[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 49 (Tuesday, March 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13850-13852]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-6156]




[[Page 13849]]

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Part V





Department of Housing and Urban Development





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Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing



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Public Housing Family Investment Centers After-School Program: Notice 
of Demonstration; Notice

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

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.

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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 after-
school 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 [[Page 13851]] private sector to bring organized, after-school 
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 self-
confidence, 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 After-School 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. [[Page 13852]] 

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]
BILLING CODE 4210-33-P