66724 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR 5002–N–01] 

Notice of Funding Availability for 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 Mainstream 

Housing Opportunities for Persons 

With Disabilities Program (Mainstream 

Program) 

AGENCY: Office of Public and Indian 

Housing, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice of Funding Availability 

(NOFA). 

Overview Information 

A. Federal Agency Name: Department 

of Housing and Urban Development, 

Office of Public and Indian Housing, 

Office of Public Housing and Voucher 

Programs. 

B. Funding Opportunity Title: 

Mainstream Housing Opportunities for 

Persons With Disabilities Program 

(Mainstream Program). 

C. Announcement Type: Initial 

Announcement. 

D. Funding Opportunity Number: The 

Federal Register number for this NOFA 

is FR–5002-N–01. The Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

paperwork approval number is 2577– 

0169. 

E. Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 14.871, 

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers. 

F. Application Deadline: The 

application submission date is January 

3, 2006. Applications must be submitted 

through www.grants.gov and must be 

received by grants.gov no later than 

11:59:59 p.m. Eastern time on the 

application submission date. Applicants 

receiving a waiver of the electronic 

submission requirement must send their 

application via the United States Postal 

Service (USPS) no later than 11:59:59 

p.m. Eastern time on the application 

submission date. Please see the General 

Section of the SuperNOFA (70 FR 

13575) published March 21, 2005, for 

further information about application 

submission, delivery, and timely receipt 

requirements. 

G. Optional, Additional Overview 

Content Information: The purpose of the 

Mainstream Program is to provide 

vouchers under the Housing Choice 

Voucher Program to enable persons with 

disabilities (elderly and non-elderly) to 

access affordable private housing. 

Public housing agencies (PHAs) and 

nonprofit organizations that provide 

services to the disabled are eligible to 

apply. Those PHAs and nonprofit 

organizations interested in applying for 

the approximately $10.2 million in fiveyear budget authority (anticipated to 

fund approximately 250 vouchers) 

under this funding announcement 

should carefully review the General 

Section of the SuperNOFA published 

March 21, 2005 (70 FR 13575); the 

additional guidance and other helpful 

information located at www.hud.gov 

(click on ‘‘Grants’’ and then click on 

‘‘Funds Available’’); and the detailed 

information contained in this 

Mainstream Program funding 

announcement. The available funding is 

derived from Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 

Section 811 funding, and previously 

unobligated Mainstream funding from 

FY 2000 and FY 2003. 

Full Text of Announcement 

I. Funding Opportunity Description 

A. Authority and Purpose 

Authority for this program is found in 

the Cranston-Gonzalez National 

Affordable Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 8013 

(Pub. L. 101–625), the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, FY 2005 (Pub. L. 

108–447, approved December 8, 2004), 

and in chapters of the Emergency 

Supplemental Appropriations Act for 

Defense, the Global War on Terror and 

Tsunami Relief, 2005 (Pub. L. 109–13, 

approved May 11, 2005). The Secretary 

has established a Mainstream Housing 

Opportunities for Persons With 

Disabilities Program (Mainstream 

Program) to provide vouchers to enable 

persons with disabilities to access 

affordable private housing of their 

choice. The Mainstream Program will 

assist PHAs and nonprofit organizations 

in providing housing choice vouchers to 

a segment of the population recognized 

by HUD’s housing research as having 

one of the worst housing needs of any 

group in the United States, i.e., very 

low-income households with adults 

with disabilities. In addition, the 

Mainstream Program will assist persons 

with disabilities who often face 

difficulties in locating suitable and 

accessible housing on the private 

market. The vouchers that HUD will 

provide under this announcement must 

be made available to eligible disabled 

families regardless of their type of 

disability. (See the definition of 

disabled family in section I. B. 1. of this 

announcement.) The Mainstream 

Program vouchers must not be issued by 

the administering agency on the basis of 

any preference system favoring any 

particular type of disability over 

another, nor shall the vouchers be 

issued solely on the basis of an 

administering agency’s waiting list 

which, in turn, is based on that agency 

having heretofore served only certain 

types of disabled persons. The Housing 

Choice Voucher Program regulations 

provide at 24 CFR 982.207(b)(3) that a 

PHA may give preference for admission 

of families that include a person with 

disabilities; however, the PHA may not 

give preference for admission of persons 

with a specific disability. This 

regulatory requirement is also 

applicable to nonprofit organizations 

that receive funding under this 

announcement, as such organizations 

must comply with the regulatory 

requirements applicable to the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program. Because 

Mainstream vouchers are targeted for 

use by disabled persons, each successful 

applicant will need to revise the 

administrative plan for its voucher 

program to clearly indicate that 

Mainstream vouchers will be issued 

only to disabled persons. Preferences 

within the disability category; e.g., 

disabled veterans, etc., may be used as 

long as the result is not to give a 

preference to the admission of persons 

with any specific type of disability. 

B. Definitions 

The following definitions apply to the 

approximately $10.2 million in five-year 

budget authority available under this 

funding announcement. 

1. Disabled Family. Disabled family 

means a family whose head, spouse, or 

sole member is a person with 

disabilities. It may include two or more 

persons with disabilities living together, 

or one or more persons with disabilities 

living with one or more live-in aides. 

2. Person With Disabilities. a. Means 

a person who: 

(1) Has a disability as defined in 42 

U.S.C. 423; 

(2) Is determined, pursuant to HUD 

regulations, to have a physical, mental, 

or emotional impairment that: 

(a) Is expected to be of long-continued 

and indefinite duration; 

(b) Substantially impedes his or her 

ability to live independently; and 

(c) Is of such a nature that the ability 

to live independently could be 

improved by more suitable housing 

conditions; or 

(3) Has a developmental disability as 

defined in 42 U.S.C. 6001; 

b. Does not exclude persons who have 

the disease of acquired 

immunodeficiency syndrome or any 

conditions arising from the etiologic 

agent for acquired immunodeficiency 

syndrome; 

c. For purposes of qualifying for lowincome housing, does not include a 

person whose disability is based solely 

on any drug or alcohol dependence. 

Note: HUD is exercising its waiver 

authority under the ‘‘Housing for Persons 

With Disabilities’’ section of the 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 66725 

Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2005, to 

use the definition of ‘‘person with 

disabilities’’ found at section 3 (b)(3)(E) of the 

United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 

1437 et seq.) (‘‘the Act’’), as implemented in 

the HUD regulations for the Housing Choice 

Voucher Program at 24 CFR 5.403, in lieu of 

the definition of ‘‘person with disabilities’’

found at 42 U.S.C. 8013 (k)(2). 

3. Housing Choice Voucher Search 

Assistance. Assistance to increase 

access by program participants to 

housing units in a variety of 

neighborhoods (including areas with 

low poverty concentrations) and to 

locate and obtain units suited to their 

needs. 

II. Award Information 

A. Available Funds 

Approximately $10.2 million in fiveyear funding is available for 

approximately 250 vouchers for 

supportive housing for persons with 

disabilities. This allocation is consistent 

with the Consolidated Appropriations 

Act, FY 2005 (Pub. L. 108–447, 

approved December 8, 2004), and the 

Emergency Supplemental 

Appropriations Act for Defense, the 

Global War on Terror and Tsunami 

Relief, 2005 (Pub. L. 109–13, approved 

May 11, 2005). Congressional rescission 

of a portion of HUD’s appropriated 

funding resulted in the $10 million in 

appropriations being reduced to 

$9,920,000. This amount was 

supplemented by prior year unobligated 

Mainstream funding from FY 2000 and 

FY 2003 (also derived from section 811 

funding) totaling approximately 

$318,000, for a grand total for 

Mainstream funding of approximately 

$10.2 million. All future references in 

this funding announcement to five-year 

budget authority are based upon these 

funding sources. All of the 

approximately $10.2 million in 

Mainstream funding is for use in 

housing persons with disabilities. 

B. Housing Choice Voucher Funding 

1. Determination of Funding Amount 

for the Applicant’s Requested Number 

of Vouchers. HUD’s Housing Voucher 

Financial Management Division will 

determine the amount of funding that an 

applicant will be awarded under this 

announcement based upon actual 

annual per unit costs. 

2. Determination Process. a. HUD will 

extract from the Voucher Management 

System (VMS) the actual housing 

assistance payments (HAP) costs for 

five-year Mainstream units, divided by 

the total units leased, both as reported 

by the PHA in VMS and verifiable, for 

the most recently reported quarter. HUD 

will multiply the monthly per unit cost 

by 12 to determine the annual per unit 

cost and may adjust that total by the 

applicable Annual Adjustment Factor, 

to arrive at a funding amount for HAP 

costs. The HAP dollar amount, 

approved by HUD for an awardee for 

five-year Mainstream vouchers, will not 

be increased by HUD during the fiveyear term. 

b. If a PHA does not currently 

administer a five-year Mainstream 

Program, the per unit funding amount 

will be that amount used to calculate 

the PHA’s Calendar Year 2005 renewal 

funding for the regular voucher 

program. 

c. Administrative fees will be 

calculated on the basis of the per unit 

month rate determined for the PHA 

from its Calendar Year 2005 renewal fee 

allocation. 

C. Unfunded Approvable Applications 

PHAs or nonprofit organizations with 

approvable applications that are not 

funded in whole or in part, due to 

insufficient funds available under this 

funding announcement, shall be funded 

first in FY 2006, provided HUD receives 

additional appropriations for the 

Mainstream Program for FY 2006. 

III. Eligibility Information 

A. Eligible Applicants 

PHAs and nonprofit organizations 

that provide services to the disabled (as 

defined in section I. B. 1. of this 

announcement) are eligible applicants 

for the five-year budget authority 

funding available under this funding 

announcement. PHAs with less than 300 

vouchers under an annual contributions 

contract (ACC), nonprofit organizations 

not previously funded under the 

Mainstream Program, as well as PHAs or 

nonprofit organizations that fall into any 

of the categories in section III. C. 1. of 

this announcement, are ineligible to 

have an application funded under this 

announcement. Indian Housing 

Authorities (IHAs), Indian tribes, and 

their tribally designated housing entities 

are not eligible to apply for new 

increments of housing choice voucher 

funding because the Native American 

Housing Assistance and SelfDetermination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 

4101 et seq.), does not allow HUD to 

enter into new housing choice voucher 

ACCs with IHAs after September 30, 

1997. 

B. Cost Sharing or Matching 

None required. 

C. Other 

1. Program Related Threshold 

Requirements. An applicant must be 

eligible under the following threshold 

requirements at the time of the 

application due date, as well as at such 

subsequent time of HUD’s selection of 

awardees. The Grants Management 

Center (GMC) will use information 

available within HUD’s information 

systems, as well as coordinate with 

HUD’s local HUD field offices, in 

assessing whether applicants fall into 

any of the threshold categories. 

Applications from PHAs or nonprofit 

organizations that fall into any of the 

following threshold categories will not 

be processed: 

a. PHAs or nonprofit organizations 

that do not meet the fair housing and 

civil rights compliance threshold 

requirements of Sections III. C. 2. c. and 

III. C. 4. a. and b. of the General Section 

of the SuperNOFA (70 FR 13575) 

published March 21, 2005. 

b. The applicant is designated as 

troubled by HUD under the Section 8 

Management Assessment Program 

(SEMAP), or has major program 

management findings in an Inspector 

General audit for its voucher program 

that are unresolved, or has other 

significant program compliance 

problems that are not resolved. Major 

program management findings, or 

significant program compliance 

problems, are those that would cast 

doubt on the capacity of the applicant 

to effectively administer any new 

housing choice voucher funding in 

accordance with applicable HUD 

regulatory and statutory requirements. 

The only exception to this category is if 

the applicant has been identified under 

the policy established in section III. C. 

2. c. of this announcement and the 

applicant makes application with a 

designated contract administrator. 

c. The PHA or nonprofit organization 

has failed to expend 97 percent of its 

allocated budget authority (ABA) for its 

voucher program. The percent of 

allocated budget authority expended 

(PABAE) for a PHA’s or nonprofit 

organization’s voucher program will be 

calculated by HUD Headquarters’

Housing Voucher Financial 

Management Division based upon the 

expenditure information submitted 

electronically to HUD’s voucher 

management system (VMS) on a 

quarterly basis for the most recent 12- 

month period (prior to the Mainstream 

application due date). The PABAE will 

be determined by HUD dividing the 

amount of housing assistance payments 

(HAP) by the ABA. If data in the VMS 

is not available or cannot be relied 

upon, HUD will use other sources of 

available information, such as the HUD 

Central Accounting Processing System 

(HUDCAPS), up to December 31, 2004, 

or financial statement information 

66726 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 

submitted to the Real Estate Assessment 

Center through the Financial 

Assessment Sub-System. (Note: If the 

PABAE is 96.5 percent but less than 97 

percent, the PABAE shall be rounded up 

to 97 percent.) See section IV. B. 1. g. 

of this funding announcement, which 

addresses the certification to be 

submitted by Moving to Work (MTW) 

agencies in connection with the 97 

percent expenditure requirement 

referenced above. 

d. The PHA or nonprofit organization 

is involved in litigation and HUD 

determines that the litigation may 

seriously impede the ability of the 

applicant to administer the vouchers. 

e. An application that does not 

comply with the requirements of 24 CFR 

982.103 and this program section after 

the expiration of the 7-calendar day 

technical deficiency correction period. 

f. The application was submitted after 

the application due date. 

g. The application was not submitted 

to the official place of receipt as 

indicated in section F. under Overview 

Information at the beginning of this 

funding announcement, or as indicated 

in section IV. F. of this funding 

announcement, as appropriate. 

h. The applicant has been debarred or 

otherwise disqualified from providing 

assistance under the program. 

i. The PHA did not have its PHA 

plans approved by HUD for the FY 2004 

plan cycle on the application due date 

for this funding announcement. (This 

category of ineligibility does not apply 

to nonprofit organizations whose 

Housing Choice Voucher Program is 

based solely upon previously approved 

housing choice vouchers under the 

Mainstream Program.) 

j. The applicant does not have a 

financial management system that meets 

federal standards. See Section III. C. 2. 

f. of the General Section of the 

SuperNOFA (70 FR 13575) published 

March 21, 2005, regarding those 

applicants that may be subject to HUD’s 

arranging for a pre-award survey of an 

applicant’s financial management 

system. 

k. The PHA does not have a HUDapproved designated housing plan as of 

the application due date under this 

funding announcement (this does not 

apply to nonprofit applicants). 

l. The applicant is not in compliance 

with the Uniform Financial Reporting 

Standards (UFRS) at the time of the 

application due date. 

m. The applicant submits an 

electronic application with a virus. (The 

applicant may resubmit a virus-free 

electronic application, but it must be 

resubmitted at least 24 hours prior to 

the due date.) 

n. The applicant is not registered at 

www.grants.gov as the authorized 

organization representative. 

o. The applicant submits an 

application using a Dun and Bradstreet 

Number System (DUNS) number under 

which it is not registered to submit an 

electronic application to 

www.grants.gov. 

2. PHA Program Requirements. 

a. A PHA may submit only one 

application under this announcement. 

This one-application-per-PHA limit 

applies regardless of whether or not the 

PHA is a state or regional PHA, except 

in those instances where such a PHA 

has more than one PHA code number 

due to its operating under the 

jurisdiction of more than one HUD field 

office. In such an instance, a separate 

application under each code shall be 

considered for funding, with the 

cumulative total of vouchers applied for 

under the applications not to exceed the 

maximum of 20 vouchers the PHA is 

eligible to apply for under section IV. E. 

of this announcement, i.e., no more than 

the number of vouchers the same PHA 

would be eligible to apply for if it only 

had one PHA code number. 

b. PHAs are encouraged to involve 

nonprofit organizations that provide 

services to disabled families, as defined 

in section III. C. 3. of this 

announcement, in the administration of 

the Mainstream Program’s vouchers. In 

the past, such organizations have 

frequently demonstrated a capacity to 

assist disabled families and have 

demonstrated an in-depth knowledge of 

the disability community. 

(1) A nonprofit organization could 

function as either a contract 

administrator for the PHA’s Mainstream 

vouchers, or as a subcontractor 

responsible for providing case 

management services or assisting 

disabled families to locate suitable 

housing, gaining access to supportive 

services, or identifying private funding 

sources to cover the costs of unit 

modifications needed as a reasonable 

accommodation. 

(2) Such contractual arrangements 

must, however, ensure equal 

opportunity among the wide variety of 

disabled populations in the PHA’s 

service area. 

c. In some cases, an applicant 

currently administering the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program has, at the 

time of publication of the SuperNOFA, 

been designated by HUD as troubled 

under the SEMAP, has major program 

management findings from Inspector 

General audits that are unresolved, or 

has other significant program 

compliance problems. HUD will reject 

an application from such an applicant 

as a contract administrator if, on the 

application due date, the troubled 

designation under SEMAP has not been 

removed by HUD, and the findings or 

other significant program compliance 

problems are not resolved. If the 

applicant wants to apply for funding 

under this announcement, it must 

submit an application that designates 

another contractor that is acceptable to 

HUD. The application must include an 

agreement by the other contractor to 

administer the new funding increment 

on behalf of the applicant, and (in the 

instance of an applicant with 

unresolved major program management 

findings or other significant program 

compliance problems) a statement that 

outlines the steps the applicant is taking 

to resolve the program findings or 

compliance problems. 

Immediately after the publication of 

this funding announcement, the Office 

of Public Housing in the local HUD field 

office will notify, in writing, those PHAs 

and nonprofit organizations that have 

been designated by HUD as troubled 

under SEMAP, and those PHAs and 

nonprofit organizations with unresolved 

major program management findings or 

other significant program compliance 

problems that are not eligible to apply 

without such an agreement. 

Concurrently, the local HUD field office 

will provide a copy of each such written 

notification to the Director of the Grants 

Management Center (GMC). The 

applicant may appeal the decision, in 

writing, if HUD has mistakenly 

classified the applicant as having 

unresolved major program findings or 

other significant program compliance 

problems. The applicant may not appeal 

its designation as troubled under 

SEMAP. Any appeal with respect to 

unresolved major program management 

findings or other significant program 

compliance problems must be 

accompanied by conclusive evidence of 

HUD’s error (i.e., documentation 

showing that the finding has been 

cleared or the program compliance 

problem has been resolved) and must be 

received prior to the application 

deadline. The appeal should be 

submitted to the local HUD field office 

where a final determination shall be 

made. Concurrently, the local HUD field 

office shall provide the GMC with a 

copy of the applicant’s written appeal 

and the field office’s written response to 

the appeal. Copies of all letters of 

ineligibility and matters that relate to 

PHA appeals referenced in this 

paragraph must be submitted to the 

GMC by the field office so as to be 

received by the GMC no later than 10 

days after the application deadline date. 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 66727 

Major program management findings, or 

significant program compliance 

problems, are those that would cast 

doubt on the capacity of the applicant 

to effectively administer any new 

housing choice voucher funding in 

accordance with applicable HUD 

regulatory and statutory requirements. 

(Note: If any additional PHAs or nonprofit 

organizations fall into the above category 

prior to HUD’s announcement of awards 

under this NOFA, but subsequent to the local 

HUD field office’s notification of the GMC 

addressed above, the field office shall 

immediately notify the GMC of the 

applicant’s name and the category into which 

the applicant falls, i.e., designated as 

troubled under SEMAP, major unresolved 

Office of Inspector General (OIG) 

management findings, or other significant 

program compliance problems. As indicated 

in section III. C. 1. of this NOFA, an 

applicant must be eligible for funding at the 

time of the application due date, as well as 

at such subsequent time of HUD’s selection 

of awardees. No PHA appeals, based upon 

field office letters of ineligibility issued after 

the application deadline date, shall be 

considered for purposes of eligibility for 

funding under this funding announcement.) 

3. Nonprofit Organization Program 

Requirements. A nonprofit organization 

may submit only one application under 

this announcement. For purposes of the 

Mainstream Program, a nonprofit 

organization shall be defined as an 

organization, no part of the net earnings 

of which inures to the benefit of any 

member, founder, contributor, or 

individual, that provides services to 

persons with disabilities and has 

received a federal tax-exempt 

designation, under section 501(c) (3) of 

the Internal Revenue Code, from the 

U.S. Internal Revenue Service. 

a. The nonprofit entity must: 

(1) Have a voluntary board; 

(2) Be authorized by its charter or 

state law to enter into a contract with 

the Federal Government to provide 

housing assistance to persons with 

disabilities; 

(3) Have a functioning accounting 

system that is operated in accordance 

with generally accepted accounting 

principles, or designate an entity that 

will maintain a functioning accounting 

system for the organization in 

accordance with generally accepted 

accounting principles; 

(4) Practice nondiscrimination in the 

provision of assistance; and 

(5) Provide services to the disabled as 

part of its ongoing activities and 

responsibilities. 

b. Nonprofit organizations are 

encouraged to seek out PHAs in their 

geographic area to develop cooperative 

contractual relationships under the 

Mainstream Program and to enhance 

services to disabled families. In addition 

to contacting local PHAs, nonprofit 

organizations may also wish to contact 

regional (multi-county) or statewide 

PHAs. 

4. Eligible Participants. Only a 

disabled family that is income-eligible 

under 24 CFR 982.201(b)(1), as well as 

otherwise eligible under the regulations 

at 24 CFR 982.201, may receive a 

voucher awarded under the Mainstream 

Program. Applicants with disabilities 

must be selected from the PHA’s or 

nonprofit organization’s housing choice 

voucher waiting list. Additional 

information on those families and 

individuals eligible to receive a voucher 

is located at the following HUD Web 

site: http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/ 

programs/hcv. 

IV. Application and Submission 

Information 

A. Website Addresses To Request 

Application Package 

This section describes how you may 

obtain application forms, additional 

information about the Mainstream 

Program NOFA, and technical 

assistance. Copies of the published 

Mainstream NOFA and related 

application forms for this NOFA may be 

downloaded from the grants.gov Web 

site at www.grants.gov/Apply. (Be sure 

to download both the instructions 

package and the application package. 

Information from both packages will be 

necessary to have a successful 

submission.) You may choose from links 

provided under the topic ‘‘Search Grant 

Opportunities,’’ which allows you to do 

a basic search or to browse by category 

or agency. The NOFA may also be found 

by using the search function at 

www.grants.gov. If you have difficulty 

accessing the information, you may 

receive customer support from 

Grants.gov by calling its help line at 

(800) 518–GRANTS or sending an email to support@grants.gov. The 

Grants.gov help desk is open from 7 

a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday 

through Friday, except federal holidays. 

The operators will assist you in 

accessing the information. If you do not 

have Internet access and you need to 

obtain a copy of this NOFA, you may 

contact HUD’s NOFA Information 

Center toll-free at (800) HUD–2209 and 

immediately submit a request for a 

waiver of the electronic requirement. A 

copy of this funding announcement for 

the Mainstream Program, the forms to be 

submitted with the application, and 

reference materials for use in preparing 

an application may be downloaded from 

the following Web site: www.grants.gov/ 

Apply, by clicking on Apply Step 1. 

1. Application Kit. There is no 

application kit for this program. This 

announcement contains all the 

information necessary for the 

submission of your application for 

voucher funding for the Mainstream 

Program. The materials needed to apply 

are found in the instruction download 

and application download found at 

www.grants.gov/Apply. HUD has made 

an effort to improve the readability of 

this NOFA and publish all required 

forms for application submission in the 

Federal Register. Please pay attention to 

the registration and submission 

requirements, including the format for 

submission, for the Mainstream NOFA 

to ensure that you have submitted all 

required elements of your application. 

The published Federal Register 

document is the official document that 

HUD uses to solicit applications. 

Therefore, if there is a discrepancy 

between any materials published by 

HUD in its Federal Register 

publications and other information 

provided in paper copy, electronic copy, 

or at www.grants.gov, the Federal 

Register publication prevails. Please be 

sure to review your application 

submission against the requirements in 

the Federal Register for this program 

NOFA. 

2. Further Information. A guidebook 

to HUD programs entitled, ‘‘Connecting 

with Communities: A User’s Guide to 

HUD Programs and the FY 2005 NOFA 

Process,’’ is available from the HUD 

NOFA Information Center and the HUD 

Web site at: www.hud.gov/offices/adm/ 

grants/fundsavail.cfm. The guidebook 

provides a brief description of all HUD 

programs, identifies eligible applicants 

for the programs, and provides 

examples of how programs can work in 

combination to serve local community 

needs. The telephone numbers for the 

NOFA Information Center are (800) 

HUD–8929, or for the hearing impaired, 

(800) HUD–2209 (TTY) (these are tollfree numbers). The NOFA Information 

Center is open between the hours of 

10:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Eastern time, 

Monday through Friday, except federal 

holidays. 

B. Content and Form of Application 

Submission 

You must meet all the registration, 

application, and submission 

requirements described in Section IV. B. 

of the General Section of the 

SuperNOFA (70 FR 13581). 

1. Content of Application. Applicants 

are requested to read this section very 

carefully, as it addresses the specific 

information that must be in the 

applications submitted to HUD under 

this NOFA. Applications failing to 

66728 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 

provide this information will be 

determined either ineligible for 

processing, or in the instance of an 

application having a curable 

(correctable) technical deficiency (see 

the General Section of the SuperNOFA 

(70 FR 13575) published March 21, 

2005), the applicant will be requested to 

submit additional information. Those 

application submission items identified 

below in this section IV. B. 1. as ‘‘not 

curable’’ shall mean that any item; e.g., 

Mainstream Program Operating Plan, 

for which the applicant does not 

provide all the requested information 

shall result in the application being 

determined ineligible for processing. 

The turnaround times established by 

HUD in the instance of curable technical 

deficiencies are relatively brief, so the 

initial submission of a carefully 

prepared and complete application is 

extremely important. Applicants should 

also carefully review sections III. C. 1. 

(b) and (c) of this funding 

announcement to determine if their 

SEMAP designation, OIG status, 

existence of significant program 

compliance problems, or percentage 

expended of allocated budget authority 

will require the submission of 

additional information with their 

application. 

a. Form SF–424, Application for 

Federal Assistance. All applicants must 

complete and submit the SF–424, 

Application for Federal Assistance. The 

SF–424 requires each applicant to enter 

basic information; e.g., applicant’s 

name, address, Dun and Bradstreet 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 

number, CFDA number for the type of 

funding being requested, etc. In the box 

titled ‘‘Federal Identifier’’ (on the top 

right hand side of the form), the 

applicant should enter the housing 

authority code number (for example, 

CT00). In part a. (Federal), of section 15 

(Estimated Funding), the applicant 

should enter a zero dollar amount, as 

HUD will determine (as per section II. 

B. of this funding announcement) the 

amount of funding needed to fund the 

number of vouchers an applicant may 

be awarded. (Electronic Application 

Submission Tip: When entering the zero 

for the dollar amount, do not use any 

decimal points.) The SF–424 is located 

in the General Section of the 

SuperNOFA and is also available at the 

following HUD Web site: http:// 

www.hud.gov/Apply. Applicants are 

placed on notice that by electronically 

signing the SF–424, the applicant is 

certifying to the accuracy of (1) All data/ 

information on the Form SF–424, (2) all 

information described in Section IV. B. 

2. (‘‘Certifications and Assurances’’) in 

the General Section (70 FR 13575), 

published March 21, 2005, and (3) all 

data and information provided on all 

other forms and components (including 

certifications related to rating criteria) in 

its application. If you are granted a 

waiver to the electronic submission 

requirements, the Form SF–424 must be 

submitted and signed/dated by the 

applicant. An electronic or handwritten 

signature on the form certifies the 

accuracy of the application. 

b. Form HUD–52515. All applicants 

must complete and submit Form HUD–

52515, Funding Application, for the 

Housing Choice Voucher Program. 

Section C of the form should be left 

blank. The standard Assurances and 

Certifications required to be submitted 

by each applicant are on the Form 

HUD–52515, which includes the Equal 

Opportunity Certification, and the 

Certification Regarding Lobbying. A 

copy of the Form HUD–52515, which is 

not included among the forms in the 

General Section of the SuperNOFA, is 

attached to this funding announcement. 

c. Letter of Intent and Narrative. In 

the letter of intent and narrative, the 

applicant must indicate the number of 

vouchers being requested, whether it 

will accept a reduction in the number of 

vouchers, and the minimum number of 

vouchers the applicant will accept, 

since the funding is limited and HUD 

may only have enough funds to approve 

an amount smaller than the number of 

vouchers requested. The maximum 

number of vouchers that an applicant 

may apply for under this announcement 

is limited to 20, and the minimum 

number of vouchers an applicant may 

apply for is 10. 

The letter of intent and narrative 

should also include information 

addressing how the applicant meets the 

selection criteria in section V.A. of this 

NOFA. Failure of the applicant to 

provide information in connection with 

selection criterion 1 shall result in the 

GMC scoring the applicant solely on the 

basis of information HUD already has 

on-hand. An applicant (with the 

exception of a Block Grant MTW PHA) 

is not required to submit any 

information with its application relative 

to selection criterion 2, as HUD will 

determine the applicant’s percentage of 

allocated budget authority that has been 

expended for its voucher program based 

upon information already available 

within HUD’s data systems. Failure of 

the applicant to provide the information 

called for under selection criterion 3, 

selection criterion 4, or selection 

criterion 5 shall be considered not 

curable, but shall not make the 

application ineligible for processing. 

Failure to provide the information shall 

simply mean that the applicant is 

ineligible for the points under the 

categories for which it failed to provide 

the information requested in this 

funding announcement. An applicant 

must submit the monitoring and 

evaluation plan required under 

selection criterion 6 if the applicant 

sought to be rated under selection 

criteria 3, 4, or 5. Failure to provide the 

monitoring and evaluation plan shall be 

considered not curable and shall make 

the application ineligible for processing. 

d. Description of Need for Mainstream 

Program Vouchers. The PHA’s and 

nonprofit organization’s application 

must demonstrate a need for 

Mainstream Program vouchers by 

providing information documenting that 

the demand for housing for non-elderly 

and elderly persons with disabilities 

would equal or exceed the requested 

number of vouchers. The applicant must 

assess and document the housing need 

for elderly and non-elderly persons with 

disabilities using a range of sources 

including, but not limited to: Census 

data, information from the applicant’s 

waiting list (both public housing and 

housing choice voucher), statistics on 

recent public housing admissions and 

housing choice voucher use, data from 

local advocacy groups and local public 

and private service agencies familiar 

with the housing needs of elderly and 

non-elderly persons with disabilities, 

and pertinent information from the 

Consolidated Plan [including the 

Analysis of Impediments to Fair 

Housing Choice (AI)] applicable to the 

applicant’s jurisdiction. (See 24 CFR 

91.205(d).) Failure of the applicant to 

provide the information required under 

this section (d) shall be determined not 

curable and the application deemed 

ineligible for processing. 

e. Mainstream Program Operating 

Plan. The application must include a 

plan for operating a program to serve 

eligible disabled families. This 

Mainstream Program Operating Plan 

must, at a minimum, address the 

following: 

(1) How the applicant will carry out 

its responsibilities under 24 CFR 8.28 to 

assist recipients in locating units with 

needed accessibility features; 

(2) How the applicant will identify 

private or public funding sources to 

help participants cover the costs of 

modifications that need to be made to 

their units as reasonable 

accommodations to their disabilities; 

and 

(3) How the applicant will use a 

nonprofit organization or PHA under a 

contract to administer the Mainstream 

Program vouchers or to otherwise 

provide services. (This area needs to be 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 66729 

addressed only if the applicant intends 

to partner with a PHA or nonprofit 

organization as part of its efforts to serve 

eligible disabled families receiving 

Mainstream vouchers.) 

Failure of the applicant to provide the 

information required under this section 

(e) shall be determined not curable and 

the application deemed ineligible for 

processing. 

f. Statement Regarding the Steps the 

PHA and Nonprofit Organization Will 

Take to Affirmatively Further Fair 

Housing. The statement must include 

specific steps to address the categories 

outlined in Section III. C. 4. b. in the 

General Section of the HUD 

SuperNOFA. 

g. Block Grant Moving to Work (MTW) 

PHA Certification. Block Grant MTW 

agencies must submit a certification 

with their application certifying to HUD 

that their voucher program funds have 

been used to meet the commitments of 

their MTW Agreement. Block Grant 

MTW PHAs that cannot rightfully 

submit such a certification shall submit 

a statement with their application 

explaining specifically why such a 

certification would not be accurate. 

(MTW PHAs in this latter category will 

have the number of Mainstream 

vouchers they are requesting evaluated 

by HUD on a case-by-case basis.) Failure 

of a Block Grant MTW PHA to provide 

the certification or statement required 

under this section g. shall be determined 

not curable and the application deemed 

ineligible for processing. 

h. Form HUD–2993. Applicants that 

have received a waiver of the 

requirement to submit an electronic 

application are required to complete 

and submit Form HUD–2993, 

Acknowledgment of Application 

Receipt. In addition to the applicant’s 

entering its name and address on the 

form, the full title of the program under 

which the applicant is seeking funding 

must also be entered. This form is 

located in the General Section of the 

SuperNOFA (70 FR 13575), published 

March 21, 2005, and is also available at 

the following Web site: www.grants.gov/ 

Apply. 

i. Identification of Primary Market 

Area. Each applicant must specify in the 

application its primary market area, i.e., 

the geographic area in which it is legally 

authorized to operate and where the 

vouchers will be issued. This 

information may be different from that 

entered by such an applicant on the 

Form HUD–52515, as the form calls for 

the applicant to identify its ‘‘legal area 

of operation,’’ which may be far more 

geographically expansive than the 

specific city, county, or area within a 

state where a PHA (particularly a 

regional or state PHA) or nonprofit 

organization intends to issue the 

vouchers. This information is critical 

because, as indicated in section V. A. 2. 

a. of this funding announcement, the 

geographic area in which the vouchers 

are intended to be issued and in which 

the applicant is legally authorized to 

operate a Housing Choice Voucher 

Program will be used by the applicant 

(and subsequently by the GMC during 

the review of applications) to determine 

the percentage of the nation’s housing 

needs for disabled persons at or below 

the poverty level that are within the 

applicant’s primary market area. For 

example, although an applicant may be 

legally authorized to operate throughout 

the entire county in which it is located, 

if the vouchers will be issued only in 

two cities within that county then the 

primary market area is those two cities 

and not the entire county. Conversely, if 

the applicant is planning to issue 

vouchers to all cities within a county, 

then the applicant must list the county 

only and not list the individual cities 

within that county (the county is the 

sum of all housing needs for cities 

within a county). If, in addition to the 

county, there are individual cities 

outside the county where the applicant 

also will be issuing vouchers, the PHA 

then also must list these cities. A state 

PHA or nonprofit organization legally 

authorized to operate throughout the 

entire state, but which intends to issue 

the Mainstream vouchers in only one 

county, must list solely that county as 

its primary market area. In addition, the 

primary market area shall not include a 

geographic area in which the applicant 

is issuing vouchers, outside its normal, 

legally authorized area of operation, 

based upon an agreement with another 

agency/PHA to issue vouchers in the 

other agency’s/PHA’s jurisdiction. 

2. SF–424 Supplement, Survey on 

Ensuring Equal Opportunity for 

Applicants. Non-profit applicants are 

invited to respond to a survey 

questionnaire. This survey is designed 

to help HUD assess the interest in its 

funding opportunities to grassroots 

community-based organizations, 

including faith-based organizations. A 

copy of the survey form can be found in 

the General Section of the SuperNOFA 

(70 FR 13575), published March 21, 

2005, and is also available as part of the 

application package at www.grants.gov/ 

Apply. 

C. Submission Date and Time 

Applications submitted through 

www.grants.gov/Apply must be received 

by no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern 

Time on January 3, 2006. Applicants 

receiving a waiver of the electronic 

submission requirement must submit 

their application to the United States 

Postal Service no later than 11:59:59 

p.m. Eastern Time on January 3, 2006. 

This application submission date is 

firm. In the interest of fairness to all 

competing PHAs and nonprofit 

organizations, HUD will not consider 

any application that is submitted after 

the application submission date. 

Applicants should take this practice 

into account and submit their materials 

early to avoid any risk of loss of 

eligibility brought about by submission 

problems, unanticipated delays, weather 

conditions, or other delivery-related 

problems. See paragraph IV. titled 

‘‘Application and Submission 

Information’’ in the General Section of 

the SuperNOFA (70 FR 13575), 

published March 21, 2005, regarding 

HUD’s procedures pertinent to the 

submission of your application. 

Applicants applying electronically will 

receive a confirmation of receipt, and 

then 24 to 48 hours later will receive a 

validation receipt that indicates the 

application was accepted for processing 

by www.grants.gov for transfer to the 

offering agency (HUD). Applicants are 

advised to submit electronically at least 

72 hours prior to the due date and time 

to allow themselves time to correct any 

deficiencies noted in the electronic 

application during the Grants.gov 

validation process. The validation 

process does not check for content. It 

only accepts applications where the 

applicant is registered and authorized to 

submit an application on behalf of the 

organization, if the electronic file is free 

from viruses, and if all mandatory forms 

and mandatory data elements in the 

forms have been completed. With early 

submission, if an application is rejected 

for using the wrong DUNS, the 

applicant will be able to correct the 

problem prior to the due date and time. 

D. Intergovernmental Review 

Applicants submitting an application 

under this funding announcement are 

not subject to intergovernmental review; 

i.e., Executive Order (EO) 12372, 

Intergovernmental Review of Federal 

Programs. 

E. Funding Restrictions 

There is a limit on the minimum and 

maximum number of vouchers that may 

be requested. An eligible applicant may 

apply for not less than 10 vouchers and 

no more than a maximum of 20 

vouchers. No less than 10 vouchers and 

no more than 20 vouchers will be 

awarded to any applicant under the FY 

2005 Mainstream Program. Any 

application incorrectly requesting more 

than 20 vouchers shall have its voucher 

66730 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 

request reduced by HUD to 20 vouchers. 

Likewise, because an applicant is not to 

request less than 10 vouchers under this 

NOFA, any applicant requesting less 

than 10 vouchers shall have that 

voucher request increased by HUD to 10 

vouchers. 

F. Waivers of the Electronic Submission 

Requirement; Other Submission 

Requirements 

HUD regulations at 24 CFR 5.110 

permit waivers of regulatory 

requirements to be granted for cause. If 

you are unable to submit your 

application electronically, you may 

request a waiver from this requirement. 

Your waiver request must be in writing 

and state the basis for the request and 

explain why electronic submission is 

not possible. The waiver request should 

also include an e-mail and/or name and 

mailing address where responses can be 

directed. Applicants must submit 

waiver requests to the General Deputy 

Assistant Secretary for Public and 

Indian Housing, Attn: Paula O. Blunt, 

General Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

the Office of Public and Indian Housing, 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW., 

Room 4100, Washington, DC 20410, 

with a facsimile copy to the Housing 

Voucher Management and Operations 

Division at (202) 401–7974. Waiver 

requests will be accepted beginning on 

the date of publication of this NOFA 

and no later than 30 days prior to the 

application submission date. HUD will 

not consider a waiver request that does 

not conform to the above requirement. 

If a waiver to the electronic application 

submission requirements is granted, 

HUD requires one original and two 

copies of a paper application to be sent 

to the Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, Central Processing Unit, 

Room 7152, 451 Seventh Street, SW., 

Washington, DC 20410, Attn: 

Mainstream Program (Mainstream). A 

copy of the application is not required 

to be submitted to the local HUD field 

office. For ease of reference, the term 

‘‘local HUD field office’’ will be used in 

this announcement to mean the local 

HUD field office Hub or the local HUD 

field office program center. A listing of 

HUD field offices is attached to the 

General Section of the SuperNOFA. 

V. Application Review Information 

A. Criteria 

1. Rating and Ranking. After the 

Grants Management Center has screened 

and disapproved any applications found 

unacceptable for further processing, it 

will review all acceptable applications 

to ensure they are technically adequate 

and responsive to the requirements of 

this announcement. HUD Headquarters 

will fund all applications from PHAs 

and nonprofit organizations that are 

recommended for funding by the Grants 

Management Center unless HUD 

receives approvable applications for 

more funds than are available. HUD will 

select applicants to be funded based 

upon the methodology indicated in 

section V. B. 1. of this NOFA. 

Applications meeting all the application 

submission requirements of section IV. 

B. of this NOFA will be rated and 

ranked on the basis of their score under 

the selection criteria in section V. A. of 

this NOFA. The maximum score under 

the selection criteria is 100 points. 

2. Selection Criteria. a. Selection 

Criterion 1, Disabled Persons at or 

Below the Poverty Level (40 points). 

(1) Description: This criterion assesses 

the number of disabled persons at or 

below the poverty level in the primary 

market area served by the applicant, as 

a percentage of such disabled persons 

on a national basis using 2000 census 

data. The primary market area is defined 

as the geographic area in which the 

applicant is legally authorized to 

operate and where the vouchers will be 

issued. (See section IV. B. 1. i. of this 

NOFA regarding the description of the 

primary market area required to be 

included in each PHA’s/nonprofit 

organization’s application.) A table 

listing all the cities and counties with a 

population of 10,000 or more persons 

within the nation states and territories) 

will be listed with this funding 

announcement on HUD’s Web site at: 

www.grants.gov/Apply. Also indicated 

on the table will be the number of 

disabled persons/percentage of such 

disabled persons at or below the poverty 

level within each city or county, as a 

percentage of the number of disabled 

persons at or below the poverty level 

within the nation. An applicant (and the 

GMC during the review of applications) 

will use the table to determine the 

percentage of disabled persons at or 

below the poverty level that is in the 

applicant’s primary market area. The 

percentage will determine the number 

of points that the applicant is eligible 

for under Selection Criterion 1. 

(2) Rating and Assessment: Points 

will be assigned based on the number of 

disabled persons at or below the poverty 

level in the applicant’s primary market 

area, as a percentage of such persons 

within the nation. For each tenth of one 

percent (.001) within the applicant’s 

primary market area, the applicant will 

receive 5 points. Percentages of .0015, 

.0025, etc. or higher but less than the 

next whole tenth of one percent, i.e., 

.002, .003, etc. shall be rounded to the 

next whole tenth of a percentage point. 

An applicant having a primary market 

area with less than one-tenth of one 

percent for disabled persons, or a 

population of 10,000 or fewer, or for 

which disability percentages are not 

listed on the table, will receive 5 points 

under Selection Criterion 1. Likewise, 

an applicant having a primary market 

area comprised of more than one 

community with a population of 10,000 

or fewer shall receive a total of 5 points 

for all such communities combined. In 

addition, an applicant with a primary 

market area comprised of one or more 

cities and/or counties, for which the 

total combined percentage is equal to or 

less than .00149, shall receive 5 points. 

A maximum of 40 points is available 

under Selection Criterion 1 regardless of 

how high a percentage of disabled 

persons at or below the poverty level is 

located within the applicant’s primary 

market area. 

b. Selection Criterion 2, Percentage of 

Allocated Budget Authority Expended 

(PABAE) (20 points). 

(1) Description: This criterion focuses 

on PABAE; i.e., the percentage of 

allocated budget authority (ABA) that a 

PHA or nonprofit organization has 

expended for its housing choice voucher 

program. While a PHA or nonprofit 

organization must have an expenditure 

rate of at least 97 percent under section 

III. C. 1. c. of this NOFA in order to have 

an acceptable application, Selection 

Criterion 2 provides for the award of 

selection points to those PHAs and 

nonprofit organizations having a PABAE 

of 99 percent or higher. The PABAE for 

a PHA’s or nonprofit organization’s 

voucher program will be calculated by 

HUD Headquarters’ Housing Voucher 

Financial Management Division based 

upon the ABA expenditure information 

submitted electronically to HUD’s 

voucher management system (VMS) on 

a quarterly basis for the most recent 12- 

month period (prior to the Mainstream 

application due date). The PABAE will 

be determined by HUD dividing the 

amount of housing assistance payments 

(HAP) by the ABA. If data in the VMS 

is not available or cannot be relied 

upon, HUD will use other sources of 

available information such as the HUD 

Central Accounting System 

(HUDCAPS), up to December 31, 2004, 

or financial statement information 

submitted to the Real Estate Assessment 

Center through the Financial 

Assessment Sub-System. (Note: A 

PABAE of a half or more of one 

percentage point will be rounded to the 

next highest percentage point for 

purposes of qualifying for the points 

available under Selection Criterion 2 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 66731 

(for example, 98.5 percent will be 

rounded up to 99 percent). 

See section IV. B. 1. g. of this NOFA 

regarding the certification requirement 

applicable to Block Grant MTW PHAs in 

connection with qualifying for the 

points available under Selection 

Criterion 2. 

(2) Rating and Assessment: The GMC 

will assign point values as follows: 

* 20 points: The PHA or nonprofit 

organization has a PABAE of 99 percent 

for its voucher program. 

c. Selection Criterion 3, 

Homeownership Option Under Housing 

Choice Voucher Program (10 points). 

(Note: Selection Criterion 3 addresses 

HUD’s homeownership policy priority.) 

(1) Description: Applicants are 

encouraged, consistent with 24 CFR 

982.625–982.643, to establish a 

homeownership component or to 

expand upon an existing component 

within their housing choice voucher 

program. Points will be awarded under 

this NOFA to applicants that are able to 

meet the rating and assessment criteria 

listed below. 

(2) Rating and Assessment: The GMC 

will assign points under Selection 

Criterion 3 as follows: 

* 3 points: The applicant has 

established a housing choice voucher 

homeownership program as evidenced 

by its submission with its application of 

a copy of the Board resolution 

approving changes to its administrative 

plan for the implementation of the 

homeownership option under its 

housing choice voucher program. 

* 7 points: The applicant qualifies for 

the three points under the paragraph 

immediately above and has had one or 

more closings under its homeownership 

program, as evidenced by the 

applicant’s submission of information to 

HUD’s Public and Indian Housing 

Information Center (PIC) on Form HUD–

50058, Family Report, indicating at least 

one homeownership unit has completed 

the closing process; i.e., has qualified 

the PHA for the $1,000 administrative 

fee associated with each 

homeownership voucher closing, as 

described in Notice PIH 2005–14 (HA) 

and the predecessor to this Notice 

issued ‘‘To All Section 8 Housing 

Authorities’’ on October 27, 2004. (Note: 

The applicant can only qualify for the 

seven points under this paragraph if it 

has first qualified for the three points 

under the paragraph immediately 

above.) 

d. Selection Criterion 4, Family SelfSufficiency (FSS) Slots Filled (10 

points). 

(1) Description: PHAs are encouraged, 

consistent with 24 CFR Part 984, to fill 

the slots required under a mandatory 

FSS program, and to establish a 

voluntary FSS program and fill slots 

under that program where a mandatory 

FSS program is not required. Points will 

be awarded under this NOFA to PHAs 

submitting a certification with their 

application certifying that they have 

filled one or more of their slots with 

persons with disabilities, and that these 

slots have been reported to HUD’s PIC 

on the Form HUD–50058. (Note: 

Nonprofit organizations may also 

qualify for points under this selection 

criterion, but the basis upon which they 

may do so is different than for PHAs, as 

indicated below.) 

(2) Rating and Assessment for PHAs: 

The GMC will assign rating points 

under Selection Criterion 4 as follows: 

* 10 points: 20 or more of the 

applicant’s FSS slots have been filled by 

persons with disabilities. 

* 5 points: 10 to 19 of the applicant’s 

FSS slots have been filled by persons 

with disabilities. 

* 3 points: 1 to 9 of the applicant’s 

FSS slots have been filled by persons 

with disabilities. 

* 0 points: None of the applicant’s 

FSS slots have been filled by persons 

with disabilities. 

(3) Rating and Assessment for 

Nonprofit Organizations: In order to 

receive any points under this criterion, 

a nonprofit must submit a certification 

statement indicating that it currently 

assists persons with disabilities either 

directly, or indirectly through referrals 

to other agencies, with such needs as 

child care, transportation, educational 

and job training opportunities, 

employment, money management, and 

such other similar needs as are 

necessary to assist these families in 

achieving economic independence and 

self-sufficiency. The GMC will assign 

rating points under Selection Criterion 4 

when the application is accompanied by 

the certification statement indicated 

immediately above and also 

accompanied by one of the certifications 

indicated below, as follows: 

* 10 points: A certification is 

submitted with the application 

certifying that the nonprofit 

organization will assist 80 percent or 

more of its Mainstream voucher families 

either directly, or indirectly through 

referrals to other agencies, with such 

needs as child care, transportation, 

educational and job training 

opportunities, employment, money 

management, and such other similar 

needs as are necessary to assist these 

families in achieving economic 

independence and self-sufficiency. 

* 5 points: A certification is 

submitted with the application 

certifying that the nonprofit 

organization will assist 50 to 79 percent 

of its Mainstream voucher families 

either directly, or indirectly through 

referrals to other agencies, with such 

needs as child care, transportation, 

educational and job training 

opportunities, employment, money 

management, and such other similar 

needs as are necessary to assist these 

families in achieving economic 

independence and self-sufficiency. 

* 3 points: A certification is 

submitted with the application 

certifying that the nonprofit 

organization will assist 25 to 49 percent 

of its Mainstream voucher families 

either directly, or indirectly through 

referrals to other agencies, with such 

needs as child care, transportation, 

educational and job training 

opportunities, employment, money 

management, and such other similar 

needs as are necessary to assist these 

families in achieving economic 

independence and self-sufficiency. 

* 0 points: The nonprofit 

organization does not submit any of the 

certification statements indicated 

immediately above. 

e. Selection Criterion 5, Commitments 

from Outside Agencies (15 points). 

(Note: Selection Criterion 5’s category 

for 15 points addresses HUD’s grassroots 

faith-based and other community-based 

organizations policy priority.) 

(1) Description: The applicant 

provides documentation that it has 

entered into agreements with one or 

more organizations to assist disabled 

families with moving costs, security 

deposits, utility hook-up fees, utility 

deposits, medical care, transportation, 

educational opportunities, employment, 

and child care. 

(2) Rating and Assessment: The GMC 

will assign points as follows: 

* 15 points: The applicant provides 

copies of the agreements that it has 

entered into with three or more 

organizations to assist disabled families 

with any one or more of the following: 

moving costs, security deposits, utility 

hook-up fees, utility deposits, medical 

care, transportation, educational 

opportunities, employment, and child 

care. The applicant must also provide 

information indicating it has undertaken 

one or more of the activities to promote 

the participation of grass roots faithbased and other community-based 

organizations indicated in section V. b. 

1. f. of the General Section of the 

SuperNOFA, as relates to the 

aforementioned agreements. The 

applicant’s provision of the former, but 

not the latter information, shall result in 

the application receiving no more than 

9 points under this Selection Criterion 

5, as indicated below. 

66732 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 

* 9 points: The applicant provides 

copies of the agreements that it has 

entered into with three or more 

organizations to assist disabled families 

with any one or more of the following: 

moving costs, security deposits, utility 

hook-up fees, utility deposits, medical 

care, transportation, educational 

opportunities, employment, and child 

care. 

* 6 points: The applicant provides 

copies of the agreements it has entered 

into with two organizations to assist 

disabled families with any one or more 

of the following: moving costs, security 

deposits, utility hook-up fees, utility 

deposits, medical care, transportation, 

educational opportunities, employment, 

and child care. 

* 3 points: The applicant provides 

copies of the agreements it has entered 

into with one organization to assist 

disabled families with any one or more 

of the following: moving costs, security 

deposits, utility hook-up fees, utility 

deposits, medical care, transportation, 

educational opportunities, employment, 

and child care. 

f. Selection Criterion 6, Achieving 

Results and Program Evaluation (5 

points). (Note: Selection Criterion 6 

addresses HUD’s Achieving Results and 

Program Evaluation policy priority. This 

rating criterion is mandatory; i.e., 

applicants must provide information in 

their application responding to this 

rating criterion.) 

(1) Description: This criterion 

emphasizes HUD’s determination to 

ensure that applicants meet 

commitments made in their applications 

and assess their performance in meeting 

performance goals. HUD requires 

Mainstream Program applicants to 

develop an effective, quantifiable, 

outcome-oriented monitoring and 

evaluation plan for measuring 

performance and determining that goals 

have been met. This monitoring and 

evaluation plan requirement is 

applicable to Selection Criterion 3 

(Homeownership Option Under 

Housing Choice Voucher Program), 

Selection Criterion 4 (FSS Slots Filled), 

and Selection Criterion 5 (Commitments 

from Outside Agencies). The plan is to 

be set forth on the Form HUD–96010, 

Logic Model, and shall address solely 

those selection criteria (3, 4, and 5) 

under which the applicant sought to be 

rated in its application. The Form HUD–

96010 must be submitted with the 

applicant’s application. See section VI. 

C., Reporting, of this NOFA regarding 

the reporting requirements pertaining to 

the goals identified by the applicant on 

the Form HUD–96010. 

(2) Rating and Assessment: The GMC 

will assign points as follows: 

* 5 points: The applicant submits a 

monitoring and evaluation plan meeting 

the descriptive requirements outlined 

immediately above. 

B. Reviews and Selection Process 

1. Selection for Funding. HUD will 

select applications for funding that meet 

all of the application submission 

requirements in section IV. B. of this 

NOFA and that score a sufficient 

number of points under the selection 

criteria listed in section V. A. of this 

NOFA. Applications will be ranked 

from highest to lowest score in 

descending order, with the highest 

ranked application selected first for 

funding, and so forth. Where two or 

more applicants have exactly the same 

score under the selection criteria in 

section V. A. of this NOFA and 

insufficient funding remains to fund all 

of them, applicants will be funded in 

the order of the exact percentage of 

disabled persons at or below the poverty 

level that is in each applicant’s primary 

market area. The applicant with the 

highest percentage will be funded first, 

etc. HUD will limit the number of 

applications selected for funding from 

any state to 10 percent of the budget 

authority available for the Mainstream 

Program. If establishing this geographic 

limit would result, however, in 

unreserved budget authority, HUD may 

modify this limit to assure that all 

available funds are used. When 

remaining budget authority is 

insufficient to fund the last selected 

application in full, the application will 

be funded to the extent of the funding 

available, unless the applicant indicates 

that it will only accept a higher number 

of units. In that event, the next selected 

application shall be the one indicating 

a willingness to accept the lesser 

amount of funding for the units 

available. 

2. Deficient Applications. The 

application must include all of the 

information specified in section IV. B. 

1., Content of Application, of this 

announcement. Examples of curable 

(correctible) technical deficiencies 

include inconsistencies in the funding 

request, a failure to submit the proper 

certifications, or, in the instance where 

a waiver to the submission of an 

electronic application has been granted, 

failure to submit an application that 

contains an original signature by an 

authorized official. In each case, HUD 

will notify you in writing by describing 

the clarification or technical deficiency. 

Applicants will be notified by facsimile 

or by United States Postal Service 

(USPS), return receipt requested. 

Clarifications or corrections to technical 

deficiencies in accordance with the 

information provided by HUD must be 

submitted within 7 calendar days of the 

date of receipt of the HUD notification—

not 14 days as is indicated in the 

General Section of the SuperNOFA. If 

the due date falls on a Saturday, 

Sunday, or Federal holiday, your 

correction must be received by HUD on 

the next day that is not a Saturday, 

Sunday, or Federal holiday. If the 

deficiency is not corrected within this 

time period, HUD will reject your 

application as incomplete and it will 

not be considered for funding. 

3. Unacceptable Applications; 

Applicant Debriefing. After the 7 

calendar day technical deficiency 

correction period, the Office of Public 

and Indian Housing’s Grants 

Management Center will disapprove all 

applications from PHAs and nonprofit 

organizations that the GMC determines 

are not acceptable for processing. The 

GMC’s notification of rejection letter 

must state the basis for the decision. 

Applicants may request an applicant 

debriefing related to its application. 

Beginning 30 days after the awards for 

assistance are publicly announced in 

the Federal Register, and for at least 120 

days thereafter, HUD will, upon 

receiving a written or email request 

from the applicant, provide a debriefing 

to the requesting applicant. (See the 

General Section of the SuperNOFA for 

additional information regarding a 

debriefing.) Applicants requesting to be 

debriefed must send a written request to 

Iredia Hutchinson, Director, Grants 

Management Center, Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, 501 

School Street, SW, Suite 800, 

Washington, DC 20024. An e-mail 

request may also be sent to Ms. 

Hutchinson at the following e-mail 

address: Iredia_Hutchinson@hud.gov. 

Information provided during a 

debriefing will include, at a minimum, 

the final score you received for each 

rating factor, final evaluation comments 

for each rating factor, and the final 

assessment indicating the basis upon 

which assistance was provided or 

denied. 

C. Anticipated Announcement and 

Award Dates 

The announcement of Mainstream 

awards is anticipated to occur during 

the month of February 2006. 

VI. Award Administration Information 

A. Award Notices 

Successful applicants will receive a 

letter from HUD Headquarters’ Office of 

Public and Indian Housing (OPIH) 

advising of their having been selected to 

receive an award of Mainstream 

Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 66733 

vouchers. Shortly thereafter, the 

awardee will receive award documents 

from OPIH’s Financial Management 

Center (FMC) providing the awardee 

with notification of its Mainstream 

voucher award, contract documents, 

and a funding exhibit. 

B. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements 

1. Housing Choice Voucher Program 

Regulations. Applicants must 

administer the Mainstream Program in 

accordance with HUD regulations and 

requirements governing the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program. The only 

exception to this requirement shall be 

for nonprofit organizations which shall 

not be required to comply with the 

requirements of 24 CFR Part 903, 

subpart B concerning the requirement 

for a PHA Plan. 

2. Housing Choice Voucher Program 

Admission Requirements. Housing 

choice voucher assistance must be 

provided to eligible disabled families in 

conformity with regulations and 

requirements governing the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program and the PHA’s 

administrative plan. 

3. Turnover. When a voucher under 

this announcement becomes available 

for reissue (e.g., the family initially 

selected for the program drops out of the 

program or is unsuccessful in the search 

for a unit), the voucher may be used 

only for another family eligible for 

assistance under this announcement for 

five years from the date the rental 

assistance is placed under an annual 

contributions contract (ACC). In 

addition, any renewal by HUD of the 

five-year voucher funding shall require 

the continued reissuance of the 

vouchers to disabled families. 

If there is ever an insufficient pool of 

disabled families on the PHA’s or 

nonprofit organization’s housing choice 

voucher waiting list, the PHA or 

nonprofit organization shall conduct 

outreach to encourage eligible persons 

to apply for this special allocation of 

vouchers. Outreach may include 

contacting independent living centers, 

advocacy organizations for persons with 

disabilities, and medical, mental health, 

and social service providers for referrals 

of persons receiving such services who 

would benefit from housing choice 

voucher assistance. If the PHA’s or 

nonprofit organization’s housing choice 

voucher waiting list is closed, and if the 

PHA or nonprofit organization has 

insufficient applicants on its housing 

choice voucher waiting list to use all 

awarded vouchers under this 

announcement, the PHA or nonprofit 

disability organization should open the 

waiting list for applications from 

disabled families. PHAs and nonprofit 

organizations must take care to keep 

track of the number of disabled 

vouchers they have been awarded under 

this funding announcement versus the 

number of such vouchers they have 

actually issued to disabled families. 

4. PHA and Nonprofit Organization 

Responsibilities. In addition to the 

responsibilities under the Housing 

Choice Voucher Program and HUD 

regulations concerning 

nondiscrimination based on disability 

(24 CFR 8.28) and to affirmatively 

further fair housing, PHAs and 

nonprofit organizations that receive 

voucher funding shall: 

a. Where requested by an individual, 

assist program participants to gain 

access to supportive services available 

within the community, but not require 

eligible applicants or participants to 

accept supportive services as a 

condition of participation or continued 

occupancy in the program. 

b. Identify public and private funding 

sources to assist participants in covering 

the costs of modifications that need to 

be made to their units as a reasonable 

accommodation for their disabilities. 

c. Not deny other housing 

opportunities to persons who qualify for 

rental assistance under this program, or 

otherwise restrict access to PHA or 

nonprofit organization programs to 

eligible applicants who choose not to 

participate. 

d. Provide housing choice voucher 

search assistance. 

e. In accordance with regulatory 

guidance, provide higher rents to 

owners necessary for the provision of 

accessible units and structural 

modifications for persons with 

disabilities. 

f. Provide technical assistance to 

owners for making reasonable 

accommodations or making units 

accessible to persons with disabilities. 

5. Conducting Business in Accordance 

With Core Values and Ethical 

Standards. To reflect core values, all 

PHAs shall develop and maintain a 

written code of conduct in the PHA 

administrative plan that (1) requires 

compliance with the conflict of interest 

requirements of the Housing Choice 

Voucher Program at 24 CFR 982.161, 

and (2) prohibits the solicitation or 

acceptance of gifts or gratuities, in 

excess of a nominal value, by any officer 

or employee of the PHA, or any 

contractor, subcontractor, or agent of the 

PHA. The PHA’s administrative plan 

shall state PHA policies concerning 

PHA administrative and disciplinary 

remedies for violation of the PHA code 

of conduct. The PHA shall inform all 

officers, employees, and agents of its 

organization of the PHA’s code of 

conduct. 

6. Environmental Review. In 

accordance with 24 CFR 50.19(b)(11) 

and 58.35(b)(1) of the HUD regulations, 

tenant-based rental activities under this 

program are categorically excluded from 

the requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA) and are not subject to 

environmental review under the related 

laws and authorities. Activities under 

the homeownership option of this 

program are categorically excluded from 

NEPA requirements and excluded from 

other environmental requirements 

under 24 CFR 58.5 in accordance with 

24 CFR 58.35(b)(5), but PHAs and 

nonprofit organizations are responsible 

for the environmental requirements in 

24 CFR 982.626(c). 

7. Procurement of Recovered 

Materials. See section III. C. 4. i. of the 

General Section of the SuperNOFA. 

C. Reporting 

Reporting requirements are the same 

as for regular vouchers under the 

Housing Choice Voucher Program. 

Awardee performance on goals included 

on the Form HUD–96010, Logic Model, 

shall be monitored by HUD utilizing the 

current HUD reporting systems for the 

Housing Choice Voucher Program for 

tracking PHA progress on 

homeownership, the FSS program, and 

commitments from outside agencies. 

Applicants should internally track their 

performance in meeting the strategic 

goals in the Logic Model using the 

information required by the format of 

that form. 

In addition, HUD requires that funded 

recipients collect racial and ethnic 

beneficiary data. It has adopted the 

Office of Management and Budget’s 

(OMB’s) Standards for the Collection of 

Racial and Ethnic Data. In view of these 

requirements, funded recipients should 

use Form HUD–27061, Racial and 

Ethnic Data Reporting Form (found on 

www.grants.gov/Apply), a comparable 

program form, or a comparable 

electronic data system for this purpose. 

VII. Agency Contacts 

A. Technical Assistance 

Before the application due date, HUD 

staff is available to provide general 

guidance and technical assistance about 

this NOFA. However, staff is not 

permitted to assist in preparing your 

application. Also, following selection of 

applicants, but before awards are 

announced, staff may assist in clarifying 

or confirming information that is a 

prerequisite to the offer of an award. 

You may contact George C. 

66734 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 

Hendrickson, Housing Program 

Specialist, Room 4214, Office of Public 

Housing and Voucher Programs, 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW, 

Washington, DC 20410; telephone (202) 

708–0477, ext. 4064. Subsequent to 

application submission, you may 

contact the Grants Management Center 

at (202) 358–0221. (These are not tollfree numbers.) Persons with hearing or 

speech impairments may access these 

numbers via TTY (text telephone) by 

calling the Federal Information Relay 

Service at 1–800–877–8339 (this is a 

toll-free number). For technical support 

for registering to apply using 

www.grants.gov, downloading an 

application, or electronically submitting 

an application, please call Grants.gov 

Customer Support at 800–518-GRANTS 

(This is a toll-free number) or e-mail 

support@grants.gov. 

B. Satellite Broadcast 

HUD will not have a satellite 

broadcast on the Mainstream Program. 

Applicants seeking additional 

information or clarifications regarding 

the content of the Mainstream NOFA 

should contact George C. Hendrickson 

in HUD Headquarters (see paragraph A. 

immediately above). 

VIII. Other Information 

A. Please review Section VIII. A., B., 

E., F., G., and H. (‘‘Other Information’’) 

of the General Section of the 

SuperNOFA (70 FR 13575), published 

March 21, 2005. Please note that these 

subsections are incorporated into this 

NOFA by reference. 

B. Environmental Impact 

This NOFA provides funding under, 

and does not alter the environmental 

requirements of 24 CFR Part 982, as 

noted in section VI. B. 6. of this NOFA, 

and this NOFA concerns activities listed 

in 24 CFR 50.19(b) as categorically 

excluded from environmental review 

under the National Environmental 

Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321) 

(‘‘NEPA’’). Accordingly, under 24 CFR 

50.19 (c) (5), this NOFA is categorically 

excluded from environmental review 

under NEPA. 

C. Paperwork Reduction Act 

The information collection 

requirements contained in this 

document have been approved by the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520) and 

assigned OMB control number 2577–

0169. In accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act, HUD may not conduct or 

sponsor, and a person is not required to 

respond to, a collection of information 

unless the collection displays a 

currently valid OMB control number. 

Public reporting burden for the 

collection of information is estimated to 

average one hour per annum per 

respondent for the application and grant 

administration. 

This includes the time for collecting, 

reviewing, and reporting the data for the 

application, semi-annual reports and 

final report. The information will be 

used for grantee selection and 

monitoring the administration of funds. 

Response to this request for information 

is required in order to receive the 

benefits to be derived. 

Dated: October 25, 2005. 

Paula O. Blunt, 

General Deputy Assistant, Secretary for Public 

and Indian Housing. 

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