[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 88 (Wednesday, May 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25078-25080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-11816]



  Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 88 / Wednesday, May 7, 1997 / 
Notices  

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Section 515 Rural 
Rental Housing Program

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service (RHS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This NOFA announces the timeframe to submit applications for 
Section 515 Rural Rental Housing new construction loan funds and 
Section 521 Rental Assistance (RA). This document describes the 
following: the authority and allocation of loan funds and new 
construction rental assistance (RA); the application process; 
submission requirements; and areas of special emphasis or 
consideration.

DATES: The closing deadline for receipt of applications in response to 
this NOFA is 5:00 p.m., local time for each Rural Development State 
Office on June 16, 997. The application closing deadline is firm as to 
date and hour. RHS will not consider any application that is received 
after the closing deadline. In particular, applicants intending to mail 
applications must provide sufficient time to permit delivery on or 
before the closing deadline date and time. Acceptance by a post office 
or private mailer does not constitute delivery. Facsimile (FAX), COD, 
and postage due applications will not be accepted.

ADDRESSES: Applicants wishing to apply for assistance should contact 
the Rural Development State Office serving the place in which they 
desire to submit an application for rural rental housing to receive 
further information and copies of the application package. Rural 
Development will date and time stamp incoming applications to evidence 
timely receipt, and, upon request, will provide the applicant with a 
written acknowledgment of receipt. A listing of Rural Development State 
Offices, their addresses, telephone numbers, and person to contact 
follows:

Rural Development State Offices

    Note: Telephone numbers listed are not toll-free.

Alabama State Office, Sterling Center Office Building, 4121 Carmichael 
Road, Suite 601, Montgomery, AL 36106-3683, (334) 279-3455, Jim Harris
Alaska State Office, 800 West Evergreen, Suite 201, Palmer, AK 99645, 
(907) 745-2176, Ron Abbott
Arizona State Office, Phoenix Corporate Center, 3003 N. Central Ave., 
Suite 900, Phoenix, AZ 85012-2906, (602) 280-8755, Steve Langstaff
Arkansas State Office, 700 W. Capitol Ave., Rm. 5411, Little Rock, AR 
72201-3225, (501) 324-6701, Cathy Jones
California State Office, 194 West Main Street, Suite F, Woodland, CA 
95695-2915, (916) 668-2090, Robert P. Anderson
Colorado State Office, 655 Parfet Street, Room E100, Lakewood, CO 
80215, (303) 236-2801 (ext. 122) , ``Sam'' Mitchell
Connecticut--Served by Massachusetts State Office
Delaware/Maryland State Office, 5201 South Dupont Highway, PO Box 400, 
Camden, DE 19934-9998, (302) 697-4314, W. Arthur Greenwood
Florida State Office, 4440 N.W. 25th Place, PO Box 147010, Gainesville, 
FL 32614-7010, (352) 338-3465, Joseph P. Fritz
Georgia State Office, Stephens Federal Building, 355 E. Hancock Avenue, 
Athens, GA 30601-2768, (706) 546-2164, Wayne Rogers
Guam--Served by Hawaii State Office
Hawaii State Office, Room 311, Federal Building, 154 Waianuenue Avenue, 
Hilo, HI 96720, (808) 933-3005, Abraham Kubo
Idaho State Office, 3232 Elder Street, Boise, ID 83705, (208) 378-5627, 
Beverly J. Aslett
Illinois State Office, Illini Plaza, Suite 103, 1817 South Neil Street, 
Champaign, IL 61820, (217) 398-5412 (ext. 256), Barry L. Ramsey
Indiana State Office, 5975 Lakeside Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46278, 
(317) 290-3115, John Young
Iowa State Office, 873 Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street, Des Moines, 
IA 50309, (515) 284-4493, Bruce McGuire
Kansas State Office, 1200 SW Executive Drive, PO Box 4653, Topeka, KS 
66604, (913) 271-2720, Gary Shumaker
Kentucky State Office, 771 Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Lexington, KY 
40503, (606) 224-7325, Paul Higgins
Louisiana State Office, 3727 Government Street, Alexandria, LA 71302, 
(318) 473-7950, Yvonne R. Emerson
Maine State Office, 444 Stillwater Ave., Suite 2, PO Box 405, Bangor, 
ME 04402-0405, (207) 990-9110, Beverly A. Stone
Maryland--Served by Delaware State Office,
Massachusetts State Office, 451 West Street, Amherst, MA 01002, (413) 
253-4327, Donald Colburn
Michigan State Office, 3001 Coolidge Road, Suite 200, East Lansing, MI 
48823, (515) 337-6635 (ext. 1608), Larry Hammond
Minnesota State Office, 410 AgriBank Building, 375 Jackson Street, St. 
Paul, MN 55101-1853, (612) 290-3912, Randall Hemmerlain
Mississippi State Office, Federal Building, Suite 831, 100 W. Capitol 
Street, Jackson, MS 39269, (601) 965-4325, Mike Ladner
Missouri State Office, 601 Business Loop 70 West, Parkade Center, Suite 
235, Columbia, MO 65203, (573) 876-0990, Gary Frisch
Montana State Office, Unit 1, Suite B, 900 Technology Blvd., Bozeman, 
MT 59715, (406) 585-2515, Marylou Falconer
Nebraska State Office, Federal Building, room 308, 100 Centennial Mall 
N, Lincoln, NE 68508, (402) 437-5557, Byron Fischer
Nevada State Office, 390 South Curry Street, Carson City, NV 89703-
5405, (702) 887-1222, Jackie J. Goodnough
New Hampshire--Served by Vermont State Office,
New Jersey State Office, Tarnsfield Plaza, Suite 22, 790 Woodland Road, 
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060, (609) 265-3630, George Hyatt, Jr.
New Mexico State Office, 6200 Jefferson St., NE, Room 255, Albuquerque, 
NM 87109, (505) 761-4944, Carmen N. Lopez
New York State Office, The Galleries of Syracuse 441 S. Salina Street, 
Suite 357, Syracuse, NY 13202, (315) 477-6419, George N. Von Pless
North Carolina State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, Raleigh, NC 
27609, (919) 873-2062, Eileen Nowlin
North Dakota State Office, Federal Building, Room 208, 220 East Rosser, 
PO Box 1737, Bismarck, ND 58502, (701) 250-4771, Kathy David
Ohio State Office, Federal Building, Room 507, 5200 North High Street, 
Columbus, OH 43215-2477, (614) 469-5165, Gerald Arnott
Oklahoma State Office, 100 USDA, Suite 108, Stillwater, OK 74074-2654, 
(405) 742-1070, Patsy Graumann
Oregon State Office, 101 SW Main, Suite 1410, Portland, OR 9724-2333, 
(503) 414-3350, Jillene Davis
Pennsylvania State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 330, 
Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, (717) 782-4574, Gary Rothrock
Puerto Rico State Office, New San Juan Office Bldg., Room 501, 159 
Carlos E. Chardon Street, Hato Rey, PR 00918-5481, (809) 766-5095 Ext. 
256, Lourdes Colon
Rhode Island--Served by Massachusetts State Office
South Carolina State Office, Strom Thurmond Federal Building, 1835

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Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, SC 29201, (803) 765-5690, Frances 
S. Kelley
South Dakota State Office, Federal Building, Room 308, 200 Fourth 
Street, SW, Huron, SD 57350, (605) 352-1132, Dwight Wullweber
Tennessee State Office, Suite 300, 3322 West End Avenue, Nashville, TN 
37203-1071, (615) 783-1375, G. Benson Lasater
Texas State Office, Federal Building, Suite 102, 101 South Main, 
Temple, TX 76501, (817) 774-1305, Eugene G. Pavlat
Utah State Office Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building, 125 S. State 
Street, Room 5438, Salt Lake City, UT 84138, (801) 524-3242, Robert L. 
Milianta
Vermont State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor 89 Main Street, 
Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828-6020, Russell Higgins
Virgin Islands--Served by Vermont State Office
Virginia State Office, Culpeper Building, Suite 238, 1606 Santa Rosa 
Road, Richmond, VA 23229, (804) 287-1582. Gayle Friedhoff
Washington State Office, 1835 Black Lake Blvd. SW., Suite D, Olympia, 
WA 98512-5717, (360) 704-7707, Deborah Davis
Western Pacific Territories--Served by Hawaii State Office
West Virginia State Office, Federal Building, 75 High Street, Room 320, 
Morgantown, WV 26505-7500, (304) 291-4793, Sue Snodgrass
Wisconsin State Office, 4949 Kirschiling Court, Stevens Point, WI 
54481, (715) 345-7620, Sherry Engel
Wyoming State Office, 100 East B, Federal Building, Room 1005, PO Box 
820, Casper, WY 82602, (307) 261-6315, Charles E. Huff

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Applicants should contact the 
appropriate Rural Development State Office listed above for funding 
availability and limitations. For general information, applicants may 
contact Linda Armour, Cynthia L. Reese-Foxworth, or Carl Wagner, Senior 
Loan Officers, Multi-Family Housing Processing Division, Rural Housing 
Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Stop 0781, 
Washington, DC, 20250, telephone (202) 720-1604 (this is not a toll 
free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Programs Affected

    The Rural Rental Housing Program is listed in the Catalog of 
Federal Domestic Assistance under Number 10.415, Rural Rental Housing 
Loans. Rental assistance is listed in the Catalog under Number 10.427, 
Rural Rental Assistance Payments.

Discussion of Notice

I. Authority and Allocation

A. Authority
    Section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1485). The Agency 
is authorized to make loans to any individual, corporation, 
association, trust, Indian tribe, private nonprofit corporation, 
consumer cooperative, or partnership to provide rental or cooperative 
housing and related facilities for elderly or handicapped persons or 
families of low or moderate income as well as other persons and 
families of low income in rural areas. Rental assistance is a tenant 
subsidy available to very-low and low-income families residing in rural 
rental housing facilities with RHS financing, and is requested with 
application for such facilities.
B. Allocation Amounts
    Based on the allocation formula contained in 7 CFR part 1940, 
subpart L ``Methodology and Formulas for Allocation of Loan and Grant 
Program Funds,'' RHS has allocated available funds directly to each 
Rural Development State Office. The Agency also has $6.9 million 
available nationwide in a set-aside for eligible nonprofit 
organizations and $4.8 million available in the Rural Housing Targeted 
Set-aside for certain underserved areas.
    The Rural Housing Service has revised its application and review 
process for Section 515 Rural Rental Housing new construction program. 
Regulations are published elsewhere in this Federal Register as noted 
below. Those regulations provide that some prior year applicants may 
proceed with their applications as long as it complies with these new 
regulations. Therefore, the following States have applications on hand 
from prior years in designated places that will use all of its direct 
allocation:
Alaska,
Illinois,
Kansas,
Louisiana,
Maine,
Nevada,
Ohio,
Oregon,
South Dakota,
Tennessee,
Texas, and Wisconsin.
    Other States also have applications on hand that will use only part 
of their allocation. In addition, as noted above, limited funds are 
available to all States for eligible nonprofit organizations and to 
some States for the Rural Housing Targeted Set-aside. Accordingly, all 
potential applicants and interested parties must contact the 
appropriate Rural Development State Office to ascertain funding 
availability from the State's allocation and potential availability of 
funds from the set-asides for nonprofit organizations and underserved 
areas.

II. Application Process

    All applications for section 515 new construction funds must be 
filed with the appropriate Rural Development State Office and must meet 
the requirements of 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E and section IV of this 
NOFA. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. No application will 
be accepted after June 16, 1997, 5:00 p.m., local time, unless that 
date and time is extended by a Notice published in the Federal 
Register. Applications received after that date and time will not be 
accepted, even if postmarked by the deadline date.

III. Application Submission Requirements

    A. Each application shall include all of the information, 
materials, forms and exhibits required by 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E as 
well as comply with the provisions of this NOFA. Applicants are 
encouraged, but not required, to include a checklist and to have their 
applications indexed and tabbed to facilitate the review process. The 
Rural Development State Office will base its determination of 
completeness of the application and the eligibility of each applicant 
on the information provided in the application.
    B. Applicants are advised to contact the Rural Development State 
Office serving the place in which they desire to submit an application 
for the following:

1. Application information;
2. Any restrictions on funding availability (applications that do not 
conform to or exceed the State's limit on size of project and dollar 
amount will be returned to the applicant); and
3. List of designated places for funding new section 515 facilities.

IV. Areas of Special Emphasis or Consideration

    A. The selection criteria contained in 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E 
includes two optional criteria, one set by the National Office and one 
by the State Office, to support special initiatives at the National and 
State Office level. Since this selection criteria was published as

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part of an interim final rule, without full public comment, these 
optional criteria will not apply this fiscal year.
    B. Loan requests filed in response to this NOFA are subject to the 
regulatory provisions with respect to the Interim Final Rules entitled 
``Processing Requests for Section 515 Rural Rental Housing (RRH) 
Loans'', and ``Rural Rental Housing (RRH) Assistance,'' which are 
published in this Federal Register.

    Dated: May 1, 1997.
Ronnie O. Tharrington,
Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 97-11816 Filed 5-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-U