[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 4 (Tuesday, January 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 963-964]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-275]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Housing Service


Housing Preservation Grants

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Housing Service (RHS) announces that it is 
soliciting competitive applications under its Housing Preservation 
Grant (HPG) program. The HPG program is a grant program which provides 
qualified public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, and other 
eligible entities grant funds to assist very low- and low-income 
homeowners repair and rehabilitate their homes in rural areas, and to 
assist rental property owners and cooperative housing complexes to 
repair and rehabilitate their units if they agree to make such units 
available to low- and very low-income persons. This action is taken to 
comply with Agency regulations found in 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N, 
which requires the Agency to announce the opening and closing dates for 
receipt of preapplications for HPG funds from eligible applicants. The 
intended effect of this Notice is to provide eligible organizations 
notice of these dates.

DATES: RHS hereby announces that it will begin receiving 
preapplications on January 7, 1997. The closing date for acceptance by 
RHS of preapplications is April 7, 1997. This period will be the only 
time during the current fiscal year that RHS accepts preapplications. 
Preapplications must be received by or postmarked on or before the 
closing date.

ADDRESSES: Submit preapplications to Rural Development servicing 
offices for the HPG program; applicants must contact their Rural 
Development State Office for this information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue M. Harris-Green, Senior Loan 
Officer, Multi-Family Housing Processing Division, RHS, USDA, Room 
5337, South Building, Washington, DC 20250, telephone (202) 720-1606. 
(This is not a toll free number.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 7 CFR part 1944, subpart N provides details 
on what information must be contained in the preapplication package. 
Entities wishing to apply for assistance should contact the Rural 
Development State Office to receive further information and copies of 
the preapplication package. Eligible entities for these competitively 
awarded grants include State and local governments, nonprofit 
corporations, Federally recognized Indian Tribes, and consortia of 
eligible entities.
    This program is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance under No. 10.433, Housing Preservation Grants. This program 
is subject to the provisions of Executive Order 12372 which requires 
intergovernmental consultation with State and local officials (7 CFR 
part 3015, subpart V). Applicants are also referred to 7 CFR 1944.674 
and 1944.676 (d) and (e) for specific guidance on these requirements 
relative to the HPG program.
    The funding instrument for the HPG program will be a grant 
agreement. The term of the grant can vary from 1 to 2 years, depending 
on available funds and demand. No maximum or minimum grant levels have 
been established, although based on fiscal year (FY) 1997 funding 
availability, the Agency anticipates that the average grant will be 
$50,000 for a 1-year proposal. For FY 97, $7,063,000 is available and 
has been distributed under a formula allocation to States pursuant to 7 
CFR part 1940, subpart L, ``Methodology and Formulas for Allocation of 
Loan and Grant

[[Page 964]]

Program Funds.'' Decisions on funding will be based on the 
preapplications, and notices of action on the preapplications should be 
made no earlier than 66 days prior to the closing date.

    Dated: December 30, 1996.
Eileen M. Fitzgerald,
Acting Associate Administrator, Rural Housing Service.
[FR Doc. 97-275 Filed 1-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-XV-U