Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices 25493

1 In addition to persons who meet all

requirements of 45 CFR 400.43, ‘‘Requirements for

documentation of refugee status’’, eligibility for

refugee social services also includes: (1) Cuban and

Haitian entrants, under section 501 of the Refugee

Education Assistance Act of 1980 (Pub. L. 96–422;

(2) certain Amerasians from Vietnam who are

admitted to the U.S. as immigrants under section

584 of the Foreign Operations, Export Financing,

and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1988, as

included in the FY 1988 Continuing Resolution

(Pub. L. 100–202); and certain Amerasians from

Vietnam, including U.S. citizens, under title II of

the Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and

Related Programs Appropriations Acts, 1989 (Pub.

L. 100–461), 1990 (Pub. L. 101–167), and 1991 (Pub.

L. 101–513). For convenience, the term ‘‘refugee’’ is

Continued

D. Funding Reconsideration

After Federal funds are exhausted for

this grant competition, applications

which have been independently

reviewed and ranked but have no final

disposition (neither approved nor

disapproved for funding) may again be

considered for funding. Reconsideration

may occur at any time funds become

available within twelve (12) months

following ranking. ACF does not select

from multiple ranking lists for a

program. Therefore, should a new

competition be scheduled and

applications remain ranked without

final disposition, applicants are

informed of their opportunity to reapply

for the new competition, to the extent

practical.

Part IV. The Application

A. Application Development

In order to be considered for a grant

under this program announcement, an

application must be submitted on the

forms supplied and in the manner

prescribed by ACF. Application

materials including forms and

instructions are available from the

contact named under the ADDRESSES

section in the preamble of this

announcement. The length of the

application, including the application

forms and all attachments, should not

exceed 20 pages. A page is a single-side

of an 81⁄2 × 11′′ sheet of plain white

paper. The narrative should be typed

double-spaced on a single-side of an

81⁄2′′ × 11′′ plain white paper, with 1’’

margins on all sides. Applicants are

requested not to send pamphlets, maps,

brochures or other printed material

along with their application as these are

difficult to photocopy. These materials,

if submitted, will not be included in the

review process. Each page of the

application will be counted to

determine the total length.

B. Application Submission

1. Mailed applications postmarked

after the closing date will be classified

as late and will not be considered in the

competition.

2. Deadline. Mailed applications shall

be considered as meeting an announced

deadline if they are either received on

or before the deadline date or sent on or

before the deadline date and received by

ACF in time for the independent review

to: U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Administration for

Children and Families, Division of

Discretionary Grants, Attention: Lois

Hodge, 370 L’Enfant Promenade, SW,

Mail Stop 6C–462, Washington, DC

20447. Applicants must ensure that a

legibly dated U.S. Postal Service

postmark or a legibly dated, machineproduced postmark of a commercial

mail service is affixed to the envelope/

package containing the application(s).

To be acceptable as proof of timely

mailing, a postmark from a commercial

mail service must include the logo/

emblem of the commercial mail service

company and must reflect the date the

package was received by the commercial

mail service company from the

applicant. Private metered postmarks

shall not be acceptable as proof of

timely mailing. (Applicants are

cautioned that express/overnight mail

services do not always deliver as

agreed.)

Applications handcarried by

applicants, applicant couriers, or by

other representatives of the applicant

will be considered as meeting an

announced deadline if they are received

on or before the deadline date, between

the hours of 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., EST,

at the U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Administration for

Children and Families, Division of

Discretionary Grants, ACF Mailroom,

2nd Floor (near loading dock),

Aerospace Building, 901 D Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20024, between

Monday and Friday (excluding Federal

holidays). The address must appear on

the envelope/package containing the

application with the note ‘‘Attention:

Lois Hodge’’. ACF cannot accommodate

transmission of applications by fax or

through other electronic media.

Therefore, applications transmitted to

ACF electronically will not be accepted

regardless of date or time of submission

and time of receipt.

3. Late applications. Applications

which do not meet the criteria above are

considered late applications. ACF shall

notify each late applicant that its

application will not be considered in

the current competition.

4. Extension of deadlines. ACF may

extend an application deadline when

circumstances such as acts of God

(floods, hurricanes, etc.) occur, or when

there are widespread disruptions of the

mail service, or in other rare cases.

Determinations to extend or waive

deadline requirements rest with ACF’s

Chief Grants Management Officer.

Dated: May 4, 1998.

David Gray Ross,

Commissioner, Office of Child Support

Enforcement.

[FR Doc. 98–12215 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

Administration for Children and

Families

Notice of Availability of Funding for

Alternative Projects for the Provision

of Comprehensive Refugee

Resettlement Services, Including

Interim Financial Assistance, Social

Services and Case Management for

Newly Arriving Refugees

AGENCY: Office of Refugee Resettlement,

ACF, DHHS.

ACTION: Request for applications for

alternative projects for the provision of

comprehensive refugee resettlement

services, including interim financial

assistance, social services and case

management for newly arriving

refugees.

SUMMARY: The Office of Refugee

Resettlement (ORR), Administration for

Children and Families (ACF) announces

that competing applications will be

accepted for new grants pursuant to the

Director’s discretionary authority under

section 412(c)(1)(A) of the Immigration

and Nationality Act (INA) and pursuant

to the Secretary’s authority under

section 412(e)(7) of the INA for

alternative projects, as amended by

section 311 of the Refugee Act of 1980

(Pub. L. 96–212), 8 U.S.C. 1522(c); 8

U.S.C. 1522(e)(7); section 501(a) of the

Refugee Education Assistance Act of

1980 (Pub. L. 96–422), 8 U.S.C. 1522

note, insofar as it incorporates by

reference with respect to Cuban and

Haitian entrants the authorities

pertaining to assistance for refugees

established by section 412(c) of the INA,

as cited above; and the Refugee

Assistance Extension Act of 1986 (Pub.

L. 99–605).

This announcement offers applicants

the opportunity to implement

alternative projects to test the feasibility

of providing comprehensive

resettlement services to newly arriving

refugees 1 under a public/private-sector
25494 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices

used in this notice to encompass all such eligible

persons unless the specific context indicates

otherwise. Refugees admitted to the U.S. under

admissions numbers set aside for private-sectorinitiative admissions are not eligible to be served

under the social service program (or under other

programs supported by Federal refugee funds)

during their period of coverage under their

sponsoring agency’s agreement with the Department

of State—usually two years from their date of

arrival or until they obtain permanent resident alien

status, whichever comes first.

partnership among States and national

and local voluntary agencies responsible

for reception and placement services to

refugees. Funding is available to these

projects under both the ‘‘Wilson/Fish’’

authority and ORR’s discretionary social

services program.

DATES: The closing date for submission

of applications is August 6, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Carmel Clay-Thompson, Director,

Division of Community Resettlement,

(202) 401–4557.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: All newly

arrived refugees, regardless of family

size, are eligible for these programs.

Projects should be designed to meet

their needs in a manner that promotes

complementary services, coordination

between assistance and services,

culturally and linguistically appropriate

service delivery, and emphasizes

employment and the needs of the

refugee family as a unit. The services

should be cost-effective by promoting

welfare avoidance and by enhancing

refugees’ prospects for early economic

and social self-sufficiency.

Effective projects will demonstrate (1)

close linkage in the delivery of financial

assistance and employment services;

and (2) successful resettlement along the

key indicators of labor force

participation, per capita and household

income, English language acquisition,

car ownership, and reductions in

refugee reliance on public assistance.

Alternative projects are to provide

interim financial assistance as needed to

newly arrived refugees who might

otherwise be deemed eligible for either

the Temporary Assistance for Needy

Families (TANF) Program or the Refugee

Cash Assistance (RCA) Program. Federal

reimbursement of the costs of cash

assistance are available through CMA

appropriated funds for a period not to

exceed the eighth month (although

funds are not available for the first

month of Reception and Placement)

after a refugee’s date of entry into the

U.S.

Consistent with section 412 (e)(7)(B)

of the INA, refugees in projects funded

under this announcement will be

precluded from receiving cash

assistance under the TANF program or

the RCA Program.

Alternative options for medical care

are not available under this

announcement. Participating refugees

will retain eligibility for medical

coverage under the Refugee Medical

Assistance (RMA) program or under

Medicaid, Title XIX of the Social

Security Act. Applicants may apply for

discretionary funds in proportion to the

number of refugee participants in the

project, for the purpose of establishing

or enhancing existing refugee-specific

employment services. Funds will be awarded under a

cooperative agreement. The Catalog of Federal Domestic

Assistance (CFDA) number assigned to

this announcement is 93.576.

This Program Announcement consists

of four parts: Part I covers information on available

funds, legislative authorities, eligible

applicants, definition of terms used in

the Program Announcement, the

purpose and scope of the program and

types of projects to be considered,

details on project and budget periods,

cost sharing, restrictions on funds,

third-party evaluation, and application

content.

Part II provides general instructions

for preparing a full project description. Part III describes the review criteria

used in the assessment of applications.

Part IV describes the application

procedures, the availability of forms,

where and how to submit an

application, instructions for completing

the SF–424 and the intergovernmental

review.

Part I—General Information

Availability of Funds

Approximately $4,000,000 is available

under this announcement in

discretionary social service funds, to be

used for refugee-specific employment

and case management services, as well

as the administrative costs of the

projects. ORR anticipates making 4–6

individual grant awards in amounts up

to $1,000,000 each for these costs.

Requests for discretionary funds should

be justified in proportion to the size of

the population enrolled in the project. Successful applicants will also be

eligible to receive reimbursement of

costs for interim support and related

administrative costs from ORR’s CMA

appropriations. The Director reserves

the right to award less, or more, than the

funds described, in the absence of

worthy applications, or under such

other circumstances as may be deemed

to be in the best interest of the

government. In order to be considered for funding

under this Announcement, applicants

must submit a request which includes:

(a) Reimbursement of cash assistance

and related administrative costs

incurred by the applicant for refugees

participating in the project. This request

should be substantially equivalent to the

level of funds the project’s participating

population would otherwise receive

during the designated eight-month

budget period under the publicly

supported program of assistance (TANF

or RCA) for which they would otherwise

be eligible. Thus, the TANF payment

rate should be the basis for computing

payments for TANF-type participants.

The RCA payment rate should be the

basis for computing payments for RCAtype participants.

(b) A request for social services

discretionary funding for enhanced,

refugee-specific services for refugees

who have been targeted for inclusion in

this alternative project. Requests for

services funding should be proportional

to the size of the participating eligible

population of new arrivals.

Legislative Authority

Section 412(c)(1)(A) of the INA

authorizes the Director ‘‘to make grants

to, and enter into contracts with, public

or private nonprofit agencies for projects

specifically designed—(i) to assist

refugees in obtaining the skills which

are necessary for economic self

sufficiency, including projects for job

training, employment services, day care,

professional refresher training, and

other recertification services; (ii) to

provide training in English where

necessary (regardless of whether the

refugees are employed or receiving cash

or other assistance); and (iii) to provide

where specific needs have been shown

and recognized by the Director, health

(including mental health) services,

social services, educational and other

services.’’

Projects are also authorized by section

412(e)(7) of the Immigration and

Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1522(e)(7)

which states: ‘‘The Secretary shall

develop and implement alternative

projects for refugees who have been in

the United States less than thirty-six

months, under which refugees are

provided interim support, medical

services, support services, and case

management, as needed, in a manner

that encourages self sufficiency, reduces

welfare dependency, and fosters greater

coordination among the resettlement

agencies and service providers.’’

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants are those agencies

of State government that are responsible

for the refugee program under 45 CFR

400.5 as well as private, non-profit

voluntary agencies under agreement
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices 25495

with the Department of State, Bureau of

Population, Refugees, and Migration to

conduct the reception and placement

program for refugees.

Definition of Terms

Eligible refugee participants: All

newly arrived refugees in the designated

State or local jurisdiction, whether they

are primary or secondary migrants to

that area. Refugees who for reasons of

age or disability may be eligible for SSI

are ineligible for participation in these

projects. Income and asset disregards

may be used in determining continuing

eligibility for these projects.

Interim Support: To provide financial

assistance adequate to meet the

subsistence needs of refugees otherwise

eligible for RCA and/or TANF and to

preclude the need to access public cash

assistance during the first eight months

following arrival in the U.S.

Interim support includes provision of

financial assistance, as necessary, for up

to eight months. This assistance may be

in the form of cash, an income floor, a

grant diversion, financial bonuses or

incentives, payment for work-related

expenses, income disregards, or other

‘‘Make Work Pay’’ incentives for early

employment.

Financial assistance shall not begin

under the grant before the 31st day after

the refugee’s arrival.

During the second through the eighth

month, the alternative program must

provide interim support in amounts

substantially equivalent to the State’s

established payment under the RCA or

TANF program, as appropriate, adjusted

for the size of the family unit, for a

period not to exceed the eight month

following U.S. arrival, or earlier, if the

refugee case as a whole is receiving

wages sufficient to render interim

support unnecessary.

Refugee-Specific Services: Services

which are designed specifically to meet

refugee needs, such as employment,

English language training, cultural

orientation, and social adjustment, and

are conducted in a linguistically and

culturally appropriate manner, in

keeping with the objectives of the

refugee program.

Purpose and Scope

The purpose of this announcement is

to enable applicants to implement

alternative projects to provide interim

financial assistance, support services

and case management to refugees in a

manner that encourages self-sufficiency,

reduces the likelihood of welfare

dependency, and fosters greater

coordination among the resettlement

agencies and service providers. ORR’s

intent is to encourage applicants to

serve all newly arriving refugees in their

jurisdiction, regardless of family

composition and regardless of the

program of cash assistance (RCA or

TANF) for which they would otherwise

be eligible, in a refugee-specific program

of interim cash assistance and services.

Refugees who apply and are found

eligible for SSI will not be eligible for

these projects.

These awards are intended to help

refugees attain self-sufficiency within

eight months after arrival in the U.S.,

without access to public cash assistance.

Applicants may submit a single

application which proposes funding on

a State-wide basis or which proposes an

alternative project for refugees arriving

in one or more communities or

localities.

Cash assistance funding may be

requested for a period not to exceed

seven months (excluding the first month

of Reception and Placement) following

the arrival of refugees otherwise eligible

for the RCA or TANF program.

Applicant must ensure that the target

population is afforded all safeguards

specified in section 412 (e) of the INA

and other applicable law including but

not limited to: Application of eligibility

criteria, administrative procedures, fair

hearings, and appeals of adverse

decisions. Applicants must also ensure

that all relevant statutory conditions

and prohibitions are applied to the

target population.

Use of Funds

Applicants may request discretionary

funds under this announcement to

enhance their ability to provide refugeespecific employment services to this

population. The discretionary funds

may be used in the following ways: Job

development, placement, and postplacement services, on-the-job training,

legally established employer or

employee incentives, post-placement

services, competency-based English

language training, case management and

related administrative overhead. Shortterm skills training may be provided

with these funds only to the extent that

such training is consistent with industry

standards and leads directly to a

specific job.

To be considered, applicants must

apply on behalf of all newly arriving

refugees in the designated jurisdiction

or service area who are otherwise

eligible for the specific assistance

category(ies) for which this project is an

alternative.

Types of Projects To Be Considered for

Funding

Projects are encouraged where

refugees are adversely affected by

changes brought about under welfare

reform. Programs are also encouraged

where there is an interest in

restructuring the refugee program for

new arrivals to produce comprehensive

service delivery, coordinated among

publicly and privately supported

agencies, for assisting refugees in

achieving economic and social selfsufficiency.

Circumstances where an alternative

project may be appropriate include the

following examples:

Where States are having difficulty

maintaining RCA in new welfare

systems and wish to find alternative

resettlement methods.

Where TANF refugees may not have

access to culturally and linguistically

appropriate services.

Where refugees, particularly twoparent families, are in danger of

dependency on public assistance.

Where a transition period of

additional financial resources is needed

for refugee-specific services which are

not funded under ORR’s formula

allocations.

Where continuity of services from

time of arrival through attainment of

self-sufficiency needs to be

strengthened.

Applicants may establish alternative

programs in various ways: some options

include:

The State government separates the

refugee program from the public welfare

system and transfers its implementation

to one or more voluntary resettlement

agencies, under the mechanism of a

subgrant or subcontract.

The State government, in partnership

with national and local networks of

voluntary agencies, privatizes both the

operations and service delivery of

refugee interim support and services.

The State government transfers

responsibility for the administration of

the program to a national voluntary

agency or consortium of several

voluntary agencies.

National and local voluntary

resettlement agencies form a consortium

to operate a comprehensive resettlement

program that is an alternative to public

welfare.

Project and Budget Periods

Under this announcement the

Director solicits applications for project

periods up to three years. Awards, on a

competitive basis, will be for a one-year

budget period; applications for

continuation grants funded under these

awards beyond the one-year budget

period may be entertained on a noncompetitive basis, subject to the

availability of funds, satisfactory

progress of the project, and a
25496 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices

determination that continuation would

be in the best interest of the

government.

Cost Sharing

States are encouraged to share the

costs of interim support in this program

by contributing a share of funds—either

Federal or State TANF assistance for

TANF-eligible refugees in the project or

State (non-TANF) funds which, subject

to the necessary conditions, may be

counted towards the State’s

maintenance of effort requirement—in

proportion to the targeted TANF-type

population in this demonstration, that

would have been expended in their

behalf in the absence of this alternative

project.

Restrictions

Refugees covered under an alternative

program are precluded from receiving

cash assistance under TANF and/or

RCA, for which this project is an

alternative, during the first eight months

following their arrival in the U.S.

Third-Party Evaluation

An independent evaluation of each

project funded under this

announcement will be conducted by

ORR. For this purpose, successful

grantees will be expected to maintain

and provide access to appropriate

client-specific data on date of arrival,

family size, age, gender, employment,

job retention, financial assistance

provided, and other key indicators of

successful resettlement, as well as on

service delivery and program

implementation. Grantees will be

strongly encouraged to evaluate project

effectiveness through feedback provided

by participants after completing the

program.

Part II—General Instructions for

Preparing a Project Description

General Instructions

Cross-referencing should be used

rather than repetition. ORR is

particularly interested in specific factual

information and statements of

measurable goals in quantitative terms.

Project descriptions are evaluated on the

basis of substance, not length. Extensive

exhibits are not required. (Supporting

information concerning activities that

will not be directly funded by the grant

or information that does not directly

pertain to an integral part of the grant

funded activity should be placed in an

appendix.) Pages should be numbered

and a table of contents should be

included for easy reference.

Applicants shall prepare the project

description statement in accordance

with the following instructions.

A. Project Summary/Abstract

Provide a summary of the project

description with reference to the

funding request. ORR is also interested

in the following:

• The total number of refugees to be

served when the program is fully

operational.

• The total ORR funds requested for

a 12 month period when the project is

fully operational.

• The amount and source of any

additional funding that will help

support the project.

• The community to be served (name

of county(ies) or State).

• The type of program option(s)

proposed (for TANF-type refugees if

included with RCA-type refugees) and

the proposed services.

• The target date for beginning full

services to newly arrived refugees.

B. Objectives and Need for Assistance

Clearly identify the physical,

economic, social, financial,

institutional, and/or other problem(s)

requiring a solution. The need for

assistance must be demonstrated and

the principal and subordinate objectives

of the project must be clearly stated;

supporting documentation, such as

letters of support and testimonials from

concerned interests other than the

applicant, may be included. Any

relevant data based on planning studies

should be included or referred to in the

endnotes/footnotes. Incorporate

demographic data and participant/

beneficiary information, as needed. In

developing the project description, the

applicant may volunteer or be requested

to provide information on the total

range of projects currently being

conducted and supported (or to be

initiated), some of which may be

outside the scope of the program

announcement.

ORR is particularly interested in the

following:

1. Describe the problem in the current

resettlement situation to be addressed

by the alternative project with respect

to:

(a) Refugee welfare utilization data, by

category of assistance, duration, and the

reasons, if applicable, for high

utilization in the refugee community; (b)

barriers to, and the need for,

coordination among public and private

refugee agencies; (c) current

employment and other program

strategies and outcomes; (d) refugees’

access to entry-level employment

through culturally and linguistically

appropriate services; (e) confusion

among refugees regarding the purpose of

public welfare and the employment

services available within the

community.

2. State the rationale for this

alternative project relative to welfare

reform and justify the proposed strategy

intended to reduce welfare dependency,

promote employment, and foster

coordination among resettlement

agencies and service providers. Discuss

the proposed project’s anticipated cost

effectiveness.

C. Results or Benefits Expected

Identify the results and benefits to be

derived. Describe proposed program

outcomes, in terms of appropriate

indicators, including GPRA measures

currently in use in the refugee

resettlement program. Include the plan

for measuring progress along these

indicators: e.g., welfare avoidance and/

or reduction, numbers of refugees who

retain employment for a designated

period of time, number of single

refugees and refugee families who attain

self-sufficiency.

Describe data collection and analyses

anticipated to document project

implementation and outcomes. Describe

the plan and schedule for project

monitoring. Successful applicants will

also be required to report outcomes on

ORR’s standard Quarterly Performance

Report.

D. Approach

Outline a plan of action which

describes the scope and detail of how

the proposed work will be

accomplished. Account for all functions

or activities identified in the

application. Cite factors which might

accelerate or decelerate the work and

state your reason for taking the

proposed approach rather than others.

Describe any unusual features of the

project such as design or technological

innovations, reductions in cost or time,

or extraordinary social and community

involvement.

Provide quantitative monthly or

quarterly projections of the

accomplishments to be achieved for

each function or activity in such terms

as the number of people to be served.

ORR is particularly interested in the

following:

1. Describe (a) The target population

(numbers, ethnicity, and demographic

characteristics) (b) anticipated refugee

welfare utilization by the category of

public assistance for which the targeted

population may otherwise be eligible;

2. Financial assistance (e.g., eligibility

criteria, payment standards,

administrative procedures, etc.) Include

a description of levels of support and all

other incentives or cash mechanisms for

providing interim support; measures to
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices 25497

ensure fair and equitable access to

financial support, provisions for

sanctions for non-cooperation and for

fair hearings and appeals.

3. Discuss how refugees in this project

will have eligibility for, and access to,

other programs, specifically, Refugee

Medical Assistance or Medicaid, the

Children’s Health Insurance Program

(CHIP), Food Stamps, expanded medical

coverage under OBRA, etc.

4. Describe how the alternative project

will provide interim cash assistance and

support services of case management

and employment in a manner that is

coordinated and that promotes selfsufficiency and reduces welfare

dependency.

a. Demonstrate how the services of the

project will be coordinated among

resettlement agencies and service

providers, including voluntary

resettlement agencies, Mutual

Assistance Associations, and other

public and private, non-profit agencies

that provide services to refugees.

Provide letters of agreement, if

available.

b. An integrated system of assistance

and services is considered an essential

characteristic of an alternative project.

Describe how this integration will be

effected in this project.

5. Provide a description with

documentation of consultation with the

State Refugee Coordinator, if applicant

is a private, non-profit agency; and with

appropriate national voluntary agencies,

if applicant is a State government.

6. Where the application is for a Statewide project, describe how the proposed

project will address any element of the

current program which the new project

would include, replace, interrelate with,

or otherwise impact.

Identify the kinds of data to be

collected, maintained, and/or

disseminated. Note that clearance from

the U.S. Office of Management and

Budget might be needed prior to a

‘‘collection of information’’ that is

‘‘conducted or sponsored’’ by ACF. List

organizations, cooperating entities,

consultants, or other key individuals

who will work on the project along with

a short description of the nature of their

effort or contribution.

E. Geographic Location

Describe the precise location of the

project and boundaries of the area to be

served by the proposed project. Maps or

other graphic aids may be attached.

F. Additional Information

1. Staff and Position Data

Provide a biographical sketch for each

key person appointed and a job

description for each vacant key position.

A biographical sketch will also be

required for new key staff as appointed.

ORR is also interested in the

following:

Describe the organization’s plan for

administering and managing the project.

Describe the location of the project in

the structure of the agency and include

position descriptions, qualifications,

and names of key project staff. Describe

plans and qualification for training and

on-going technical assistance.

2. Third-Party Agreements

Include written agreements between

grantees and subgrantees or

subcontractors or other cooperating

entities. These agreements must detail

scope of work to be performed, work

schedules, remuneration, and other

terms and conditions that structure or

define the relationship.

G. Budget and Budget Justification

Provide line item detail and detailed

calculations for each budget object class

identified on the Budget Information

form, e.g., cash assistance, employment

and other services, case management,

and administrative costs by program

activity. Detailed calculations must

include estimation methods, quantities,

unit costs, and other similar quantitative

detail sufficient for the calculation to be

duplicated. The detailed budget must

also include a breakout by the funding

sources identified in Block 15 of the SF–

424.

Provide a narrative budget

justification that describes how the

categorical costs are derived. Discuss

the necessity, reasonableness, and

allocability of the proposed costs.

ORR is also interested in the

following:

Provide a client-loading chart and

related budget (samples are available

from ORR.) Use the costs of the current

program for the most recent 12 month

period, including numbers of refugees

served and unit costs of services, to

project your budget. Include the

anticipated arrival rates of refugees into

the community by probable category of

public assistance for which they would

otherwise be eligible. Provide a

narrative to support the costs included

in each category. List and describe all

anticipated funding sources with

projected amounts, i.e., ORR, State

government, other federal program, and

any other resources.

Part III: Application Review Criteria

A. Objectives, Need for Assistance, and

Rationale for Proposing the Alternative

Project

1. Identification of the problem to be

addressed by the project is based on a

thorough examination and description

of: Refugee welfare utilization, current

coordination of services in the local

resettlement community; opportunity

for early employment for refugees;

availability of concurrent, culturally and

linguistically appropriate employment

and language services; adequacy of the

statistics used to describe the problem.

Points: (10)

2. The degree to which the rationale

for proposing the demonstration project

is justifiable and appropriate;

probability that the project will increase

refugee self-sufficiency, reduce or avoid

welfare dependency among arriving

refugees, and increase coordination

among service providers. Probability

that the project will be cost-effective.

Points: (10)

B. Approach/Program Strategy

The proposed project design is clear,

logical and theory based, reflecting the

state of knowledge and experience in

this field. Clarity, completeness and

reasonableness of the proposed strategy

as it relates to the target population and

the geographic area to be covered;

anticipated need for interim cash

assistance; adequacy of the cash

assistance policies and administration;

reasonableness of policies and

procedures for appeals and fair

hearings; coordination of services and

assistance; availability of other Federal

and State programs; consultation with

the State Coordinator and voluntary

agencies, as appropriate. Points: (35)

C. Results, Benefits Expected, and

Proposed Outcomes

The proposed project, if successfully

implemented, is capable of achieving

the stated results. Reasonableness of the

outcomes proposed; feasibility of the

methodology for collecting outcome

data and client feedback. Points: (15)

D. Organizational Capacity

Adequacy of the organizational

capacity and resources for project

administration and management; the

qualification and expertise of the project

staff; and the quality of the design and

adequacy of the proposed program

monitoring and reporting system.

Points: (15)

E. Project Budget

Reasonableness and adequacy of the

budget in relation to the expected
25498 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices

activities and outcomes. Completeness

of the budget and line-item budget

narrative. Reasonableness of procedures

used to estimate the budget request.

Points: (15)

Part IV: Application Submission

The Director reserves the right to

award more or less than the funds

described above depending upon the

quality of the applications, or such other

circumstances as may be deemed to be

in the best interest of the Government.

Applicants may be required to reduce

the scope of selected projects to

accommodate the amount of the

approved grant award.

Standard Form 424 with instructions

for submitting an application was

published in the Federal Register on

December 9, 1997 (62 FR 64856).

If an application represents a

consortium (that is, the applicant

includes other types of agencies among

its membership), the single organization

identified as applicant by the

Authorized Representative’s signature

on the SF–424, Box 18.d, will be the

grant recipient and will have primary

administrative and fiscal

responsibilities. An applicant entity

must be a public or private nonprofit

organization.

General Application Procedures

All applications which meet the

stipulated deadline and other

requirements will be reviewed

competitively and scored by an

independent review panel of experts in

accordance with ACF grants policy and

the criteria stated above. The results of

the independent review panel scores

and explanatory comments will assist

the Director of ORR in considering

competing applications. Reviewers’

scores will weigh heavily in funding

decisions but will not be the only

factors considered. Applications

generally will be considered in order of

the average scores assigned by the

reviewers. Highly ranked applications

are not guaranteed funding since other

factors are taken into consideration,

including: Comments of reviewers and

of ACF/ORR officials; previous program

performance of applicants; compliance

with grant terms under previous DHHS

grants; audit reports; and investigative

reports. Final funding decisions will be

made by the Director of ORR.

A. Availability of Forms

Copies of the Federal Register are

available on the Internet website

address: www.access.gpo.gov/nara/

index.html#cfr) and at most local

libraries and Congressional District

Offices for reproduction. If copies are

not available at these sources, they may

be obtained by sending a written or

faxed request to the following office:

Office of Refugee Resettlement, 370

L’Enfant Promenade SW., Washington,

D.C. 20447, Fax: (202) 401–5487.

B. Forms, Certifications, Assurances,

and Disclosure

1. Applicants for financial assistance

under this announcement must file the

Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for

Federal Assistance; SF–424A, Budget

Information—Non-Construction

Programs; SF–424B, Assurances—NonConstruction Programs. The forms may

be reproduced for use in submitting

applications. An application with an

original signature and two copies is

required.

2. Budget and Budget Justification—

Provide line item detail and detailed

calculations for each budget object class

identified on the Budget Information

form. Detailed calculations must

include estimation methods, quantities,

unit costs, and other similar quantitative

detail sufficient for the calculation to be

duplicated. The detailed budget must

also include a breakout by the funding

sources identified in Block 15 of the SF–

424.

Provide a narrative budget

justification that describes how the

categorical costs are derived. Discuss

the necessity, reasonableness, and

allocability of the proposed costs.

The following guidelines are for

preparing the budget and budget

justification. Both Federal and nonFederal resources shall be detailed and

justified in the budget and narrative

justification. According to the

instructions for completing the SF–

424A and the preparation of the budget

and budget justification, ‘‘Federal

resources’’ refers only to the ACF/ORR

grant for which you are applying. NonFederal resources are all other Federal

and non-Federal resources. It is

suggested that budget amounts and

computations be presented in a

columnar format: first column, object

class categories; second column, Federal

budget; next column(s), non-Federal

budget(s), and last column, total budget.

The budget justification should be a

narrative.

Personnel: Costs of employee salaries

and wages. Identify the project director

and for each staff person, provide the

title, time commitment to the project (in

months), time commitment to the

project (as a percentage or full-time

equivalent), annual salary, grant salary,

wage rates, etc. Do not include the costs

of consultants or personnel costs of

delegate agencies.

Fringe Benefits: Costs of employee

fringe benefits unless treated as part of

an approved indirect cost rate.

Provide a breakdown of the amounts

and percentages that comprise fringe

benefit costs such as health insurance,

FICA, retirement insurance, taxes, etc.

Travel: Costs of project-related travel

by employees of the applicant

organization (does not include costs of

consultant travel).

For each trip, show the total number

of traveler(s), travel destination,

duration of trip, per diem, mileage

allowances, if privately owned vehicles

will be used, and other transportation

costs and subsistence allowances.

Travel costs for key staff to attend ACF/

ORR-sponsored meetings should be

detailed in the budget.

Equipment: Costs of tangible, nonexpendable, personal property, having a

useful life of more than one year and an

acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per

unit.

For each type of equipment requested,

provide a description of the equipment,

the cost per unit, the number of units,

the total cost, and a plan for use on the

project.

Supplies: Costs of all tangible

personal property other than that

included under the Equipment category.

Specify general categories of supplies

and their costs. Show computations and

provide other information which

supports the amount requested.

Contractual: Costs of all contracts for

services and goods except for those

which belong under other categories

such as equipment, supplies, etc.

Contracts with secondary recipient

organizations, including delegate

agencies (if applicable), should be

included under this category.

All procurement transactions shall be

conducted in a manner to provide, to

the maximum extent practical, open and

free competition. If procurement

competitions were held or if

procurement without competition is

being proposed, attach a list of proposed

contractors, indicating the names of the

organizations, the purposes of the

contracts, the estimated dollar amounts,

and the award selection process. Justify

any anticipated procurement action that

is expected to be awarded without

competition and to exceed the

simplified acquisition threshold fixed at

41 USC 403(11). Recipients might be

required to make available to ACF preaward review and procurement

documents, such as requests for

proposal or invitations for bids,

independent cost estimates, etc.

Note: Whenever the applicant intends to

delegate part of the project to another agency,
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices 25499

the applicant must provide a detailed budget

and budget narrative for each delegate

agency, by agency title, along with the

required supporting information referred to

in these instructions.

Other: Enter the total of all other

costs. Such costs, where applicable and

appropriate, may include but are not

limited to insurance, professional

services costs, space and equipment

rentals, printing and publication,

computer use, training costs, such as

tuition and stipends, staff development,

and administrative costs.

Provide computations, a narrative

description and a justification for each

cost under this category.

Indirect Costs: This category should

be used only when the applicant

currently has an indirect cost rate

approved by the Department of Health

and Human Services or another

cognizant Federal agency.

An applicant proposing to charge

indirect costs to the grant must enclose

a copy of the current rate agreement. If

the applicant organization is in the

process of initially developing or

renegotiating a rate, it should

immediately upon notification that an

award will be made, develop a tentative

indirect cost rate proposal based on its

most recently completed fiscal year in

accordance with the principles set forth

in the cognizant agency’s guidelines for

establishing indirect cost rates, and

submit it to the cognizant agency.

Applicants awaiting approval of their

indirect cost proposals may also request

indirect costs. It should be noted that

when an indirect cost rate is requested,

those costs included in the indirect cost

pool should not also be charged as

direct costs to the grant. Also, if the

applicant is requesting a rate which is

less than what is allowed under the

agreement, the authorized

representative of the applicant

organization must submit a signed

acknowledgement that the applicant is

accepting a lower rate than allowed.

Program Income: The estimated

amount of income, if any, expected to be

generated from this project. Describe the

nature, source and anticipated use of

program income in the budget or refer

to the pages in the application which

contain this information. Program

income generated under a Federal grant

resulting from this announcement may

be added to funds committed to the

project and used to further program

objectives. There is no requirement to

request prior approval to defer use of

program income for a later period.

Non-Federal Resources: Amounts of

non-Federal resources that will be used

to support the project as identified in

Block 15 of the SF–424.

The firm commitment of these

resources must be documented and

submitted with the application in order

to be given credit in the review process.

A detailed budget must be prepared for

each funding source.

3. Applicants must provide the

following certifications. Copies of the

forms and assurances are located at the

end of this announcement.

a. Certification regarding lobbying if

your anticipated award exceeds

$100,000.

b. Certification regarding

environmental tobacco smoke. By

signing and submitting the applications,

applicant provides certification that

they will comply with the requirements

of the Pro-Children Act of 1994 (Pub. L.

103–227, Part C—Environmental

Tobacco Smoke) and need not mail back

the certification with the application.

c. Certification regarding debarment,

suspension, and other Ineligibility. By

signing and submitting the applications,

applicant provides certification that

they are not presently debarred,

suspended or otherwise ineligible for

this award and therefore need not mail

back the certification with the

application.

d. Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988.

C. Deadline

1. Mailed applications shall be

considered as meeting this announced

deadline if they are sent on or before the

deadline date and received by ORR in

time for the independent review.

Applications should be mailed to: Office

of Refugee Resettlement, Administration

for Children and Families, Division of

Community Resettlement, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW, Sixth Floor,

Washington, DC 20447, Attention:

Alternative Projects.

Applicants must ensure that a legibly

dated U.S. Postal Service postmark, or a

legibly dated, machine produced

postmark of a commercial mail service

appears on the envelope/package

containing the application(s). An

acceptable postmark from a commercial

carrier is one which includes the

carrier’s logo/emblem and shows the

date the package was received by the

commercial mail service. Private

metered postmarks shall not be

acceptable as proof of timely mailing.

Applications hand-carried by

applicants, applicant couriers, or by

overnight/express mail couriers shall be

considered as meeting an announced

deadline if they are received on or

before the deadline date, between the

hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at the

Administration for Children and

Families, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, Aerospace Center, 901 D

Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024,

between Monday and Friday (excluding

Federal holidays). (Applicants are

cautioned that express/overnight mail

services do not always deliver as

agreed.)

ACF cannot accommodate

transmission of applications by fax or

through other electronic media.

Therefore, applications transmitted to

ACF electronically will not be accepted

regardless of date or time of submission

and time of receipt.

2. Late applications: Applications

which do not meet the criteria above are

considered late applications. ACF shall

notify each late applicant that its

application will not be considered in

the current competition.

3. Extension of deadlines: ACF may

extend the deadline for applicants

affected by acts of God such as floods

and hurricanes, or when there is

widespread disruption of the mails. A

determination to waive or extend

deadline requirements rests with the

Chief Grants Management Officer.

4. Once an application has been

submitted, it is considered as final and

no additional materials will be accepted

by ACF.

D. Nonprofit Status

Applicants other than public agencies

must provide evidence of their

nonprofit status with their applications.

Either of the following is acceptable

evidence: (1) A copy of the applicant

organization’s listing in the Internal

Revenue Service’s most recent list of

tax-exempt organizations described in

section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS Code; or

(2) a copy of the currently valid IRS tax

exemption certificate.

E. Intergovernmental Review

This program is covered under

Executive Order 12372,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of Federal

Programs,’’ and 45 CFR part 100,

‘‘Intergovernmental Review of

Department of Health and Human

Services Programs and Activities.’’

As of June 15, 1997, the following

jurisdictions have elected not to

participate in the Executive Order

process. Applicants from these

jurisdictions need take no action in

regard to E.O. 12372: Alabama, Alaska,

Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho,

Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts,

Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New

Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon,

Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee,

Vermont, Virginia, Washington,

American Samoa, and Palau. All

remaining jurisdictions participate in

the E.O. process and have established

Single Points of Contact (SPOCs).
25500 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 89 / Friday, May 8, 1998 / Notices

Applicants from participating

jurisdictions should contact their SPOCs

as soon as possible to alert them to the

prospective applications and receive

instructions. Applicants must submit

any required material to the SPOCs as

soon as possible so that ORR can obtain

and review SPOC comments as part of

the award process. The applicant must

submit all required materials, if any, to

the SPOC and indicate the date of this

submittal (or the date of contact if no

submittal is required) on the Standard

Form 424, item 16a.

Under 45 CFR 100.8 (a)(2), a SPOC

has 60 days from the application

deadline to comment on proposed new

or competing continuation awards.

SPOCs are encouraged to eliminate the

submission of routine endorsements as

official recommendations.

Additionally, SPOCs are requested to

clearly differentiate between mere

advisory comments and those official

State process recommendations which

may trigger the ‘‘accommodate or

explain’’ rule. When comments are

submitted directly to ACF, they should

be addressed to: Department of Health

and Human Services, Administration for

Children and Families, Office of Refugee

Resettlement, Division of Community

Resettlement, 6th Floor, 370 L’Enfant

Promenade, SW., Washington, DC

20447.

F. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(Pub. L. 104–13)

All information collections within

this Program Announcement are

approved under the following currently

valid OMB control numbers: 424,

(0348–0043); 424A (0348–0044); 424B

(0348–0040); Disclosure of Lobbying

Activities (0348–0046); Uniform Project

Description (0970–0139), Expiration

date 10/31/2000.

Public reporting burden for this

collection of information is estimated to

average 150 hours per response,

including the time for reviewing

instructions, gathering and maintaining

the data needed, and reviewing the

collection of information. An agency

may not conduct or sponsor, and a

person is not required to respond to, a

collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

G. Applicable Regulations

Applicable DHHS regulations can be

found in 45 CFR Part 74 or 92.

H. Reporting Requirements

Grantees are required to file the

Financial Status Report (SF–269) semiannually and Program Performance

Reports (OMB Approval No. 0970–0036)

on a quarterly basis. Funds issued under

these awards must be accounted for and

reported upon separately from all other

grant activities.

Although ORR does not expect the

proposed components/projects to

include evaluation activities, it does

expect grantees to maintain adequate

records to track and report on project

outcomes and expenditures by budget

line item.

The official receipt point for all

reports and correspondence is the ORR

Division of Community Resettlement.

An original and one copy of each report

shall be submitted within 30 days of the

end of each reporting period directly to

the Project Officer named in the award

letter. The mailing address is: 370

L’Enfant Promenade SW., Sixth Floor,

Washington, DC 20447.

A final Financial and Program Report

shall be due 90 days after the budget

expiration date or termination of grant

support.

Dated: April 30, 1998.

Lavinia Limon,

Director, Office of Refugee Resettlement.

[FR Doc. 98–12301 Filed 5–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4184–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR–4341–N–09]

Federal Property Suitable as Facilities

To Assist the Homeless

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: This Notice identifies

unutilized, underutilized, excess, and

surplus Federal property reviewed by

HUD for suitability for possible use to

assist the homeless.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mark Johnston, room 7256, Department

of Housing and Urban Development,

451 Seventh Street, SW., Washington,

DC 20410; telephone (202) 708–1226;

TTY number for the hearing- and

speech-impaired (202) 708–2565 (these

telephone numbers are not toll-free), or

call the toll-free Title V information line

at 1–800–927–7588.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In

accordance with 24 CFR part 581 and

section 501 of the Stewart B. McKinney

Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C.

11411), as amended, HUD is publishing

this Notice to identify Federal buildings

and other real property that HUD has

reviewed for suitability for use to assist

the homeless. The properties were

reviewed using information provided to

HUD by Federal landholding agencies

regarding unutilized and underutilized

buildings and real property controlled

by such agencies or by GSA regarding

its inventory of excess or surplus

Federal property. This Notice is also

published in order to comply with the

December 12, 1998 Court Order in

National Coalition for the Homeless v.

Veterans Administration, No. 88–2503–

OG (D.D.C.).

Properties reviewed are listed in this

Notice according to the following

categories: Suitable/available, suitable/

unavailable, suitable/to be excess, and

unsuitable. The properties listed in the

three suitable categories have been

reviewed by the landholding agencies,

and each agency has transmitted to

HUD: (1) Its intention to make the

property available for use to assist the

homeless, (2) its intention to declare the

property excess to the agency’s needs, or

(3) a statement of the reasons that the

property cannot be declared excess or

made available for use as facilities to

assist the homeless.

Properties listed as suitable/available

will be available exclusively for

homeless use for a period of 60 days

from the date of this Notice. Homeless

assistance providers interested in any

such property should send a written

expression of interest to HHS, addressed

to Brian Rooney, Division of Property

Management, Program Support Center,

HHS, room 5B–41, 5600 Fishers Lane,

Rockville, MD 20857; (301) 443–2265.

(This is not a toll-free number.) HHS

will mail to the interested provider an

application packet, which will include

instructions for completing the

application. In order to maximize the

opportunity to utilize a suitable

property, providers should submit their

written expressions of interest as soon

as possible. For complete details

concerning the processing of

applications, the reader is encouraged to

refer to the interim rule governing this

program, 24 CFR part 581.

For properties listed as suitable/to be

excess, that property may, if

subsequently accepted as excess by

GSA, be made available for use by the

homeless in accordance with applicable

law, subject to screening for other

Federal use. At the appropriate time,

HUD will publish the property in a

Notice showing it as either suitable/

available or suitable/unavailable.

For properties listed as suitable/

unavailable, the landholding agency has

decided that the property cannot be

declared excess or made available for

use to assist the homeless, and the

property will not be available.