I
107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4817
To improve the quality of, and provide, housing for elderly families.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MAY 22, 2002
Mr. LAFALCE (for himself and Mr. FRANK) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
A BILL
To improve the quality of, and provide, housing for elderly
families.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Elderly Housing Qual-
ity Improvement Act of 2002’’.
SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR REPAIRS OF ELDERLY HOUSING.
Section 202b of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C.
1701q–2) is amended by striking subsection (h) and in-
serting the following new subsection:
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR CAP-
ITAL REPAIR GRANTS.—For grants for activities under
subsection (a)(1) there is authorized to be appropriated
$200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, and 2007.’’.
SEC. 3. AFFORDABLE ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES.
Title I of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42
U.S.C. 1437 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 36. GRANTS FOR CONVERSION OF PUBLIC HOUSING
TO ASSISTED LIVING FACILITIES.
‘‘(a) GRANT AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may make
grants in accordance with this section to public housing
agencies for use for activities designed to convert dwelling
units in eligible projects described in subsection (b) to as-
sisted living facilities or other facilities that expand the
availability of supportive services, to enhance the ability
of elderly persons to maintain independent living.
‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—An eligible project de-
scribed in this subsection is a public housing project (or
a portion thereof) that is primarily occupied by elderly
persons.
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—Applications for grants under
this section shall be submitted to the Secretary in accord-
ance with such procedures as the Secretary shall establish.
Such applications shall contain—
‘‘(1) a description of the proposed conversion
activities for which a grant under this section is re-
quested;
‘‘(2) the amount of the grant requested;
‘‘(3) a description of the resources that are ex-
pected to be made available, if any, in conjunction
with the grant under this section; and
‘‘(4) such other information or certifications
that the Secretary determines to be necessary or ap-
propriate.
‘‘(d) FUNDING FOR SERVICES.—The Secretary may
not make a grant under this section unless the application
contains sufficient evidence, in the determination of the
Secretary, that there will be adequate funding for sup-
portive services for residents of the facility converted with
grant amounts.
‘‘(e) SERVICE COORDINATORS.—An application for a
grant under this section may include a request for, and
the Secretary may provide funds under a grant under this
section for, amounts to provide service coordinators to as-
sist in the provision of supportive services for residents
of the facilities converted with grant amounts.
‘‘(f) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall se-
lect applications for grants under this section based upon
selection criteria, which shall be established by the Sec-
retary and shall include—
‘‘(1) the extent to which the conversion is likely
to provide assisted living facilities or supportive serv-
ices that are needed or are expected to be needed by
the categories of elderly persons that the assisted liv-
ing facility is intended to serve;
‘‘(2) the extent of financial need on the part of
the applicant for funding to carry out the conversion
activities proposed;
‘‘(3) the extent to which the agency has evi-
denced community support for the conversion, by
such indicators as letters of support from the local
community for the conversion and financial contribu-
tions from public and private sources;
‘‘(4) the extent to which the applicant dem-
onstrates a strong commitment to promoting the au-
tonomy and independence of the elderly persons that
the assisted living facility or other supportive serv-
ices facility is intended to serve;
‘‘(5) the quality, completeness, and managerial
capability of providing services to elderly residents,
especially in such areas as meals, 24-hour staffing,
and on-site health care; and
‘‘(6) such other criteria as the Secretary deter-
mines to be appropriate to ensure that funds made
available under this section are used effectively.
‘‘(g) DEFINITION.—For the purposes of this section,
the term ‘assisted living facility’ has the meaning given
such term in section 232(b) of the National Housing Act
(12 U.S.C. 1715w(b)).
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
is authorized to be appropriated for providing grants
under this section such sums as may be necessary for each
of fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007.’’.
SEC. 4. ELDERLY HOUSING SERVICE COORDINATORS.
(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR FED-
ERALLY ASSISTED HOUSING.—For grants under section
676 of the Housing and Community Development Act of
1992 (42 U.S.C. 13632) for providing service coordinators
and for contracts under section 802 of the Cranston-Gon-
zalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8011)
to provide congregate services programs for eligible resi-
dents of eligible housing projects under subparagraphs (B)
through (D) of subsection (k)(6) of such section, there is
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development, for each of fiscal years 2003,
2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007—
(1) such sums as may be necessary to renew all
grants under such sections that were made for prior
fiscal years; and
(2) $30,000,000 for grants in addition to such
renewal grants.
(b) PUBLIC HOUSING.—There is authorized to be ap-
propriated to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel-
opment, for each of fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,
and 2007, for grants for use only for activities described
in paragraph (2) of section 34(b) of the United States
Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437z–6(b)(2))—
(1) such sums as may be necessary to renew all
grants for providing service coordinators and con-
gregate services for the elderly and disabled in pub-
lic housing that were made in prior fiscal years; and
(2) $20,000,000 for grants in addition to such
renewal grants.
SEC. 5. MIXED FINANCE PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development shall carry out a pilot program under
this section to determine the effectiveness and feasibility
of providing assistance under section 202 of the Housing
Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q) for housing projects that
are used both for supportive housing for the elderly and
for other types of housing, which may include market rate
housing.
(b) SCOPE.—Under the pilot program the Secretary
shall provide, to the extent that sufficient approvable ap-
plications for such assistance are received, assistance in
the manner provided under subsection (d) for not more
than five housing projects.
(c) MIXED USE.—The Secretary shall require, for a
project to be assisted under the pilot program—
(1) that a portion of the dwelling units in the
project be reserved for use in accordance with, and
subject to, the requirements applicable to units as-
sisted under section 202 of the Housing Act of
1959; and
(2) that the remainder of the dwelling units be
used for other purposes.
(d) FINANCING.—The Secretary may use amounts
provided for assistance under section 202 of the Housing
Act of 1959 for assistance under the pilot program for
capital advances in accordance with subsection (d)(1) of
such section and project rental assistance in accordance
with subsection (d)(2) of such section, only for dwelling
units described in subsection (c)(1) of this section. Any
assistance provided pursuant to subsection (d)(1) of such
section 202 shall be provided in the form of a capital ad-
vance, subject to repayment as provided in such sub-
section, and shall not be structured as a loan. The Sec-
retary shall take such action as may be necessary to en-
sure that the repayment contingency under such sub-
section is enforceable for projects assisted under the pilot
program and to provide for appropriate protections of the
interests of the Secretary in relation to other interests in
the projects so assisted.
(e) WAIVER
AUTHORITY.—Notwithstanding sub-
section (c)(1) of this section, the Secretary may waive the
applicability of any provision of section 202 of the Hous-
ing Act of 1959 for any project assisted under the pilot
program under this section as may be appropriate to carry
out the program, except to the extent inconsistent with
this section.
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