's counseling workload during that period in any case. This form
must be fully completed and submitted by every applicant for FY 1996
HUD funding. HUD will reject any application that does not include this
form
8. Computer Equipment Inventory (if applicable)
9. Budget Worksheet. A realistic, proposed budget for use of HUD
funds if awarded. This should be broken down into two categories:
direct counseling costs and capacity building costs. Note that the
budget submitted by a local agency may not exceed a total of $100,000,
including capacity building costs which may not exceed $4,000.
National, regional and multi-State organizations may submit a proposed
budget up to $1 million, including capacity building costs which may
not exceed $5,000
10. Exhibits for National, regional, multi-State or local housing
counseling agencies (as described below in B1-B3 and in the application
kit)
11. Evidence of Housing Counseling Funding Sources (required by all
applicants)
12. Current Housing Counseling Plan
13. A description of counseling activities to be performed
14. A description of organization capability
15. Direct-labor and Hourly-labor rate and Counseling Time Per
Client
16. Congressional District Information
B. National, Regional, and Multi-State Intermediaries
National, regional, and multi-State intermediaries must submit an
application which covers both their network organization and their
affiliated agencies. This application must include:
1. Description of affiliated agencies. For each, list the following
information:
a. Organization name
b. Address
c. Director and contact person (if different)
d. Phone/FAX numbers (including TTY, if appropriate)
e. Federal tax identification number
f. ZIP code service areas
g. Number of staff providing counseling
h. Type of services offered (defined by renter assistance, outreach
initiatives, pre-purchase counseling, post-purchase counseling, and
mortgage default and delinquency counseling)
i. Number of years of housing counseling experience
2. Relationship with affiliates. Briefly describe the
intermediary's relationship with affiliates (i.e. membership
organization, field or branch offices, subsidiary organizations, etc.).
3. Oversight system. Describe the process that will be used for
determining affiliate funding levels, distributing funds, and
monitoring affiliate performance.
IV. Corrections to Deficient Applications
After the submission deadline, applicants may cure only non-
substantial, technical deficiencies that surface during HUD screening
of their application. Applicants will have a ``cure period'' to correct
such deficiencies that are not integral to HUD's review of the
application. Applicants have 14 calendar days from the date HUD
notifies them of any problem to submit the appropriate information to
HUD. Notification of a technical deficiency may be in writing or by
telephone. If the HUD notification is by telephone, a written
confirmation will be transmitted by HUD to the applicant. Where HUD
determines that an application as initially submitted is fundamentally
incomplete, or would require substantial revisions, it will not
consider the application further. Note: HUD will not inform applicants
regarding application deficiencies other than as described in this
section.
V. Other Matters
Environmental Impact
A Finding of No Significant Impact with respect to the environment
was made in accordance with HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 50 that
implement section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332, in connection with the Notice of Funding
Availability published in connection with the Housing Counseling
program on March 21, 1994 (59 FR 13366). That Finding is applicable to
this NOFA and is available for public inspection during business hours
in the Office of the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of General Counsel,
room 10276, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh
Street, SW, Washington, DC 20410.
Federalism Impact
The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under section 6(a)
of Executive Order 12612, Federalism, has determined that this NOFA
does not have ``federalism implications'' because it does not have
substantial direct effects on the States (including their political
subdivisions), or on the distribution of power and responsibilities
among the various levels of government. This NOFA only affects
nonprofit or public organizations who seek funding for their housing
counseling activities.
Impact on the Family
The General Counsel, as the Designated Official under Executive
Order 12606, the Family, has determined that this NOFA has potential
significant impact on family formation, maintenance, and general well-
being only to the extent that the entities who qualify for
participation in HUD's housing counseling program under this notice
will provide families with the counseling and advice they need to avoid
rent delinquencies or mortgage defaults, and to develop competence and
responsibility in meeting their housing needs. Since the potential
impact on the family is considered beneficial, no further review under
the Order is necessary.
[[Page 35911]]
Documentation and Public Access Requirements: HUD Reform Act
HUD will ensure that documentation and other information regarding
each application submitted pursuant to this NOFA are sufficient to
indicate the basis upon which assistance was provided or denied. This
material, including any letters of support, will be made available for
public inspection for a five-year period beginning not less than 30
days after the award of the assistance. Material will be made available
in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and
HUD's implementing regulations at 24 CFR part 15. In addition, HUD will
include the recipients of assistance pursuant to this NOFA in its
Federal Register notice of all recipients of HUD assistance awarded on
a competitive basis. (See 24 CFR 12.14(a) and 12.16(b), and the notice
published in the Federal Register on January 16, 1996, for further
information on these requirements.)
Prohibition Against Advance Information on Funding Decisions: HUD
Reform Act
HUD's regulation implementing section 103 of the Department of
Housing and Urban Development Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3537a), 24
CFR part 4, applies to the funding competition announced today. The
requirements of the rule continue to apply until the announcement of
the selection of successful applicants.
HUD employees involved in the review of applications and in the
making of funding 4.decisions are restrained by part 4 from providing
advance information to any person (other than an authorized employee of
HUD) concerning funding decisions, or from otherwise giving any
applicant an unfair competitive advantage. Persons who apply for
assistance in this competition should confine their inquiries to the
subject areas permitted under 24 CFR part 4.
Applicants or employees who have ethics related questions should
contact the HUD Office of Ethics (202) 708-3815. (This is not a toll-
free number.) Hearing or speech-impaired persons may access that number
by calling toll-free the Federal Information Relay Service at (800)
877-8339. For HUD employees who have specific program questions, such
as whether particular subject matter can be discussed with persons
outside HUD, the employee should contact the appropriate Field Office
Counsel, or Headquarters counsel for the program to which the question
pertains.
Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities
The use of funds awarded under this NOFA is subject to the
disclosure requirements and prohibitions of 24 CFR part 87. That
regulation prohibits recipients of federal contracts, grants, or loans
from using appropriated funds for lobbying the Executive or Legislative
branches of the federal government in connection with a specific
contract, grant, or loan. The prohibition also covers the awarding of
contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or loans unless the
recipient has made an acceptable certification regarding lobbying.
Under 24 CFR part 87, applicants, recipients, and subrecipients of
assistance exceeding $100,000 must certify that no federal funds have
been or will be spent on lobbying activities in connection with the
assistance.
Catalog
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program number is
14.169.
Dated: July 1, 1996.
Nicolas P. Retsinas,
Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner.
Appendix A--HUD Offices
Note: The title of all those listed is: Director, Single Family
Division, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Telephone numbers are not toll-free.
HUD--New England Area
Connecticut state office
Mr. John Ertle
First Floor
330 Main Street
Hartford, CT 06106-1860
(203) 240-4569
Massachusetts State Office
Mr. Edward T. Bernard
Room 375
Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Federal Building
10 Causeway Street
Boston, MA 02222-1092
(617) 565-5101
New Hampshire State Office
Mr. Loren Cole
Norris Cotton Federal Building
275 Chestnut Street
Manchester, NH 03101-2487
(603) 666-7755
Rhode Island State Office
Mr. Michael Dziok
Sixth Floor
10 Weybosset Street
Providence, RI 02903-2808
(401) 528-5351
HUD--New York, New Jersey Area
New Jersey State Office
Ms. Theresa Arce
Thirteenth Floor
One Newark Center
Newark, NJ 07102-5260
(201) 622-7900 X3500
New York State Office
Mr. Juan Baustista
26 Federal Plaza
New York, NY 10278-0068
(212) 264-0777 X3746
Albany Area Office
Mr. Robert S. Scofield, Jr.
52 Corporate Circle
Albany, NY 12203-5121
(518) 464-4200 EXT. 4205
Buffalo Area Office
Mr. Glenn Ruggles
Lafayette Court
465 Main Street
Buffalo, NY 14203-1780
(716) 846-5732
Camden Area Office
Mr. Philip Caulfield
Second Floor
Hudson Building
800 Hudson Square
Camden, NJ 08102-1156
(609) 757-5083
HUD--Midatlantic area
District of Columbia office
Ms. Carole Catineau
820 First Street, NE
Washington, D.C. 20002-4502
(202) 275-9200 X3055
Maryland state office
Ms. Candace Simms
Fifth Floor
City Crescent Building
10 South Howard Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-2505
(410) 962-2520 X3094
Pennsylvania state office
Mr. Mike Perretta
The Wanamaker Building
100 Penn Square East
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3380
(215) 656-0507
Virginia state office
Ms. Rheba G. Gwaltney
The 3600 Centre
3600 West Broad Street
P.O. Box 90331
Richmond, VA 23230-0331
(804) 278-4512
West Virginia state office
Mr. Peter Minter
Suite 708
405 Capitol Street
Charleston, WV 25301-1795
(304) 347-7064
Pittsburgh area office
Mr. Al Curotola
339 Sixth Ave., Sixth Floor
Pittsburgh, PA 15222-2515
(412) 644-6940
HUD--Southeast/Caribbean area
Alabama state office
Ms. Martha Andrus
Suite 300
Beacon Ridge Tower
600 Beacon Parkway, West
Birmingham, AL 35209-3144
[[Page 35912]]
(205) 290-7648
Caribbean office
Ms. Margarita Delgado
New San Juan Office Building
159 Carlos Chardon Avenue
San Juan, PR 00918-1804
(787) 766-5402
Georgia state office
Ms. Janice Cooper
Richard B. Russell Federal Building
75 Spring Street, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303-3388
(404) 331-4801
Kentucky state office
Mr. David A. Powell
601 West Broadway
P.O. Box 1044
Louisville, KY 40201-1044
(502) 582-6167
Mississippi state office
Mr. Jerry F. Perkins
Suite 910
Doctor A.H. McCoy Federal Building
100 West Capitol Street
Jackson, MS 39269-1016
(601) 965-4930
North Carolina state office
Mr. Robert Dennis
Koger Building
2306 West Meadowview Road
Greensboro, NC 27407-3707
(910) 547-4053
South Carolina state office
Mr. David L. Ball
Strom Thurmond Federal Building
1835 Assembly Street
Columbia, SC 29201-2480
(803) 765-5593
Coral Gables area office
Ms. Sara D. Warren
Gables 1 Tower
1320 South Dixie Highway
Coral Gables, FL 33146-2911
(305) 662-4526
Jacksonville area office
Ms. Ann Whaley
Suite 2200
Southern Bell Tower
301 West Bay Street
Jacksonville, FL 32202-5121
(904) 232-2811
Knoxville area office
Mr. William Pavelchik
Third Floor
John J. Duncan Federal Building
710 Locust Street
Knoxville, TN 37902-2526
(423) 545-4377
Memphis area office
Ms. Fellece S. Sawyer, Acting
Suite 1200
One Memphis Place
200 Jefferson Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103-2335
(901) 544-3367
Tennessee state office
Mr. Ed M. Phillips
Suite 200
251 Cumberland Bend Drive
Nashville, TN 37228-1803
(615) 736-7154
Orlando area office
Mr. Robert K. Osterman
Suite 270
Langley Building
3751 Maguire Boulevard
Orlando, FL 32803-3032
(407) 648-6441
Tampa area office
Ms. Nikki A. Spitzer
Suite 700
Timberlake Federal Building Annex
501 East Polk Street
Tampa, FL 33602-3945
(813) 228-2504
HUD--Midwest area
Illinois state office
Ms. Debra F. Robinson
Ralph H. Metcalfe Federal Building
77 West Jackson Boulevard
Chicago, IL 60604-3507
(312) 353-5066
Indiana state office
Ms. Brenda Laroche
151 North Delaware Street
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2526
(317) 226-7034
Michigan state office
Mr. John Frelich
Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building
477 Michigan Avenue
Detroit, MI 48226-2592
(313) 226-6885
Minnesota state office
Mr. John E. Buenger
220 Second Street, South
Minneapolis, MN 55401-2195
(612) 370-3053
Ohio state office
Mr. Verlon Shannon
200 North High Street
Columbus, OH 43215-2499
(614) 469-5536
Wisconsin state office
Mr. Larry Milewski
Suite 1380
Henry S. Reuss Federal Plaza
310 West Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53203-2289
(414) 297-3156
Cincinnati area office
Ms. Louistine Tuck
525 Vine St Suite 700
Cincinnati, OH 45202-3253
(513) 684-2833
Cleveland area office
Mr. Kendel King
Fifth Floor
Renaissance Building
1350 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44115-1815
(216) 522-2784
Flint area office
Mr. Gary Levine
Room 200
605 North Saginaw Street
Flint, MI 48502-1953
(810) 766-5107
Grand Rapids area office
Ms. Shirley Bryant
50 Louis St, N.W.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503-2648
(616) 456-2146
HUD--Southwest area
Arkansas state office
Ms. Susan E. Finister
Suite 900
TCBY Tower
425 West Capitol Avenue
Little Rock, AR 72201-3488
(501) 324-5961
Louisiana state office
Mr. Byron D. Duplantier
9th Floor
Hale Boggs Federal Building
501 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA 70130-3099
(504) 589-6570
New Mexico state office
Ms. Carol G. Johnson
625 Truman Street, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87110-6443
(505) 262-6269
Texas state office
Mr. Louis Ybarra
1600 Throckmorton Street
P.O. Box 2905
Fort Worth, TX 76113-2905
(817) 885-6255
Houston area office
Mr. Henry Hadnot
Suite 200
Norfolk Tower
2211 Norfolk
Houston, TX 77098-4096
(713) 313-2274 EXT. 7019
Lubbock area office
Mr. Miguel Rincon
Federal Office Building
1205 Texas Avenue
Lubbock, TX 79401-4093
(806) 743-7262
Oklahoma state office
Mr. Ken Beck
500 West Main St., Suite 400
Oklahoma City, OK 73102-2233
(405) 553-7444
San Antonio area office
Mr. Antonio C. Cabral
Washington Square
800 Dolorosa Street
San Antonio, TX 78207-4563
(210) 229-6898
Shreveport area office
Ms. Martha Sakre
Suite 1510
401 Edwards Street
Shreveport, LA 71101-3107
(318) 676-3440
Tulsa area office
Ms. Jeanne King
50 East 15th Street
Suite 110
Tulsa, OK 74119-4032
(918) 581-7442
[[Page 35913]]
HUD--Great Plains
Iowa state office
Mr. Patrick Liao
Room 239
Federal Building
210 Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50309-2155
(515) 284-4804
Kansas/Missouri state office
Mr. Deryl Sellmeyer
Room 200
Gateway Tower II
400 State Avenue
Kansas City, KS 66101-2406
(913) 551-6820
Nebraska state office
Ms. Nancy Sheets
Executive Tower Centre
10909 Mill Valley Road
Omaha, NE 68154-3955
(402) 492-3135
Saint Louis area field office
Mr. Dennis Martin
Third Floor
Robert A. Young Federal Building
1222 Spruce Street
St. Louis, MO 63103-2836
(314) 539-6388
HUD--Rocky Mountains area
Colorado state office
Ms. Sheryl S. Miller
First Interstate Tower North
633 17th Street
Denver, CO 80202-3607
(303) 672-5343
Montana state office
Mr. Gerard Boone
Room 340
Federal Office Building, Drawer 10095
301 S. Park
Helena, MT 59626-0095
(406) 441-1300
Utah state office
Mr. Richard P. Bell
Suite 550
257 Tower
257 East, 200 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111-2048
(801) 524-5241
HUD--Pacific/Hawaii area
Arizona state office
Ms. Bernice Campbell
Suite 1600
Two Arizona Center
400 North 5th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004-2361
(602) 379-6704
California state office
Mr. James McClanahan
Philip Burton Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse
450 Golden Gate Avenue
P.O. Box 36003
San Francisco, CA 94102-3448
(415) 436-6517
Hawaii state office
Ms. Jill B. Hurt
7 Waterfront Plaza (Suite 500)
500 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, HI 96813-4918
(808) 522-8190
Nevada state office
Mr. William Fattic
Suite 700
Atrium Building
333 No. Rancho Drive
Las Vegas, NV 89106-3714
(702) 388-6500
Fresno area office
Ms. Yvielle Edwards-Lee
Suite 138
1630 E. Shaw Avenue
Fresno, CA 93710-8193
(209) 487-5032
Los Angeles area office
Mr. Malcolm Findley
1615 West Olympic Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90015-3801
(213) 251-7217
Reno area office
Mr. William Fattic
Suite 114
1575 Delucchi Lane
Reno, NV 89502-6581
(702) 784-5388
Sacramento area office
Mr. Ron M. Johnson
Suite 200
777 12th Avenue
Sacramento, CA 95814-1997
(916) 498-5254
San Diego area office
Mr. Danny E. Mendez
Mission City Corporate Center
2365 Northside Drive (Suite 300)
San Diego, CA 92108-2712
(619) 557-2608
Santa Ana area office
Mr. David A. Westerfield
Suite 500
3 Hutton Centre
Santa Ana, CA 92707-5764
(714) 957-7352
Tucson area office
Ms. Sharon K. Atwell
Suite 700
Security Pacific Bank Plaza
33 North Stone Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85701-1467
(520) 670-6000
HUD--Northwest/Alaska area
Alaska state office
Mr. Paul O. Johnson
Suite 401
University Plaza Building
949 East 36th Avenue
Anchorage, AK 99508-4399
(907) 271-4610
Idaho state office
Mr. Gary L. Gillespie
Suite 220
Plaza IV
800 Park Boulevard
Boise, ID 83712-7743
(208) 334-1991
Oregon state office
Ms. Pamela D. West
400 S.W. Sixth Ave., Suite 700
Portland, OR 97204
(503) 326-2684
Washington state office
Mr. David L. Rodgers
Suite 200
Seattle Federal Office Building
909 First Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-1000
(206) 220-5200 X3252
[FR Doc. 96-17258 Filed 7-5-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-27-P