Code of Maine Rules › 19 - DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT › 498 - OFFICE OF TOURISM AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT › Chapter 46 - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM: 2018 FINAL STATEMENT › Section 498-46-2 - COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A.
HOUSING ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM
The Housing Assistance Grant (HA) Program provides funding to
				  address housing problems of low-and moderate-income persons. Housing Assistance
				  Program (HA) funds will be distributed through an annual grant application
				  selection process.
1.
Eligibility
				Requirements for Housing Assistance Applications:
Communities must have
				an identified multi-family project with a developer approved by OCD.
2.
Eligible Activities:
Eligible
				HA activities are rehabilitation of occupied or vacant multi-family housing
				units and conversion of non-residential structures.
3. Matching Funds: Applicants for housing
				activities must provide a cash match of at least 20% of the total HA project
				cost.
4.
Maximum HA Grant
				Amount:
$1,000,000
5.
Maximum Administrative Costs:
The HA Program may allow
				expenditures for general and/or rehabilitation administration. The total
				general and rehabilitation administration expenditures may notexceed 15% of the
				grant amount.
Please refer to OCD Policy Statement #2 for more
				information regarding CDBG administrative costs.
6.
Selection Process:
The
				selection process for all HA applications will consist of two stages:
(a) Stage 1:
Letter of Intent
:
All
				  communities wishing to submit a HA application must submit a Letter of Intent.
				  After review for completeness and eligibility, units of general local
				  government may be invited to make a full application. Please refer to Page 5 of
				  this document for Program deadlines and due dates.
(b) Stage 2:
Application
:
The maximum length
				  of an application is
four pages (not counting required
				  attachments)
. Please refer to Page 5 of this document for Program
				  deadlines and due dates. Members of the Review Team will assign a Review Point
				  Total for each application reviewed. Review Point Totals will consist of the
				  sum of the three scoring areas below and be determined by the total of each
				  sub-scoring area. A maximum of 100 points is obtainable.
Impact (40 points):
A description of the specific housing problems to be
					 addressed with HA funds - 15 points
												How the problems were identified - 10 points
												How these issues affect LMI persons in the community or
					 region - 15 points
Development Strategy (40 points):
A description of the plan proposed to implement the
					 housing project - 20 points
												Summary of the activities and use of HA funds - 20
					 points
Citizen Participation (20 points):
How overall citizen participation process directly
					 relates to identification of solution strategies and application development -
					 4 points
												Effective use of any media (newspapers, radio, TV,
					 etc.) to further public awareness and participation - 4 points
												Relevance of listed meeting/hearing activities/comments
					 (not counting required public hearing) on application and project development -
					 4 points
												 Involvement of potential LMI project beneficiaries in
					 development of the application and project and how the required public hearing
					 relates to the application development and citizen participation process - 4
					 points
												How other local resources (cash and in-kind) are
					 directly related to the project and the establishment of a cash value
					 equivalent for all in-kind commitments - 4 points
11.
Final Application Score
-
				Each application will receive a Final Application Score assigned by members of
				the Review Team. The top scoring applicants will be considered for an
				invitation to proceed to the Project Development Phase as funds
				allow.