[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 161 (Friday, August 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50497-50498]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-21032]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 161 / Friday, August 18, 2000 / 
Notices  

[[Page 50497]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for Section 515 Rural 
Rental Housing Funds and Section 521 Rental Assistance for Needs 
Resulting From Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service (RHS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This NOFA announces the availability of section 515 new 
construction and repair funds and section 521 rental assistance (RA) to 
meet needs resulting from hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene. This 
document describes the eligibility and submission requirements, the 
criteria that will be used to select requests for further processing, 
and the deadline for submitting applications.

DATES: The closing deadline for receipt of applications in response to 
this NOFA is 5 p.m., local time for each Rural Development State office 
on October 17, 2000. The application deadline is firm as to date and 
hour. 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) and postage due applications will not be 
accepted. Notwithstanding this deadline, applicants who are prevented 
from filing by the time limit because of hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and 
Irene may submit applications in accordance with the procedures 
described in Section V, ``Administrator's Reserve Requests.''

ADDRESSES: Applicants wishing to apply for assistance must contact the 
Rural Development State office serving the community for which they 
desire to submit an application 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. Following is a list of states with counties that were declared 
disaster areas as a result of hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene by 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Rural Development 
State Office address, telephone number, and person to contact:

    Note: Telephone numbers listed are not toll-free.

Connecticut (Served by Massachusetts State Office), 451 West Street, 
Amherst, MA 01002, (413) 253-4333, TDD (413) 253-7068, Donald Colburn
Delaware and Maryland State Office, 5201 South Dupont Highway, PO Box 
400, Camden, DE 19934-9998, (302) 697-4353, TDD (302) 697-4303, Pat 
Baker
Florida State Office, 4440 N.W. 25th Place, PO Box 147010, Gainesville, 
FL 32614-7010, (352) 338-3465, TDD (352) 338-3499, Joseph P. Fritz
Maine State Office, 967 Illinois Ave., Suite 4, PO Box 405, Bangor, ME 
04402-0405, (207) 990-9115, TDD (207) 942-7331, Dale D. Holmes
Maryland (See Delaware and Maryland State Office), New Hampshire State 
Office, Concord Center, Suite 218, Box 317, 10 Ferry Street, Concord, 
NH 03301-5004, (603) 223-6046, TDD (603) 229-0536, Jim Fowler
New Jersey State Office, Tarnsfield Plaza, Suite 22, 790 Woodland Road, 
Mt. Holly, NJ 08060, (609) 265-3631, TDD (609) 265-3687, George Hyatt, 
Jr.
New York State Office, The Galleries of Syracuse, 441 S. Salina Street, 
Suite 357, Syracuse, NY 13202, (315) 477-6419, TDD (315) 477-6447, 
George N. Von Pless
North Carolina State Office, 4405 Bland Road, Suite 260, Raleigh, NC 
27609, (919) 873-2062, TDD (919) 873-2003, Eileen Nowlin
Pennsylvania State Office, One Credit Union Place, Suite 330, 
Harrisburg, PA 17110-2996, (717) 237-2281, TDD (717) 237-2261, Gary 
Rothrock
South Carolina State Office, Strom Thurmond Federal Building, 1835 
Assembly Street, Room 1007, Columbia, SC 29201, (803) 765-3432, TDD 
(803) 765-5697, Larry D. Floyd
Vermont State Office, City Center, 3rd Floor, 89 Main Street, 
Montpelier, VT 05602, (802) 828-6028, TDD (802) 223-6365, Sandra 
Mercier
Virginia State Office, Culpeper Building, Suite 238, 1606 Santa Rosa 
Road, Richmond, VA 23229, (804) 287-1582, TDD (804) 287-1753, Carlton 
Jarratt

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, applicants 
may contact Linda Armour, Senior Loan Officer, Multi-Family Housing 
Processing Division, Rural Housing Service, United States Department of 
Agriculture, Stop 0781, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 
20250, telephone (202) 720-1753 (voice) (this is not a toll free 
number) or (800) 877-8339 (TDD-Federal Information Relay Service).

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 Distribution Methodology

A. Authority

    Section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1485) provides 
RHS with the authority to make loans to any individual, corporation, 
association, trust, Indian tribe, public or private nonprofit 
organization, consumer cooperative, or partnership, to provide rental 
or cooperative housing and related facilities in rural areas for very-
low, low, or moderate income persons or families, including elderly 
persons and persons with disabilities. Rental assistance (RA) is a 
tenant subsidy for very-low and low-income families residing in rural 
rental housing facilities with RHS financing and may be requested with 
applications for such facilities.

B. Section 515 funds for needs resulting from hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, 
and Irene

    A total of $34,000,000 is available for applications received under 
this NOFA for needs resulting from hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene. 
Applications

[[Page 50498]]

received in response to this NOFA will be processed as follows:
1. New Construction Requests
    New construction requests may be submitted to develop units in 
communities with a need for new rental housing as a result of the 
hurricanes. Applicants must provide documentation describing how the 
need for the housing is related to the hurricanes, for example, to 
replace housing that was lost or to provide affordable housing because 
of the loss of employment in the market area. Applications must be 
submitted to the Rural Development State office by the closing 
deadline, where they will be reviewed, scored, and ranked in accordance 
with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E. States will provide a list of eligible 
applications to the National office for nationwide ranking and 
distribution of funds and RA. If new construction applications exceed 
the amount of available funds, preference in ranking will be given to 
applications to develop units in counties with the greatest number of 
approved disaster housing requests, based on data from the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
    New construction requests will be scored based on the following 
factors that are found in 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E:
    (a) The presence and extent of leveraged assistance for the units 
that will serve RHS income-eligible tenants at basic rents comparable 
to those if RHS provided full financing, computed as a percentage of 
the RHS total development cost (TDC). RHS TDC excludes non-RHS eligible 
costs such as a developer's fee. Points will be awarded in accordance 
with the following table. (0 to 20 points)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Percentage of leveraging                      Points
------------------------------------------------------------------------
 75 or more...................................................        20
70-74.........................................................        19
65-69.........................................................        18
60-64.........................................................        17
55-59.........................................................        16
50-54.........................................................        15
45-49.........................................................        14
40-44.........................................................        13
35-39.........................................................        12
30-34.........................................................        11
25-29.........................................................        10
20-24.........................................................         9
15-19.........................................................         8
10-14.........................................................         7
5-9...........................................................         6
0-4...........................................................         0
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (b) The units to be developed are in a colonia, tribal land, EZ, 
EC, or REAP community, or in a place identified in the State 
Consolidated Plan or State Needs Assessment as a high need community 
for multifamily housing. (``State'' in ``State Consolidated Plan'' and 
``State Needs Assessment'' refers to the State government.) (20 points)
    (c) The loan request includes donated land meeting the provisions 
of 7 CFR 1944.215(r)(4). (5 points)
2. Repair of Section 515 Properties or Replacement of Section 515 Units
    Funds are available for requests to repair damage to section 515 
properties caused by the hurricanes (funds may not be used for other 
non-hurricane related repair or rehabilitation needs), or to replace 
section 515 units destroyed by the hurricanes. The applicant must 
provide documentation that the damage was a result of the hurricanes.

C. Section 521 Rental Assistance (RA) for Needs Resulting From 
Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene

    Requests may be submitted for section 521 rental assistance (RA) as 
follows:
    1. Requests for new construction funds may include a request for RA 
if needed for market feasibility.
    2. Requests to repair or replace units may include a request for RA 
if the RA is needed as a result of the hurricanes, for example, because 
of a loss of jobs in the area due to hurricane damage.
    3. Owners of section 515 properties who are not requesting funds 
may submit a RA-only request if RA is needed as a result of the 
hurricanes, for example, to assist tenants who have lost their jobs 
because of hurricane damage.

II. Funding Limits

    Individual loan requests may not exceed $1.5 million.

III. Application Process

    All applications for funds and RA 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 and will be returned to 
the applicant. No application will be accepted after 5:00 p.m., local 
time, on the application deadline previously mentioned unless the date 
and time is extended by a Notice published in the Federal Register.

IV. 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 
to obtain an application package.

V. Administrator's Reserve Requests

    An amount of $6,000,000 and any funds remaining from this NOFA will 
be placed in the Administrator's reserve and will be available until 
expended for needs resulting from hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene. 
Applications for the reserve must meet the application requirements 
described in this NOFA and, in addition, must provide documentation 
describing the reasons they were not able to be submitted by the NOFA 
deadline, for example, because of site or infrastructure issues. 
Applications will be reviewed, scored, and ranked by States in 
accordance with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart E. As applications are 
received and ranked, States will provide a list to the National Office 
for nationwide ranking and distribution of funds. The National ranking 
and distribution of funds will be done at the end of each 60-day period 
following the close of this NOFA until all funds are expended.

    Dated: August 11, 2000.
William Simpson,
Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 00-21032 Filed 8-17-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P