13850 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 1995 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

Office of the Assistant Secretary for

Public and Indian Housing

[Docket No. N–95–3886; FR–3871–N–01]

Public Housing Family Investment

Centers After-School Program: Notice

of Demonstration

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Public and Indian

Housing, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of demonstration

program.

SUMMARY: This Notice announces the

Department’s intention to contribute up

to $3.5 million from the Family

Investment Center (FIC) program to

assist in developing and expanding

effective after-school programs that

provide safe environments that help

children to develop their full potential

while permitting their parents to receive

education or training or go to work.

These programs will be located at

housing authorities in Los Angeles, CA;

Oakland, CA; Philadelphia, PA; and

Kansas City, MO. The purpose of this

effort is to demonstrate ways to

promote, through supervised activities

and joint community and private sector

collaboration, the long-term welfare of

children ages 7 to 13 living in public

housing communities. This

demonstration will create safe havens

where children can develop skills,

knowledge, and competencies, while

simultaneously exposing the children to

different lifestyle choices that will assist

in their positive development. These

intervention programs will pull together

public and private resources to link

adults who work with children to build

self-confidence, provide homework

counseling, tutoring, mentoring, and

support as an alternative to gang-related

activities that exist in and around public

housing communities. This

demonstration will also improve

accessibility and supportive service

coordination efforts among public

housing authorities, local schools

systems, the colleges and universities

system, and the public and private

sectors. This notice provides guidelines

for the use of these funds and invites

comments on the proposed

demonstration.

DATES: Comment due date: April 13,

1995. Applications will be due May 30,

1995, unless as a result of significant

changes made in the application

requirements upon consideration of

public comments, the Department

publishes a separate notice changing

that deadline.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are

invited to submit comments regarding

this rule to the Rules Docket Clerk,

Office of General Counsel, Room 10276,

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 451 Seventh Street, SW,

Washington, DC 20410–0500.

Communications should refer to the

above docket number and title.

Facsimile (FAX) comments are not

acceptable. A copy of each

communication submitted will be

available for public inspection and

copying between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30

p.m. weekdays at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Beverly Hardy, Housing Management

Specialist, Office of Community

Relations and Involvement, Department

of Housing and Urban Development,

451 Seventh Street SW, Room 4112,

Washington, DC 20410; telephone

number (202) 708–4214 (TDD users may

call the Federal Information Relay

Service at (202) 708–9300 or 1–800–

877–8339). (Other than the ‘‘800’’

number, telephone numbers are not toll

free.)

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

The information collection

requirements contained in this notice

have been approved by the Office of

Management and Budget, under section

3504(h) of the Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 3501–3520), and

assigned OMB control number 2577–

0189.

Authority

Section 22 of the United States

Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437t)

provides for the establishment of Family

Investment Centers (FICs). As indicated

in the FIC NOFA published on February

15, 1995 (60 FR 8900), the Department

intends to use $3.5 million of the funds

available for the FIC program in FY

1995 for purposes of demonstrating

ways for families living in public and

Indian housing in a neighborhood

undergoing a concentrated effort of local

revitalization to gain access to 4–H

After-School programs for children to

develop the self-confidence needed to

reach their full potential and achieve

success.

The demonstration will enable

housing authorities to create afterschool programs for children who may

otherwise have no supervised place to

go during non-school hours. These

funds will be used to: (1) Cover

administrative costs and other eligible

activities; (2) mobilize public and

private resources to expand and

improve delivery of supportive services;

(3) improve the capacity of management

to assess the supportive services and

training needs; and (4) provide for

supportive services and related training

that cannot otherwise be funded. The

Department expects that this funding

will demonstrate the importance of

comprehensive support services in

contributing to the local neighborhood

revitalization.

The FIC, as described in Section 22 of

the Housing Act of 1937 and the FIC

NOFA published on February 15, is to

‘‘provide families living in public and

Indian housing with better access to

education and job opportunities to

achieve self-sufficiency and

independence.’’ Appropriately, the FIC

After-School Program provides safe

havens for children that will help their

parents to take better advantage of

education, job opportunities and social

services to achieve self-sufficiency and

independence, as well as directly

helping the children to develop similar

skills, knowledge, and competencies,

while simultaneously exposing them to

different lifestyle choices that will assist

in their positive development. This

demonstration will be a part of a

comprehensive strategy to bring together

resources among housing authorities,

local school systems, the colleges and

universities system, and the public/

private sector.

In accordance with the requirements

of section 470(a) of the Housing and

Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 (42

U.S.C. 3542), this notice describes the

proposed demonstration and invites

public comment. Any changes made in

this demonstration as a result of the

Department’s consideration of public

comments, and any extension of time

for the commitment of funds necessary

because of these changes, also will be

published in the Federal Register. The

Department will not commit funds for

the proposed demonstration until after

the latest of: (1) The date the

Department has considered any

comments received in response to this

notice; (2) May 15, 1995, which is 60

days after today’s publication date; and

(3) the date the Department has received

and approved proposals that meet the

requirements imposed in this notice and

any subsequent notice announcing

changes in the demonstration.

Applications will be due May 30, 1995,

unless as a result of significant changes

made in the application requirements

upon consideration of public comments,

the Department publishes a separate

notice changing that deadline.

Background of Demonstration

The 4–H After-School program is a

partnership between the public and
Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 1995 / Notices 13851

private sector to bring organized, afterschool activities to children ages 7–13

who live in public housing communities

with strong private sector support. The

funds will be used to expand the Los

Angeles model and replicate the

program in Oakland, CA; Philadelphia,

PA; and Kansas City, MO. The Los

Angeles model is a strong partnership

among the private sector; HUD;

Extension Service, United States

Department of Agriculture (USDA);

University of California Cooperative

Extension Service; and the National 4–

H Council. The program is coordinated

by the UNOCAL Petroleum Corporation

and the Los Angeles 4–H Council, is

backed by the Los Angeles City Council,

and draws on the resources of VISTA,

the University of California, the Housing

Authority of the City of Los Angeles, the

Los Angeles Unified School District,

and HUD.

Inner cities are experiencing a serious

crisis with youth gangs. The

demonstration will involve joint

investment by the public and private

sectors to provide counseling, tutoring,

mentoring, and other supportive

services designed to reduce gang-related

activities. HUD expects that this funding

will demonstrate the success of public/

private partnerships and commitments

in public housing communities that

address specific, long-term counseling

needs, thereby resulting in reduced

gang-related activities and enhanced

lifestyle choices. This demonstration

serves ‘‘at-risk’’ children living in public

housing communities, 2–5 times per

week on a year-round basis. The

program is intended to create a

nurturing environment that offers a

positive alternative to unstructured,

unsupervised free time in

neighborhoods where gang-related

activities are prevalent.

The system of services and outreach

planned by the community will not only

increase the intensity and variety of

youth activities and supportive services

available to neighborhood residents, it

will also establish a delivery system

involving residents who will work with

neighbors to ensure progression towards

resolving gang-related activities.

Residents will work with trained

coordinators to manage the program.

Together with service providers, the

public and private sector will form

‘‘Community Vision Teams’’ at the

community level to bring together the

multiple supportive service programs

and financial supporters.

As a result of this demonstration,

HUD expects that the children

participating will be more likely to

avoid the lure of the gangs and instead

choose to stay in school with a goal of

employment and economic

independence. HUD also expects that

the parents of participating children

will be encouraged to pursue training,

education, and employment

opportunities leading to self-sufficiency,

because their children will be in secure

environments while the parents are

away from home.

Because of the working partnership

taking place at the local level in Los

Angeles, there is an ideal demonstration

environment for service delivery

integrated across existing Federal and

private sector program lines. Too often

the requirements of Federal programs

have dictated institutional structures at

the local level that stand in the way of

comprehensive delivery of housing and

services to those who need these

services to achieve self-sufficiency. This

coordination creates a rare opportunity

for the Department to test the capacity

of its existing programs to serve in the

context of a truly integrated and

comprehensive transformation effort.

HUD has chosen four public housing

agencies that already have partnerships

in place to develop a comprehensive

strategy to provide safe environments

for children ages 7–13 living in public

housing communities. This will happen

through cooperative arrangements

among housing authorities, local school

systems, the colleges and universities

system, the active involvement of

supportive service agencies, and strong

private sector support. The strategy

must provide activities that link adults

who work with children to build selfconfidence, provide homework

counseling, tutoring, mentoring, and

supportive services during non-school

hours.

The key factors that make Oakland,

CA; Philadelphia, PA; and Kansas City,

MO, unique have been the strong

interest of the housing authorities of

those cities, USDA, the University

Cooperative Extension Service, the

National 4–H Council, and the private

sector to form Community Vision Teams

that bring together educational and

other public and private resources for

the benefit of public housing children

who otherwise have no safe place to go

during non-school hours.

Funding

For purposes of this demonstration,

the Department will make up to $3.5

million available to the Los Angeles,

Oakland, Philadelphia, and Kansas City

Housing Authorities for use in

establishing and expanding FIC 4–H

After-School programs in the public

housing neighborhoods. The funding

will be used in accordance with the

statutory requirements of the FIC

program, and as established in this

notice and any subsequent notice issued

after the comment period has closed, to

contribute to an integrated network of

supportive services for public housing

and other neighborhood residents.

Most of the funding provided under

this demonstration will be used for

administration and service coordination

by the Community Vision Team and for

core support services. The 4–H AfterSchool activities and supportive

services will help children to overcome

personal difficulties that inhibit their

readiness to learn and be successful in

school. Core support services and

Community Vision Team activities

supported by FIC funding provided

under this demonstration will be

targeted to ensure that a proportionate

number of public housing families are

served.

In addition to the FIC funding

proposed under this demonstration,

public and private organizations will

support the demonstration project. This

network will deliver necessary services

to public housing children as part of the

larger community, through the

community-wide system developed by

the housing authorities, the University

Extension provider, and the private

sector. The Department believes that the

institutional integration—of which this

demonstration will be one part—will

enhance the quality, continuity, and

impact of support provided to public

housing children and their families. The

private sector entity must have

committed funding and in-kind

donations to the project. The

Department expects that this

demonstration will leverage more public

and private funding as the effort

progresses, with private funding

ultimately being responsible for

contributing total financial support.

Eligible Activities

Funds may be used for the following

activities:

(1) The provision of not more than 15

percent of the total cost of supportive

services (which may be provided

directly to eligible residents by the HA

or by contract or lease through other

appropriate agencies or providers), but

only if the HA demonstrates that:

(a) The supportive services are

appropriate to improve the access of

eligible residents to educational

opportunities; and

(b) The HA has made diligent efforts

to use or obtain other available

resources to fund or provide such

services; and

(2) The employment of service

coordinators.
13852 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 49 / Tuesday, March 14, 1995 / Notices

Eligible Costs

Activities that may be funded and

carried out by an HA include, but are

not limited to, the following:

(1) Administrative costs. Costs that are

reasonable and include maintenance,

utility costs (telephone, fax, light, gas),

postage, printing, copier, building

leasing/rent costs, Service Coordinator/

Case Manager, accounting staff, initial

equipment purchase (i.e., desks, chairs,

computer equipment, tools, etc.).

(2) Other program costs. Costs that

include advertisement, reimbursement

for participant travel costs, travel

stipends, vehicle lease (to transport

participants to program-related

activities), insurance liability costs

(personal property/property off HA site)

and technical assistance (T/A contractor

fees, etc.).

Applicable Requirements

The PHA will be required to meet the

applicable programmatic and

application requirements set out in the

NOFA for Public and Indian Housing

Family Investment Centers (published at

60 FR 8900, February 15, 1995) and any

subsequent notice that is published after

the comment period for this notice has

closed. When applicable, recipients of

funding under this demonstration also

are subject to the certifications, findings,

determinations, and requirements listed

in the ‘‘Other Matters’’ section of the

FIC NOFA.

In order to receive the funding

proposed in this notice, each housing

authority must submit an original and

one copy of a proposal describing its

program in detail. Proposals must be

prepared in accordance with

instructions in the FIC Application Kit

(available by contacting the person

listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT, above) and must include:

(1) A brief summary of the proposed

program (not to exceed 150 words),

including a brief description of the key

program components;

(2) A copy of the signed agreement(s)

between the PHA, 4–H Extension

Service, United States Department of

Agriculture (USDA), the private sector

entity, and the community vision team

members for each demonstration site;

(3) A description of how the eligible

participants will be recruited, with an

accompanying implementation

schedule;

(4) A description of supervised

activities and joint community and

private sector youth intervention

projects;

(5) A description of resident

(including parents) involvement in the

program’s planning and

implementation;

(6) A description (based on projected

needs) of the type of supportive services

that are to be provided over at least a 5-

year period after the initial receipt of

funding under this program;

(7) A description of efforts to use or

obtain other available resources to fund

or provide supportive services that

enhance educational opportunities;

(8) A description of efforts to improve

accessibility and provide supportive

services coordination efforts among

public housing authorities, local schools

systems, the college and university

system, and the public and private

sectors;

(9) A description of how the program

will be evaluated, describing the

baseline indicators against which

success will be measured and

replicated;

(10) A description of plans for

continuing operation of the program and

the provision of services to residents

after completion of the demonstration

phase;

(11) A narrative on the location and

accessibility of the 4–H After-School

facility; and

(12) A narrative, budget, timetable,

and list of milestones for the 5-year

period. Milestones shall include number

of families to be served, types of

services, and dollar amounts to be

allocated over the 5-year period.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1437t and 3535(d).

Dated: March 3, 1995.

Joseph Shuldiner,

Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian

Housing.

[FR Doc. 95–6156 Filed 3–13–95; 8:45 am]

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