[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 178 (Wednesday, September 14, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56784-56786]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-23400]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5555-N-01]


Safe and Healthy Homes Investment Partnerships: Request for 
Comments

AGENCY: Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice solicits public comment on a proposal developed by 
HUD that would establish the criteria that HUD will use to designate a 
community as a Safe and Healthy Homes Investment Partnership (SHHIP). 
While designating a community as a SHHIP does not directly provide any 
funding, bonus points may be awarded to SHHIP designees in future HUD 
Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs).

DATES: Comments Due Date: October 14, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
the criteria HUD should consider in designating SHHIP communities, as 
announced in this notice, to the Regulations Division, Office of 
General Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street, SW., Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410-0001. There are two 
methods for submitting public comments. All submissions must refer to 
the above docket number and title.
    Submission of Hard Copy Comments. To ensure that the information is 
fully considered by all of the reviewers, each commenter submitting 
hard copy comments, by mail or hand delivery, should submit comments or 
requests to the address above, addressed to the attention of the Rules 
Docket Clerk. Due to security measures at all federal agencies, 
submission of comments or requests by mail often result in delayed 
delivery. To ensure timely receipt of comments, HUD recommends that any 
comments submitted by mail be submitted at least 2 weeks in advance of 
the public comment deadline.
    Electronic Submission of Comments. Interested persons may submit 
comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
http://www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly encourages commenters to 
submit comments electronically. Electronic submission of comments 
allows the commenter maximum time to prepare and submit a comment, 
ensures timely receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to make them immediately 
available to the public. Comments submitted electronically through the 
http://www.regulations.gov Web site can be viewed by interested members 
of the public. Commenters should follow instructions provided on that 
site to submit comments electronically.
    No Facsimile Comments. Facsimile (FAX) comments are not acceptable.
    Public Inspection of Comments. All comments submitted to HUD 
regarding this notice will be available, without charge, for public 
inspection and copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at the above 
address. Due to security measures at the HUD Headquarters building, an 
advance appointment to review the documents must be scheduled by 
calling the Regulations Division at 202-708-3055 (this is not a toll-
free number). Copies of all documents submitted are available for 
inspection and downloading at http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jon L. Gant, Director, Office of 
Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street, SW.,

[[Page 56785]]

Room 8236, Washington, DC 20410, telephone number 202-708-0310 (this is 
not a toll-free number). Persons with hearing or speech impairments may 
access this number through TTY by calling the Federal Relay Service at 
800-877-8339 (this is a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    In 1999, Congress appropriated funds \1\ for healthy homes research 
and demonstration, finding that, ``the Healthy Homes approach appears 
superior to addressing these problems one by one.'' \2\ In the report 
commissioned by Congress as a part of that appropriation, it was 
determined that ``[t]he costs of implementing multiple housing-based 
interventions are far lower than if they are implemented one at a 
time.'' \3\
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    \1\ Public Law 105-276, 112 Stat. 2461 (1998).
    \2\ H.R. Rep. No. 105-610, at 40 (1999).
    \3\ The Healthy Homes Initiative: A Preliminary Plan, (U.S. 
Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Lead Hazard 
Control, April 1999) Pg 5.
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    Building on this finding, the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead 
Hazard Control created the Healthy Homes Demonstration (HHD) and 
Healthy Homes Technical Studies (HHTS) grant programs to support health 
focused home assessment and intervention initiatives and research 
across the country. The HHD and HHTS grant programs funded multiple 
intervention models, utilizing private organizations, universities, 
units of local government and partnerships, and researched the 
effectiveness of many different intervention strategies. The results of 
the HHD and HHTS grant programs demonstrate the value to resident 
health of using several environmental intervention strategies and 
methodologies at once, including moisture control, allergen reduction, 
and integrated pest management. This work has contributed to the body 
of science concerning the interplay of health, housing, and the 
environment, and promoted the adoption of health oriented building 
interventions by homeowners and property managers nationally. Most of 
these studies and demonstration programs incorporate some form of 
multiple housing intervention strategy.
    As the grant programs demonstrate the value to resident health of 
using multiple intervention strategies, pilot initiatives in several 
cities and counties began to formalize relationships among health, 
energy, and housing programs. Three of these initiatives, the National 
Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning/Green and Healthy Homes 
Initiative (GHHI) (13 cities and 2 tribes nationally), the CT 
Efficiency Healthy Homes Initiative (Connecticut) and the One Touch 
Healthy Homes Intervention program (New Hampshire and Omaha, NE) 
successfully piloted the multiple assessment/intervention strategy. 
These initiatives also incorporated weatherization program 
interventions, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and other local 
agencies or utilities, into their model. Overall, these models 
successfully braided federal, state, local funds as well as private 
philanthropic support. The outcomes from these models confirm that 
coordinated intervention strategies lead to more economical 
interventions, healthier residents, and a more comprehensive and 
effective service delivery.

II. Description of Proposed Certification Program

    The Department believes that establishing a certification system 
that identifies communities that provide multiple housing based 
interventions and leverage non-federal resources will be the most 
effective way to deliver housing services for protecting the health and 
safety of residents. To encourage HUD applicants to formalize 
relationships among health, energy, and housing programs, the 
Department has developed a proposal to encourage the development of 
SHHIP communities. Toward this goal, the Department anticipates 
providing bonus points to SHHIP communities in the competitive 
distribution of HUD assistance in FY2013 and future years. Before 
implementing this proposal through HUD's FY2013 NOFAs, the Department 
is seeking comment on the process and criteria for identifying a 
community as a SHHIP. HUD's proposal would require applicants to 
demonstrate the following to the satisfaction of the Department:
    1. The membership of the SHHIP will be determined by the 
applicant's submission requesting identification as the SHHIP, as 
approved by the Department. Every member of the SHHIP will receive the 
benefits of the certification.
    2. The SHHIP must include among its members at least one unit of 
state or local government, and one private, non-profit partner (i.e., 
local philanthropic organization, community-based organization, 
community development corporation or redevelopment authority, etc.) The 
SHHIP may involve more than one unit of government and more than one 
private partner.
    3. Within the partnership, the SHHIP must include each of the 
following service disciplines: housing rehabilitation, energy 
efficiency, and healthy home/lead hazard control. The SHHIP may involve 
more than one entity capable of providing each service.
    4. The SHHIP must have a primary mission that encompasses:
    a. Improving housing in a manner that is environmentally 
sustainable, healthy and safe,
    b. Increasing the local workforce of healthy building 
professionals,
    c. Improving the health outcomes of the community, particularly 
children and the elderly,
    d. Improving the way in which services are delivered to the 
residents of the community, and
    e. Achieving program sustainability.
    5. The SHHIP's service methodology must include:
    a. Providing clients with one single point of contact for the 
delivery of services provided by the partnership,
    b. Utilizing the HUD Healthy Homes Rating Tool (HHRT),
    c. Supporting common multi-disciplinary workforce training,
    d. Reporting data in a standardized manner into a common system 
operated by HUD,
    e. Providing service delivery in a unified manner,
    f. Identifying and eliminating barriers to effective service 
delivery, and
    g. Maximizing the benefits of health-based housing interventions.
    A certification shall generally expire 2 years from the date of 
issuance. A SHHIP may renew their certification by submitting a new 
application to the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. The 
Department may review a certification at any time, and in its sole 
discretion may revoke a certification prior to expiration.

III. Request for Public Comment

    HUD specifically seeks comments on the following questions:
    1. Regarding the partnership agreements, what documentation should 
be considered sufficient to show that a partnership exists and is 
robust enough to merit certification?
    2. Regarding the composition of the partnership, are there any 
specific types of non-profit partners that should be required for 
certification?
    3. Regarding the service disciplines included in the partnership, 
are there additional disciplines that should be represented, and what 
should HUD require as proof that each discipline is represented and 
appropriately credentialed? Should HUD set or adopt its own standards 
or should HUD accept a variety of standards adopted by State, or local 
units of government, private

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sector or non-profit organizations, or other federal agencies? Should a 
standard be set for each type of healthy home intervention?
    4. Regarding the service methodology, what should HUD require as 
proof that the methodology will be employed?
    5. Regarding the Healthy Homes Rating Tool, is this tool sufficient 
or should other tools be permitted and/or required?
    6. Regarding the reporting of data, what data should HUD collect on 
units?
    7. Regarding revocation of certifications, what standard should HUD 
use to determine if a certification should be revoked?
    8. Regarding the certification process, on what grounds should an 
application for certification be denied? Furthermore, what appeal 
process should be in place for denied applications?
    9. Should there be standards for maintaining certification, and if 
so what should be the requirement, e.g. continuing education 
requirements, actual on-the job-experience with units, and/or 
requirements that a specific number of units are treated on an annual 
basis that meet Healthy Homes certification Standards?
    While HUD specifically seeks comments on the foregoing questions, 
HUD welcomes additional information that will help inform HUD's views 
on this issue.

    Dated: September 7, 2011.
Jon L. Gant,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2011-23400 Filed 9-13-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P