[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 95 (Friday, May 16, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26941-26943]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12245]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service


Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) for Section 514 Farm Labor 
Housing Loans and Section 516 Farm Labor Housing Grants for Off-Farm 
Housing for Fiscal Year 2003

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service (RHS), USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This NOFA announces the availability of funds for section 514 
Farm Labor Housing loan funds and section 516 Farm Labor Housing grant 
funds for new construction and acquisition and rehabilitation of off-
farm units for farmworker households. Applications may also include 
requests for section 521 rental assistance (RA) and operating 
assistance for migrant units. By prior notice in the Federal Register, 
the Agency announced a deadline of March 27, 2003, 5 p.m., local time 
for each Rural Development State Office, for submitting applications 
for sections 514/516 Farm Labor Housing Loans and Grants and Section 
521 Rental Assistance (RA). The ``Notice of Timeframe for Section 514 
Farm Labor Housing Loans and Section 516 Farm Labor Housing Grants for 
Off-Farm Housing for Fiscal Year 2003'' was published in the Federal 
Register on December 27, 2002 (67 FR 79030). This was done prior to 
passage of a final appropriations act to allow sufficient time for 
applicants to complete an application, and for the Agency to select and 
process selected applications within the current fiscal year. This 
Notice changes the timeframe to submit applications for the Section 514 
Farm Labor Housing Loans and Section 516 Farm Labor Housing Grants for 
Off-Farm Housing for Fiscal Year 2003 to be August 14, 2003. Detailed 
information regarding the application and selection process, as well as 
a listing of the Rural Development State Offices, may be found in the 
December 27, 2002, notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information, applicants 
may contact Mary Fox, Senior Loan Specialist or David Layfield, Senior 
Loan Specialist, of the Multi-Family Housing Processing Division, Rural 
Housing Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Stop 0781,

[[Page 26942]]

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250, telephone (202) 
720-1624 or (202) 690-0759 (voice) (this is not a toll free number) or 
(800) 877-8339 (TDD-Federal Information Relay Service).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Programs Affected

    The Farm Labor Housing Program is listed in the Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance under Number 10.405, Farm Labor Housing Loans and 
Grants. Rental Assistance is listed in the Catalog under Number 10.427, 
Rural Rental Assistance Payments.

Definitions

    Farm Labor. Farm labor includes services in connection with 
cultivating the soil, raising or harvesting any agriculture or 
aquaculture commodity; or in catching, netting, handling, planting, 
drying, packing, grading, storing, or preserving in its unmanufactured 
state any agriculture or aquaculture commodity; or delivering to 
storage, market, or a carrier for transportation to market or to 
process any agricultural or aquacultural commodity.
    Migrant Agricultural Laborers. Agricultural laborers and family 
dependents who establish a temporary residence while performing 
agriculture work at one or more locations away from the place they call 
home or home base. (This does not include day-haul agricultural workers 
whose travels are limited to work areas within one day of their work 
locations.)
    Off-Farm Labor Housing. Housing for farm laborers regardless of the 
farm where they work.

Discussion of Notice

I. Authority and Distribution Methodology

A. Authority
    The Farm Labor Housing program is authorized by the Housing Act of 
1949: Section 514 (42 U.S.C. 1484) for loans and section 516 (42 U.S.C. 
1486) for grants. Tenant subsidies (rental assistance (RA)) are 
available through section 521 (42 U.S.C. 1490a). Sections 514 and 516 
provide RHS the authority to make loans and grants for financing off-
farm housing to broad-based nonprofit organizations, nonprofit 
organizations of farmworkers, federally recognized Indian tribes, 
agencies or political subdivisions of State or local government, public 
agencies (such as local housing authorities) and with section 514 loans 
to nonprofit limited partnerships in which the general partner is a 
nonprofit entity.
B. Distribution Methodology
    Because RHS has the ability to adjust loan and grant levels, final 
loan and grant levels will fluctuate. The estimated funds available for 
fiscal year (FY) 2003 for off-farm housing are:
Section 514 loans--$30,480,202
Section 516 grants--13,198,209
c. Section 514 and Section 516 Funds
    Section 514 loan funds and section 516 grant funds will be 
distributed to States based on a national competition, as follows:
    1. States will accept, review, and score requests in accordance 
with 7 CFR part 1944, subpart D. The scoring factors are:
    (a) The presence and extent of leveraged assistance, including 
donated land, for the units that will serve program-eligible tenants, 
calculated as a percentage of the RHS total development cost (TDC). RHS 
TDC excludes non-RHS eligible costs such as a developer's fee. 
Leveraged assistance includes, but is not limited to, funds for hard 
construction costs, section 8 or other non-RHS tenant subsidies, and 
state or federal funds. A minimum of ten percent leveraged assistance 
is required to earn points; however, if the total percentage of 
leveraged assistance is less than ten percent and the proposal includes 
donated land, two points will be awarded for the donated land. Points 
will be awarded in accordance with the following table. (0 to 20 
points)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                           Percentage                             Points
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75 or more.....................................................       20
60-74..........................................................       18
50-59..........................................................       16
40-49..........................................................       12
30-39..........................................................       10
20-29..........................................................        8
10-19..........................................................        5
0-9............................................................        0
Donated land in proposals with less than ten percent total             2
 leveraged assistance..........................................
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    (b) Seasonal, temporary, migrant housing. (5 points for up to and 
including 50 percent of the units; 10 points for 51 percent or more.)
    (c) The selection criteria contained in 7 CFR part 1944, subpart D 
includes one optional criteria set by the National Office. The National 
office initiative will be used in the selection criteria as follows:

    Up to 10 Points will be awarded based on the presence of and 
extent to which a tenant services plan exists that clearly outlines 
services that will be provided to the residents of the proposed 
project. These services may include but are not limited to: 
Transportation related services, on-site English as a Second 
Language (ESL) classes, move-in funds, emergency assistance funds, 
homeownership counseling, food pantries, after school tutoring, and 
computer learning centers. Two points will be awarded for each 
resident service included in the tenant services plan up to a 
maximum of 10 points. Plans must detail how the services are to be 
administered, who will administer them, and where they will be 
administered. All tenant service plans must include letters of 
intent that clearly state the service that will be provided at the 
project for the benefit of the residents from any party 
administering each service, including the applicant. (0 to 10 
points)

    2. States will conduct preliminary eligibility review, score 
applications, and forward to the National Office.
    3. The National office will rank all requests nationwide and 
distribute funds to States in rank order, within funding and RA limits. 
In case of point-score ties in the National ranking, first preference 
will be given to a preapplication to develop units in a state that does 
not have existing RHS-financed off-farm LH units; second preference to 
a preapplication will be from a State that has not yet been selected in 
the current funding cycle. In the event there are multiple 
preapplications in either category, one preapplication from each State 
(the highest State-ranked) will compete by computer-based random 
lottery. If necessary, the process will be completed until all same-
pointed preapplications are selected or funds are exhausted.

II. Funding Limits

    A. Individual requests may not exceed $3 million (total loan and 
grant).
    B. No State may receive more than 30 percent of the total available 
funds unless an exception is granted from the Administrator.
    C. Rental Assistance and Operating Assistance will be held in the 
National office for use with section 514 loans and section 516 grants 
and will be awarded based on each project's financial structure and 
need.

III. Application Process

    All applications for sections 514 and 516 funds must be filed with 
the appropriate Rural Development State office and must meet the 
requirements of 7 CFR part 1944, subpart D, 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 p.m., local 
time, on August 14, 2003 unless date and time is extended by another 
Notice published in the Federal Register.

[[Page 26943]]

IV. Application Submission Requirements

    A. Each application shall include all of the information, 
materials, forms and exhibits required by 7 CFR part 1944, subpart D, 
as well as comply with the provisions of this NOFA. Applicants are 
encouraged, but not required, to include a check list 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 application information.

    Dated: May 12, 2003.
Arthur A. Garcia,
Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 03-12245 Filed 5-15-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-P