82 FR 32193 - Disabled and Low-Income Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Pilot Program; Solicitation of Comments on Program Design

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 132 (July 12, 2017)

This notice announces HUD's intention to develop a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Disabled and Low-Income Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Pilot Program (Program), which was authorized by the Carl Levin and Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 and funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016. The NOFA will announce the availability of up to $5.7 million to be competitively awarded through grants of up to $1 million each. The NOFA will also establish the applicable program requirements and selection criteria. HUD is seeking input from interested parties and stakeholders to inform its development of the Program so that the funds are used efficiently and fulfill the statutory purpose of addressing the housing needs of veterans who have disabilities and/or are low-income. This notice is not a solicitation of applications for the Program.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 12, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32193-32194]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-14630]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5990-N-01]


Disabled and Low-Income Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and 
Modification Pilot Program; Solicitation of Comments on Program Design

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development, HUD.

ACTION: Advance notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces HUD's intention to develop a Notice of 
Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Disabled and Low-Income Veterans 
Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Pilot Program (Program), which 
was authorized by the Carl Levin and Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 and funded by the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016. The NOFA will announce the 
availability of up to $5.7 million to be competitively awarded through 
grants of up to $1 million each. The NOFA will also establish the 
applicable program requirements and selection criteria. HUD is seeking 
input from interested parties and stakeholders to inform its 
development of the Program so that the funds are used efficiently and 
fulfill the statutory purpose of addressing the housing needs of 
veterans who have disabilities and/or are low-income. This notice is 
not a solicitation of applications for the Program.

DATES: Comments Due Date: September 11, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Electronic responses are preferred and should be addressed 
to: [email protected]. Written comments may also be submitted to the Office 
of Rural Housing and Economic Development, U.S. Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, 451 Seventh St. SW., Room 7240, Washington, DC 
20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sylvia Y. Purvis, Senior Community 
Planning and Development Specialist, Office of Rural Housing and 
Economic Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
451 Seventh Street SW., Room 7240, Washington, DC 20410-7000; telephone 
1-877-787-2526 (this is a toll-free number) or 1-202-708-2290 (this is 
not a toll-free number). Persons with speech or hearing impairments may 
access this number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information 
Service at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Carl Levin and Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 (Pub. L. 113-
291, approved December 19, 2014) (Program Statute), as amended, 
requires HUD to work in consultation with the U.S. Department of 
Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and oversee a pilot program to award 
grants to qualified organizations to rehabilitate and modify the 
primary residences of disabled and/or low-income veterans. Funding for 
the program was provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 
(Pub. L. 114-113, approved December 18, 2015). Grants under the program 
will be competitively awarded in accordance with statutory criteria and 
program requirements included in the NOFA.
    As part of HUD's continued efforts for transparency in government 
operations and to expand opportunities for stakeholders to engage in 
decision-making, HUD is seeking comments to inform the NOFA. Feedback 
received through this process will assist HUD and the VA in developing 
a NOFA that will best serve disabled and/or low-income veterans whose 
homes must be rehabilitated or modified to meet their needs.
    To be considered, suggestions for program design must be consistent 
with the requirements in the Program Statute and other applicable laws. 
The goal of the program is to address the housing needs of veterans, as 
defined by 38 U.S.C. 101, who have a disability, as defined by 42 
U.S.C. 12102, and/or are low-income, meaning their income does not 
exceed 80 percent of the median income for the area as determined by 
the Secretary. For Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, the income limits are 
available at: https://www.huduser.gov/portal/datasets/il/il17/Section8-IncomeLimits-FY17.pdf. Eligible grantees are nonprofit organizations 
that provide nationwide or statewide programs that primarily serve 
veterans or low-income individuals. The grants may be used to modify or 
rehabilitate eligible veterans' primary residences or to provide 
grantees' affiliates with technical, administrative, and training 
support in connection with those services. Further details on the 
eligible use of funds under the Program may be found in section 
1079(b)(3) of the Program Statute.
    Grantees will be required to modify or rehabilitate the primary 
residences of eligible veterans either at no cost to the veterans 
(including application fees) or at a cost such that the veterans pay no 
more than 30 percent of their incomes on housing costs during any 
month. However, these services can only be provided if the veteran or a 
member of the veteran's family certifies that the veteran intends to 
continue residing in the primary residence for a sufficient period of 
time, which HUD will establish in the NOFA. In addition, section 
1079(a)(6) of the Program Statute specifically defines what is 
considered a ``primary residence.''
    Section 1079(b)(2) of Program Statute specifies minimum contents 
for grant applications and allows HUD to require additional 
information, if reasonable. The minimum contents include:
    1. A plan of action detailing outreach initiatives;

[[Page 32194]]

    2. The approximate number of veterans the qualified organization 
intends to serve using grant funds;
    3. A description of the type of work that will be conducted, such 
as interior home modifications, energy efficiency improvements, and 
other similar categories of work; and
    4. A plan for working with the VA and veterans service 
organizations to identify veterans who are not eligible for programs 
under 38 U.S.C. 2101 et seq. and meet their needs.
    Grantees will be required to provide matching funds and/or in-kind 
contributions as provided under section 1079(b)(6) of the Program 
Statute. Specifically, at least 50 percent of each grant must be 
matched by non-Federal funding contributions and in-kind contributions 
to the housing modification and rehabilitation services provided under 
the Program.
    The Program will also include detailed reporting requirements for 
both HUD and grantees, as provided under section 1079(b)(8) of the 
Program Statute.
    In addition to the Program Statute, the Program will also be 
subject to laws and regulations that apply across HUD's programs. For 
example, program grantees will be required to follow the Uniform 
Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements 
for Federal Awards at 2 CFR part 200, and program grantees will be 
subject to the Federal laws and regulations identified in 24 CFR 5.105. 
Grantees will also be subject to the requirements described by HUD's FY 
2017 General Section to its NOFAs, which is available at: https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/FY-2017-NOFA-Policy-Requirements-and-General-Section.pdf.
    Maximum grant amount per organization is $1,000,000. Total funds 
available are $5,700,000.
    To assist HUD in developing a NOFA that makes maximum use of the 
assistance appropriated for this program, HUD seeks comments on the 
following questions:

A. Criteria for Veterans

--What considerations should HUD make in determining veteran 
eligibility? Should HUD limit eligibility to veterans who have a 
disability and are low-income in order to provide the most benefit to 
veterans with the limited funding available under the program?

B. Criteria for Grantees

--What criteria should be used to evaluate an eligible organization's 
capacity? Should HUD consider the organization size? Should HUD 
consider the regions the organizations serve? Should HUD consider how 
long the organization has existed? Should HUD consider the capacity of 
the organization to provide housing rehabilitation and modification and 
the organization's past performance? If so, how should HUD measure 
capacity and past performance?
--Should HUD provide a preference for qualified nationwide or statewide 
organizations that serve veterans, low-income individuals, or both? Are 
there thresholds that HUD should use to ensure that the organization 
primarily serves disabled and low-income veterans?

C. Use of Funds

--Given the limited funding, how should HUD structure the program or 
NOFA to minimize duplication or overlap and maximize coordination with 
other existing programs for veterans?
--Given the limited funding for the program, should HUD structure the 
program to take into account the severity of eligible veteran's 
disability-related need for a modification or rehabilitation of the 
home? If so, how?
--Should HUD aim to fund more extensive housing modification and 
rehabilitation services, which may serve fewer disabled and low-income 
veterans, or less extensive housing modification and rehabilitation 
services, which may reach a larger number of disabled and low-income 
veterans? What considerations should HUD take into account to ensure 
that property rehabilitation costs are not unreasonably high?
--Are there rehabilitation services that HUD should consider an 
eligible use of funds beyond those listed in section 1079(b)(3) of the 
Program Statute?
--In determining whether the veteran currently resides and reasonably 
intends to continue residing in a primary residence owned by the 
veteran or a family member of the veteran, what criteria should HUD 
consider? Should HUD require that the veteran or family member own the 
home for a specific period of time before qualifying for the program? 
How long should HUD require the veteran to continue residing in the 
home after the housing modification or rehabilitation services are 
provided? How can HUD ensure that the veteran remains in his or her 
home after the housing modification or rehabilitation services are 
provided?
--What criteria and metrics should be used by HUD to evaluate the 
impact and effectiveness of the use of funds by qualified 
organizations?

D. Matching Grant Funds

--Should HUD require grantees to provide matching funds that are more 
than 50 percent of the grant award received by that organization? 
Should HUD provide a preference for grantees that contribute more than 
50 percent? What types of in-kind contributions should HUD permit to 
assist a qualified organization meet its match? Should HUD limit the 
amount of in-kind contributions permissible to meet the 50 percent 
match requirement?
    While HUD specifically seeks comment on the foregoing questions, 
HUD welcomes additional information that will help inform the Program.

    Dated: June 29, 2017.
Clifford Taffet,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and 
Development.
[FR Doc. 2017-14630 Filed 7-11-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4210-67-P