Super Notice of Funding Availability (SuperNOFA) for HUD's Discretionary Programs for Fiscal Year 2003

EN25AP03.259

Funding Availability for Public and Indian Housing Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Program

Program Overview

Purpose of Program.

The purpose of the Public and Indian Housing Resident Opportunities and Self Sufficiency (ROSS) Program is to provide grants to Public Housing Agencies, tribes/Tribally Designated Housing Entities (TDHEs), Resident Organizations and nonprofits, including grassroots, faith-based and other community based organizations for the delivery and coordination of supportive services and other activities designed to help Public and Indian housing residents attain economic self-sufficiency.

Available Funds.

A total of $49,675,000 is available for funding in Fiscal Year 2003. Of this, $14,902,500 is allocated to Neighborhood Networks.

Transfer of Funds.

HUD may transfer funds between the two Resident Service Delivery Models (RSDM) programs and the Homeownership Supportive Services program in the event that funds in one or more categories are remaining after all qualified applications have been funded. If transfer of funds does become necessary, HUD will give first priority to Homeownership Supportive Services (HSS), second priority to RSDM-Family and third priority to RSDM-Elderly. HUD does not have the discretion to transfer funds for the Neighborhood Networks category to any other funding category within this NOFA. If remaining funds under the Neighborhood Networks funding category are too small to make an award, they will be used to partially fund applications in rank order regardless of region in the existing center category.

Match.

At least 25 percent of the grant amount is required as the grant match.

Eligible Applicants.

Eligible applicants are Public Housing Agencies (PHAs), tribes/TDHEs, resident management corporations (RMCs), resident councils (RCs), resident organizations (ROs), Intermediary Resident Organizations (IROs), City-Wide Resident Organizations (CWROs) and nonprofits including grassroots, faith-based and other community based organizations that have resident support or the support of tribes. Tribes and TDHEs are not eligible for the Neighborhood Networks funding category. The following chart summarizes the funding categories available under ROSS, eligible applicants and application procedures.

Grant

Eligibility

Application procedure

Resident Services Delivery Model-Family (RSDM-Family)

PHAs, Resident Management Corporations (RMCs), Resident Councils (RCs), Resident Organizations (ROs), Intermediary Resident Organizations (IROs), City-Wide Resident Organizations (CWROs), nonprofits, Indian tribes, and tribally designated housing entities (TDHEs)

Submit application per SuperNOFA and Program Section requirements.

Resident Services Delivery Model-Elderly and Persons with Disabilities

PHAs, Resident Management Corporations (RMCs), Resident Councils (RCs), Resident Organizations (ROs), Intermediary Resident Organizations (IROs), City-Wide Resident Organizations (CWROs), nonprofits, Indian tribes/TDHEs

Submit application per SuperNOFA and Program Section requirements.

Homeownership Supportive Services (HSS)

PHAs, Resident Management Corporations (RMCs), Resident Councils (RCs), Resident Organizations (ROs), Intermediary Resident

Submit application per SuperNOFA and Program Section requirements.

Organizations (IROs), City-Wide Resident Organizations (CWROs), nonprofits, Indian tribes/TDHEs

Neighborhood Networks (NN)

PHAs and nonprofits with expertise in this area

Submit application per SuperNOFA and Program Section requirements.

Service Coordinator

PHAs which were recipients of this grant in FY1995.

Renewal Program only. New applications will not be considered. Grantees will not go through the SuperNOFA process. HUD will send a letter to 1995 grantees indicating procedure for applying.

Number of Applications Permitted.

General.

Applicants including PHAs, tribes/TDHEs, ROs, RCs, and nonprofits, including grassroots, faith-based or other community-based organizations that have resident support or the support of tribes may submit an application for more than one funding category, however applicants must submit separate applications for each funding category. NOTE: Applications from PHAs, tribes/TDHEs, ROs, RCs, RAs and nonprofit organizations targeting the same public housing development/population will not all be funded. HUD suggests that in these cases, applicants work together to submit one application. Otherwise, the highest scoring application will be funded. Nonprofits may submit more than one application provided that they will be serving residents of distinct Public Housing Authorities.

Joint applications.

Two or more applicants may join together to submit a joint application for proposed grant activities. Joint applications must designate a lead applicant. Both lead and non-lead applicants are subject to threshold requirements. Joint applications may include PHAs, RAs, IROs, Tribes/TDHEs, and nonprofit entities on behalf of resident organizations. Joint applications involving nonprofits must also provide evidence of resident support. The maximum funding for joint applications cannot exceed the amount of funding applicants would have collectively received had they applied individually.

Grant term.

The grant term for funding for each funding category under the ROSS program is thirty-six months from the execution date of the grant agreement.

Extensions.

The field office may grant one six-month extension, as long as the request for an extension occurs no less than one year of grant expiration. Other extensions require approval from the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Public Housing and Voucher Programs.

Additional Information

If you are interested in applying for funding under any of these funding categories, please carefully review the application requirements provided for each grant category below.

I. Application Due Date, Required Forms, Security Procedures, Further Information and Technical Assistance

Application Due Date.

The application due dates for each of the ROSS funding categories follows below:

Neighborhood Networks: May 27, 2003.

Resident Service Delivery Models-Elderly/Persons with Disabilities: June 11, 2003.

Resident Service Delivery Models-Family: June 19, 2003.

Homeownership Supportive Services: July 7, 2003.

Application Kits.

Application kits will not be used this year.

Required Forms.

In addition to the forms required in the General Section of the SuperNOFA, there are ROSS forms that are required. Please see Section VIII and Appendix B of this NOFA for more information on form submission.

Mailing and Receipt Procedures.

Please refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for mailing and receipt procedures.

Proof of Timely Submission

. Please see the General Section of the SuperNOFA.

Number of Applications.

Separate applications must be submitted for each ROSS funding category. Applications must be submitted in triplicate (one original and two identical copies). The original and one identical copy must be sent to the Grants Management Center by the deadline. The other identical copy must be submitted to your local HUD field office by the deadline. For tribal and TDHE applicants, both the original and two copies must be sent to the Denver Program Office of Native American Programs (DPONAP) according to the instructions in paragraph 4 below. If you do not submit the required number of copies HUD may request that you provide the additional copies to the appropriate HUD office(s) in accordance with the procedures described here in Section IX and in Section VIII of the General Section of the SuperNOFA,

Corrections to Deficient Applications.

Addresses.

When submitting your application, you must refer to the name of the program for which you are seeking funding and include the correct room number to ensure that your application is properly directed. The address to use for the GMC is the following: Grants Management Center, Mail Stop: The name of the funding category to which you are applying, 501 School Street, SW., Suite 800, Washington, DC 20024.

In the case of tribes and TDHEs, please submit your completed application (the original and two copies) to the Denver Program Office of Native American Programs (DPONAP), 1999 Broadway, Suite 3390, Denver, CO 80202, by mail using the United States Postal Service (USPS) or it may be delivered only via the following four carrier services: United Parcel Service (UPS), FedEx, DHL, or Falcon Carrier. Delivery by these services must be made during HUD's business hours, between 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (or Mountain Standard Time for Tribes and TDHEs), Monday through Friday. If these companies do not service your area, you must submit your application via the USPS. Do not submit the original and or a copy of the application to the Area ONAP.

For Further Information and Technical Assistance.

You may call the Public and Indian Housing Information and Resource Center at 1-800-955-2232. For the hearing or speech impaired, please call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339. In the case of tribes/TDHEs, please contact DPONAP at 1-800-561-5913 or (303) 675-1600 (this is not a toll free number).

Satellite Broadcast.

HUD will hold an information broadcast via satellite for potential applicants to learn more about the program and preparation of the application. For more information about the date and time of the broadcast, you should consult the HUD web site at

http://www.hud.gov/grants.

II. Definition of Terms

City-Wide Resident Organization

means an organization consisting of members from Resident Councils, Resident Management Corporations, and Resident Organizations who reside in public housing developments that are owned and operated by the same PHA within a city.

Community Facility

means a non-dwelling structure that provides space for multiple supportive services for the benefit of public or Indian housing residents and others eligible for the services provided. Supportive services may include but are not limited to:

(1) Job-training;

(2) After-school activities for youth;

(3) Neighborhood Networks (formerly Twenty/20 Education Communities (TECs), Campus of Learners activities);

(4) English as a Second Language (ESL) classes; and

(5) Child care.

Contract Administrator

means an overall administrator and/or a financial management agent that oversees the financial aspects of a grant and assists in the entire implementation of the grant. All applicants except non-troubled PHAs, tribes and TDHEs must submit a signed Contract Administrator Partnership Agreement with their application. The agreement must be for the thirty-six month duration of the grant term. Your grant award shall be contingent upon having a Contract Administrator Partnership Agreement included in your application. Applicants, except non-troubled PHAs, who fail to submit a Contract Administrator Partnership Agreement will fail threshold and will not receive further consideration for funding. The Contract Administrator must assure that the financial management system and procurement procedures that will be in place during the grant term will fully comply with either 24 CFR part 84 or 85. Contract Administrators may be: Local Housing Agencies; community-based organizations such as Community Development Corporations (CDCs), churches, temples, synagogues, mosques; nonprofits; state/regional associations and organizations. Troubled PHAs are not eligible to be Contract Administrators. Grant writers who assist applicants prepare their ROSS applications are also ineligible to be Contract Administrators. Contract Administrators may not be paid at more than the daily equivalent of the rate paid for level IV of the government's Executive Schedule.

Elderly person

means a person who is at least 62 years of age.

Jurisdiction-Wide Resident Organization

means an incorporated nonprofit organization or association that meets the following requirements:

(1) Most of its activities are conducted within the jurisdiction of a single housing authority;

(2) There are no incorporated Resident Councils or Resident Management Corporations within the jurisdiction of the single housing authority;

(3) It has experience in providing start-up and capacity-building training to residents and resident organizations; and

(4) Public housing residents representing unincorporated Resident Councils within the jurisdiction of the single housing authority must comprise the majority of the board of directors.

Tribally Designated Housing Entity (TDHE)

is an entity authorized or established by one or more Indian tribe to act on behalf of each such tribe authorizing or establishing the housing entity.

Indian tribe

means any tribe, band, nation, or other organized group of a community of Indians, including any Alaska native village or regional or village corporation as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska

Native Claims Settlement Act, and that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians pursuant to the Indian Self Determination and Education Act of 1975.

Intermediary Resident Organizations

means Jurisdiction-Wide Resident Organizations, City-Wide Resident Organizations, State-Wide Resident Organizations, Regional Resident Organizations, and National Resident Organizations.

Match.

All applicants are required to have in place a 25% match in cash or in-kind donations. The match is a threshold requirement. Applicants who do not demonstrate the minimum 25% match will fail the threshold requirement and will not receive further consideration for funding. If you are applying for more than one ROSS grant, you must use different sources of match donations for each grant application. Match donations must be firmly committed. “Firmly committed” means that the amount of match resources and their dedication to ROSS-funded activities must be explicit, in writing and signed by a person authorized to make the commitment. Letters of commitment, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) or tribal resolution must be on organization letterhead, and signed by a person authorized to make the stated commitment whether it be in cash or in-kind services. The letters of commitment/MOUs/tribal resolution must indicate the annual level and/or amount of commitment, be dated within two months of the application deadline, and indicate how the commitment will relate to the proposed program. If volunteer time is being committed it should be calculated using the number of hours to be committed and multiplied by either the normal professional rate for the local area or the national minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour. The commitment should be in place at time of award and should be for the duration of the grant. If you, the applicant, propose to use your own, non-ROSS grant funds to meet the match requirement in whole or in part, you must also include a letter of support indicating the type of match (cash or in-kind) and how the match will be used. For tribal and TDHE applicants, you must submit a letter of support and/or tribal resolution committing to the 25% match. Applicant staff time is not an eligible cash or in-kind match. Applicants shall annotate the HUD-424-CB to list the sources and amount of each match for the duration of the grant term. Grant awards shall be contingent upon letters of commitment being submitted with your application.

NAHASDA-assisted resident

means a resident of an Indian tribe (as defined above) who has been assisted by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act (NAHASDA) of 1996.

National Resident Organization (NRO)

means an incorporated nonprofit organization or association for public housing that meets each of the following requirements:

(1) It is national (

i.e.

, conducts activities or provides services in at least two HUD Areas or two states);

(2) It has the capacity to provide start-up and capacity-building training to residents and resident organizations; and

(3) Public housing residents representing different geographical locations in the country are members of the board of directors.

Nonprofit organization.

A nonprofit organization is an organization that is exempt from federal taxation. A nonprofit can be organized for the following purposes: Charitable, religious, educational, scientific, literary and others. In order to qualify, an organization must be a corporation, community chest, fund or foundation. An individual or partnership will not qualify. To obtain nonprofit status, qualified organizations must file an application with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and receive designation as such by the IRS. For more information, go to

www.irs.gov.

Applicants who are in the process of applying for nonprofit status, but have not yet received nonprofit designation from the IRS, will not be considered nonprofit organizations.

National nonprofit organizations

means organizations that work on a national basis and have the capacity to mobilize resources on both a national and local level.

Past Performance

is a threshold requirement. HUD's field offices will evaluate applicants for past performance to determine whether an applicant has the capacity to manage the grant for which they are applying. The DPONAP will review past performance for tribal/TDHE submissions. Using Rating Factor 1, the field office will evaluate applicants' past performance. Applicants should carefully review Rating Factor 1 to ensure their application addresses each of the criteria requested therein. If applicants fail to address what is requested in Rating Factor 1, their application will fail threshold and will not receive further consideration. If applicants pass threshold, they will go on to be scored for Rating Factor 1 during the technical review process.

Person with disabilities

means a person who:

(1) Has a condition defined as a disability in section 223 of the Social Security Act;

(2) Has a developmental disability as defined in section 102 of the Developmental Disabilities Assistance Bill of Rights Act; or

(3) Is determined to have a physical, mental, or emotional impairment which:

(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 such ability could be improved by more suitable housing conditions.

The term “person with disabilities” does not exclude persons who have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) or any conditions arising from the etiologic agent for AIDS. In addition, no individual shall be considered a person with disabilities, for purposes of eligibility for low-income housing, solely on the basis of any drug or alcohol dependence.

The definition provided above for persons with disabilities is the proper definition for determining program qualifications. However, the definition of a person with disabilities contained in section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and its implementing regulations must be used for purposes of reasonable accommodations.

Project Coordinator

is a person who is responsible for coordinating the proposed activities to ensure that their accomplishment will assist in achieving the overall grant goals and objectives.

Project

is the same as “low-income housing project” as defined in section 3(b)(1) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437

et seq.

) (1937 Act).

Resident Association (RA)

means any or all of the forms of resident organizations as they are defined elsewhere in this Definitions section and includes Resident Councils (RC), Resident Management Corporations (RMC), Regional Resident Organizations (RRO), Statewide Resident Organizations (SRO), Jurisdiction-Wide Resident Organizations, and National Resident Organizations (NRO).

Resident Council (RC)

means (as provided in 24 CFR 964.115) an incorporated or unincorporated nonprofit organization or association that shall consist of persons residing in public housing and must meet each of the following requirements in order to receive official recognition from the PHA/HUD, and be eligible to receive

funds for RC activities and stipends for officers for their related costs for volunteer work in public housing. The following also applies to resident councils:

(1) The RC must adopt written procedures such as by-laws, or a constitution, which provides for the election of residents to the governing board by the voting membership of the public housing residents. The elections must be held on a regular basis, but at least once every 3 years. The written procedures must provide for the recall of the resident board by the voting membership. These provisions shall allow for a petition or other expression of the voting membership's desire for a recall election, and set the percentage of voting membership that must be in agreement in order to hold a recall election. This threshold shall not be less than 10 percent of the voting membership.

(2) The RC must have a democratically elected governing board that is elected by the voting membership. At a minimum, the governing board should consist of five elected board members. The voting membership must consist of heads of households (any age) and other residents at least 18 years of age or older and whose names appear on a lease for the unit in the public housing that the resident council represents.

(3) The RC may represent residents residing in:

(a) Scattered site buildings in areas of contiguous row houses;

(b) One or more contiguous buildings;

(c) A development; or

(d) A combination of the buildings or developments described above.

(4) The RC must be in good standing and recognized by the PHA.

Regional Resident Organization (RRO)

means an incorporated nonprofit organization or association for public housing that meets each of the following requirements:

(1) The RRO is regional (

i.e.

, not limited by HUD Areas);

(2) The RRO has experience in providing start-up and capacity-building training to residents and resident organizations; and

(3) Public housing residents representing different geographical locations in the region must comprise the majority of the board of directors.

Resident Management Corporation (RMC)

(see 24 CFR 964.7, 964.120) means an entity that consists of residents residing in public housing and must have each of the following characteristics in order to receive official recognition by the PHA and HUD:

(1) The RMC shall be a nonprofit organization that is incorporated under the laws of the state in which it is located;

(2) The RMC may be established by more than one RC, so long as each such council:

(a) Approves the establishment of the corporation; and

(b) Has representation on the Board of Directors of the corporation.

(3) The RMC shall have an elected Board of Directors, and elections must be held at least once every 3 years;

(4) The RMC's by-laws shall require the Board of Directors to include resident representatives of each RC involved in establishing the corporation; include qualifications to run for office, frequency of elections, procedures for recall; and term limits if desired;

(5) The RMC's voting members shall be heads of households (any age) and other residents at least 18 years of age and whose names appear on the lease of a unit in public housing represented by the RMC;

(6) Where an RC already exists for the development, or a portion of the development, the RMC shall be approved by the RC board and a majority of the residents. If there is no RC, a majority of the residents of the public housing development it will represent must approve the establishment of such a corporation for the purposes of managing the project; and

(7) The RMC may serve as both the RMC and the RC, so long as the corporation meets the requirements of 24 CFR part 964 for an RC.

Resident Organization (RO) for tribal entities

means an incorporated or unincorporated nonprofit tribal organization or association that meets each of the following criteria:

(1) It shall consist of residents only, and only residents may vote;

(2) If it represents residents in more than one development or in all of the developments of the tribal/TDHE community, it shall fairly represent residents from each development that it represents;

(3) It shall adopt written procedures providing for the election of specific officers on a regular basis; and

(4) It shall have democratically elected governing board. The voting membership of the board shall consist solely of the residents of the development or developments that the tribal RO represents.

Secretary

means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

Site-Based Resident Associations

means Resident Councils or Resident Management Corporations representing a specific public housing development.

Statewide Resident Organization (SRO)

is an incorporated nonprofit organization or association for public housing that meets the following requirements:

(1) The SRO is statewide;

(2) The SRO has experience in providing start-up and capacity-building training to residents and resident organizations; and

(3) Public housing residents representing different geographical locations in the state must comprise the majority of the Board of Directors.

Tribal/TDHE Resident Group

means tribal/TDHE resident groups that are democratically elected groups such as IHA-wide resident groups, area-wide resident groups, single development groups, or resident management corporations (RMCs).

III. Program Description: Resident Service Delivery Models-Family

(A)

Program Description.

The purpose of the ROSS RSDM-Family funding category is to provide funding to PHAs, tribes/TDHEs, resident organizations, nonprofits including grassroots, faith-based or other community-based organizations to create programs to help residents achieve economic self-sufficiency.

HUD is looking for applications that implement comprehensive programs within the thirty-six month grant term which will result in improved economic self-sufficiency for Public or Indian housing residents.

HUD is looking for proposals that involve partnerships with organizations that will help grantees provide educational programs, housing counseling, including fair housing counseling, job training and other supportive services for residents. Proposed grant activities should build on the foundation created by previous ROSS grants or other federal, state and local self-sufficiency efforts.

(B)

Available Funding.

The amount of funding available for FY03 is $14,345,000.

(C)

Allocation.

To the extent that there are a sufficient number of qualified applications, not less than 25 percent of funds available for RSDM-Family shall be provided directly to Resident Councils (RCs), Resident Organizations (ROs), Resident Management Corporations (RMCs), Intermediary Resident Organizations (IROs), and City-Wide Resident Organizations (CWROs). In addition, 5 percent of available funding shall be allocated to national nonprofit organizations provided there

is a sufficient number of qualified applications.

(1)

Maximum grant amount.

For PHAs applying for RSDM-Family grants, the maximum grant award will be based on the number of occupied conventional family public housing units. Tribes/TDHEs applying for RSDM-Family grants should use the computation of units for the maximum grant amount, which is outlined below.

(a) PHAs must use the number of occupied conventional family public housing units as of September 30, 2002 per their budget to determine the maximum grant amount they are eligible for in accordance with the categories listed below. PHAs should clearly indicate the number of units under management on the Fact Sheet.

—For PHAs with 1 to 780 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $250,000.

—For PHAs with 781 to 2,500 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $350,000.

—For PHAs with 2501 to 7,300 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $500,000.

—For PHAs with 7,301 or more occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $1,000,000.

—The maximum grant award is $100,000 for each RA.

—Nonprofit entities that have resident support or the support of tribes or RAs/ROs are limited to $100,000 for each RA/RO. A nonprofit may submit a single application for no more than three different RAs from the same PHA for a maximum grant award of $300,000. Nonprofits may submit more than one application provided they target residents of distinct PHAs.

(b) Tribes/TDHEs should use the number of units counted as Formula Current Assisted Stock for Fiscal Year 2002 as defined in 24 CFR 1000.316. Tribes/TDHEs are eligible for the same amounts as PHAs within each category in (a) above. Tribes that have not previously received funds from the Department under the 1937 Housing Act should count housing units under management that are owned and operated by the Tribe and are identified in their housing inventory as of September 30, 2002 for family units. Tribes should clearly indicate the number of units under management on the Fact Sheet.

(D)

Deobligation of Funds.

HUD may deobligate amounts for the grant if proposed activities are not initiated or completed within the required time period after the effective date of the award. The grant agreement will set forth in detail circumstances under which funds may be deobligated and other sanctions imposed.

(E)

Eligible Applicants.

(1) This funding category provides grants to PHAs, tribes/TDHEs, resident management corporations, resident councils, resident organizations, and nonprofit entities supported by HUD, residents or tribes, to enable them to establish and implement comprehensive programs that assist residents in becoming self-sufficient.

(2) IROs with 501(c) status may apply as nonprofit entities under this funding category.

Note:

Applications from PHAs, tribes/TDHEs, ROs, RCs, RAs and nonprofit organizations targeting the same public housing development/population will not all be funded. HUD suggests that in these cases, applicants work together to submit one application. Otherwise, the highest scoring application will be funded.

(F)

Eligible Activities.

This funding category is designed to provide resources that will benefit adult residents who seek to achieve economic self-sufficiency. This category is also designed to help youth residing in Public and Indian Housing succeed in school and begin planning their educational and economic future. Funds may be used for the activities described below. The eligible activities are listed below in four categories from basic to advanced: Life-Skills Training; Job Training, Job Search and Placement Assistance; Post Employment Follow-up and finally, Activities to Support Career Advancement and Long-term Economic Self-Sufficiency. Grantees are not limited to choosing one category of activities, but rather should design their programs to address the specific needs of the population they are targeting. Grantees are encouraged to pull from all categories and activities listed below:

(1) Hiring of a qualified project coordinator to run the grant program. A qualified project coordinator is someone with at least two years of experience working on supportive services programs designed for typically underserved populations. The project coordinator should be hired for the entire term of your grant. The ROSS program will fund up to $62,500 in combined annual salary and fringe benefits for a full-time project coordinator. However, the project coordinator's salary and administrative costs may not exceed more than 30% of the total grant amount. Other administrative costs, see paragraph 9 below, may not exceed 10% of the total grant amount requested from HUD. For audit purposes, applicants must have documentation on file demonstrating that the salary they pay the project coordinator is comparable to similar professions in their local area. The project coordinator should be responsible for:

(a) Marketing the program to residents;

(b) Assessing participating residents' skills and job-readiness;

(c) Assessing participating residents' needs for supportive services,

e.g.

child care, transportation costs, etc.

(d) Project coordinators working for tribes/TDHEs may assist the tribe or TDHE to create a Resident Group to promote self-sufficiency efforts on the reservation;

(e) Designing and coordinating grant activities based on residents' needs and the local labor market; and

(f) The project coordinator should be responsible for monitoring the progress of program participants and evaluating the overall success of the program. A portion of grant funds should be reserved to ensure that evaluations can be completed for all participants who received training through this program. For more information on how to measure performance, please see Rating Factor 5.

(2) Life-skills Training for Youth and Adults.

(a) Applying for a job. Filling out employment forms; highlighting skills employers are looking for; job opportunities in the area; calculating net wages; workplace norms (appropriate dress, punctuality, respectful communication, etc.).

(b) Credit. What it means to have good credit; how to maintain good credit.

(c) Banking and Money Management. Opening a bank account; balancing a checkbook; creating a weekly spending budget; contingency planning for child care and transportation, etc.

(d) Real Life Issues. Tax forms; voter registration; lease samples; car insurance; health insurance; long-term care insurance; etc.

(e) Literacy training and GED preparation.

(f) College preparatory courses and information.

(g) Goal setting.

(h) Mentoring.

(3) Job Training, Job Search and Placement Assistance:

(a) Skills Assessment of target population.

(b) Soft skills training which includes: Problem solving and other cognitive skills; oral and written communication skills; personal qualities and work ethic; interpersonal and teamwork skills.

(c) Creating job training and placement programs with local employers.

(d) Resume writing.

(e) Interviewing techniques.

(f) Employer linkage and job placement.

Working with local employers to design and offer training that addresses their employment needs, create a job placement program that refers trained residents to participating employers and other local area employers.

(g) Establish relationships with local job placement providers. Encourage them to participate in the training and to meet with residents.

(4) Post-employment follow-up. After placing residents in jobs, follow-up and ongoing support to newly hired residents can have a significant impact on their long-term job retention. Activities can range from one-on-one meetings to weekly group sessions involving other residents who are making the same transition from welfare to work.

(5) Activities to Support Career Advancement and Long-term Economic Self-Sufficiency.

(a) Career advancement and planning programs. Such programs should be designed to:

(i) Help residents identify a career goal and a timeline for achieving it;

(ii) Provide strategies such as finding a strong professional mentor within a company; focusing on the organization's priorities.

(iii) Reinforce initial welfare-to-work programs and focus efforts on increasing residents' earning capacity. Activities can include job counseling, helping residents secure better paying jobs or jobs in better work environments, preparing for work in a new job category, obtaining additional job skills and other educational training.

(b) Working with local employers, create opportunities that combine education and job skill training with jobs. Strategies that promote work-based learning can offer the most effective method for giving new workers the tools they need to move on to a career ladder and achieve upward mobility.

(c) Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs). You may create programs that encourage residents to save and contribute to matched savings accounts such as Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). The programs should include financial counseling and education activities. ISAs may only be used for three purposes: (1) To purchase a first home; (2) receiving post-secondary education or training; or (3) starting a small business. ROSS RSDM funds can be used as matching funds for ISAs but no more than 20% of total grant funds may be used for this purpose. You are encouraged to leverage RSDM funds by working with local financial organizations which can also contribute to residents' ISAs. FSS escrow accounts may not be used as a match for RSDM-funded ISAs. Grantees shall consult the Internal Revenue Service regarding possible tax consequences to participating residents of the ISAs.

(d) Housing Counseling for Homeownership. “Pre-purchase” homeownership counseling and training; which may include training on such subjects as credit and financial management; credit repair; housing search; how to finance purchase of a home; fair housing; Individual Development Accounts, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA); and home maintenance.

(6) Stipends. Stipends are an eligible use of grant funds. However, no more than $200 of the grant award may be used per participant per month for stipends for active trainees and program participants to reimburse reasonable out-of-pocket expenses related to participation in training and other program-related activities. Reasonable costs reimbursable with stipends include such things as local transportation to and from job training and job interviews, supplemental educational materials, and child care expenses. Receipts for such expenses should be provided by the resident in order to obtain reimbursement. Stipends must be tied to residents' successful performance and regular attendance. Stipends are not considered an administrative expense and therefore are not subject to the 10% limitation on administrative costs.

(7) Hiring of Residents. Grant funds may also be used to hire a resident(s) as program staff. Residents' salaries are to come out of administrative expenses, see section 9 “Administrative Costs” below.

(8) Supportive Services.

(a) After school programs for school-age children to include tutoring, remedial training, educational programming using computers.

(b) Provision of information on the Earned Income Tax Credit Program, Food Stamps, Child Tax Credit Program, Medicaid, the State Child Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), Student Loan Interest Deduction, tribal welfare programs, and other benefit programs that can assist individuals and families make a successful transition from welfare to work.

(c) Housing Counseling to help residents move to market rate rental housing.

(d) Transportation costs as necessary to enable participating families to receive services or commute to training or employment.

(e) Child-care provision for ROSS-RSDM program participants.

(f) Parenting courses.

(g) Nutrition courses.

(h) Healthcare information and services including referrals to mental health providers, alcohol and other drug abuse treatment programs.

(i) English as a second language (ESL) classes.

(j) Creating and maintaining linkages to local social service agencies, such as employment agencies, health departments, transportation agencies, economic/community development agencies, community colleges, recreational and cultural services, and other community organizations such as Boys & Girls Clubs, 4H-Clubs, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, etc.

(9) Administrative costs. Administrative costs may include, but are not limited to, purchase of furniture, office equipment and supplies, salaries for resident employees hired as part of this grant program, quality assurance, local travel, and utilities. Nonprofit organizations only may use administrative funds to pay for rental of space. Administrative costs must not exceed 10 percent of the total grant amount requested from HUD. Administrative costs must adhere to OMB Circular A-87. Please use HUD-424-CBW to itemize your administrative costs.

(G)

Ineligible Activities.

Activities for which costs are ineligible for funding under the RSDM-Family funding category include:

(1) Payment of wages and/or salaries to participants receiving supportive services and/or training programs;

(2) Purchase or rental of land;

(3) New construction, materials costs;

(4) Rehab or physical improvements;

(5) Purchase or rental of vehicles; and

(6) Cost of application preparation.

(H)

Threshold Requirements.

Applicants must respond to threshold requirements clearly and thoroughly by following the instructions below. If your application fails one threshold requirement (regardless of the type of threshold) it will be considered a failed application and will not be reviewed further.

(1)

Match.

All applicants are required to have in place as defined in this NOFA a firmly committed 25% match in cash or in-kind donations. Applicants who do not demonstrate the minimum

25% match will fail this threshold requirement and will not receive further consideration for funding. If you are applying for more than one ROSS grant, you must use different sources of match donations for each grant application. Match donations must be firmly committed. “Firmly committed” means that the amount of match resources and their dedication to ROSS-funded activities must be explicit, in writing and signed by a person authorized to make the commitment. Letters of commitment, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) or tribal resolution must be on organization letterhead, and signed by a person authorized to make the stated commitment whether it be in cash or in-kind services. The letters of commitment/MOUs/tribal resolutions must indicate the annual level and/or amount of commitment, be dated within two months of the application deadline, and indicate how the commitment will relate to the proposed program. If volunteer time is being committed it should be calculated using the number of hours to be committed and multiplied by either the normal professional rate for the local area or the national minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour. The commitment should be in place at time of award and should be for the duration of the grant. If you, the applicant, propose to use your own, non-ROSS grant funds to meet the match requirement in whole or in part, you must also include a letter of support/tribal resolution indicating the type of match (cash or in-kind) and how the match will be used. Applicant staff time is not an eligible cash or in-kind match. Applicants shall annotate the HUD-424-CB to list the sources and amount of each match for the duration of the grant term. Grant awards shall be contingent upon letters of commitment being submitted with your application.

(2)

Past Performance.

HUD's field offices will evaluate applicants for past performance to determine whether an applicant has the capacity to manage the grant for which they are applying. Using Rating Factor 1, the field office will evaluate applicants' past performance. Applicants should carefully review Rating Factor 1 to ensure their application addresses each of the criteria requested therein. If applicants fail to address what is requested in Rating Factor 1, their application will fail threshold and will not receive further consideration. If applicants pass threshold, they will go on to be scored for Rating Factor 1 during the technical review process.

(3) All applicants except non-troubled PHAs and tribes/TDHEs are required to submit a signed Contract Administrator Partnership Agreement. The agreement must be for the thirty-six month duration of the grant term. Your grant award shall be contingent upon having a Partnership Agreement included in your application. The Contract Administrator must assure that the financial management system and procurement procedures that will be in place during the grant term will fully comply with either 24 CFR part 84 or 85. Troubled PHAs are not eligible to be Contract Administrators. Grant writers who assist applicants prepare their ROSS applications are also ineligible to be Contract Administrators. See the definition in Section III of Contract Administrator for more information.

(4) Nonprofit applicants must include letters from Resident Organizations (RO), Resident Associations (RA) indicating that the ROs/RAs you will be working with support your application. Letters from ROs/RAs must be signed by a person authorized to sign for the organization and should, whenever be possible, be on RO/RA letterhead.

(H)

Program Requirements.

(1)

Eligible Participants.

All program participants must be residents of conventional public or NAHASDA-assisted Housing. Participants in the Public or Indian Housing Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) programs who are residents of public housing (non Housing Choice Voucher Program) are also eligible to participate in activities funded under this category.

(2)

Resident Assessment.

Applicants are required to assess residents' needs and interests so that program activities are designed to address their needs.

(3)

Partnering.

Applicants should partner with local schools, libraries, businesses, banks, employment agencies, housing counseling agencies (preferably HUD-approved), state and local social service agencies, or other organizations which will help applicants deliver supportive services and fulfill residents' needs. These organizations can provide additional expertise, volunteers, office supplies, training materials, software, equipment, and other resources.

(4)

Performance Reports.

The grantee shall submit semi-annual performance reports to the field office. These progress reports shall include financial reports (SF-269A) and a narrative describing milestones, work plan progress, and problems encountered and methods used to address these problems. HUD anticipates that some of the reporting of financial status and grant performance will be through Internet-based submissions. Grantees shall use quantifiable data to measure performance against goals and objectives outlined in its work plan. Performance reports are due to the field office on July 30 and January 31 of each year. If reports are not received by the due date, grant funds will not be advanced until reports are received.

(5)

Final Report

. The grantees shall submit a final report which will include a financial report (SF-269A) and a narrative evaluating overall performance against its work plan. Grantees shall use quantifiable data to measure performance against goals and objectives outlined in its work plan. The financial report shall contain a summary of all expenditures made from the beginning of the grant agreement to the end of the grant agreement and shall include any unexpended balances. The final narrative and financial report shall be due to the field office 90 days after the termination of the grant agreement.

(6)

Final Audit

. Grantees are required to obtain a complete final close-out audit of the grant's financial statements by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), in accordance with generally accepted government audit standards. A written report of the audit must be forwarded to HUD within 60 days of issuance. Grant recipients must comply with the requirements of 24 CFR part 84 or 24 CFR part 85 as stated in OMB Circulars A-110, A-87, and A-122, as applicable.

(J)

Application Selection Process

.

(1) Four types of reviews will be conducted: A screening to determine if you are eligible to apply for this funding category; whether your application submission is complete, on time and meets threshold; a review by the field office to evaluate past performance; and a technical review to rate your application based on the five rating factors provided in this section. A minimum score of 75 is required for the application to be considered for funding.

(2) The selection process is designed to achieve geographic diversity of grant awards throughout the country. HUD will first select the highest ranked application from each of the ten federal regions and DPONAP for funding. After this “round,” HUD will select the second highest ranked application in each of the ten federal regions and DPONAP for funding (the second round). HUD will continue this process with the third, fourth, and so on, highest ranked applications in each federal region and DPONAP until the last complete round is selected for funding. If available funds exist to fund some but not all eligible applications in the next round, HUD will make awards to those remaining applications in rank order regardless of region and DPONAP and

will fully fund as many as possible with remaining funds. If remaining funds are too small to make an award, they may be transferred to another category. If transfer of funds does become necessary, HUD will give first priority to Homeownership Supportive Services, second priority to RSDM-Family and third priority to RSDM-Elderly.

(K)

Factors for Award Used to Evaluate and Rate RSDM-Family

. The factors for rating and ranking applicants and maximum points for each factor are provided below. The maximum number of points available for this program is 102. This includes two RC/EZ/EC bonus points, as described in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. The SuperNOFA contains a certificate that must be completed in order for the applicant to be considered for RC/EZ/EC bonus points. A listing of federally designated RCs, EZs, ECs, EECs and Strategic Planning Communities is attached to the General Section of the SuperNOFA as Appendix A-2 and is also available from the SuperNOFA Information Center, and the HUD Web site,

www.hud.gov

.

Note:

Applicants should carefully review each rating factor before writing a response. Applicants' narratives should be as descriptive as possible, ensuring that every requested item is addressed. Applicants should make sure to include all requested information, according to the instructions found in Section VIII of this NOFA. This will help ensure a fair and accurate review of your application. Applications must not be longer than 30 narrative pages. Supporting documentation and certificates will not be counted towards the 30 page limit. However, applicants should make every effort to submit only what is necessary in terms of supporting documentation.

Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational Staff (20 Points)

This factor addresses whether the applicant has the organizational resources necessary to successfully implement the proposed activities within the grant period. In rating this factor HUD will consider the extent to which the proposal demonstrates that the applicant will have qualified and experienced staff dedicated to administering the program.

(A)

Proposed Program Staffing

(7 Points).

(1)

Staff Experience

(4 Points). The knowledge and experience of your proposed project coordinator, staff, subcontractors, and partners in planning and managing programs for which funding is being requested. Experience will be judged in terms of recent, relevant and successful experience of your staff to undertake eligible program activities. In rating this factor, HUD will consider experience within the last 5 years to be recent; experience pertaining to the specific activities being proposed to be relevant; and experience producing specific accomplishments to be successful. The more recent the experience and the more experience your own staff members who work on the project have in successfully conducting and completing similar activities, the greater the number of points you will receive for this rating factor. The following information should be provided in order to provide HUD an understanding of your staff's experience and capacity:

(a) The number of staff years (one staff year = 2080 hours) to be allocated to your program by each employee or expert as well as each of their roles in the program;

(b) The staff's relevant educational background and/or work experience; and

(c) Relevant and successful experience running programs whose activities are similar to the eligible program activities described in this grant category.

(2)

Staff Capacity

(3 Points). You will be evaluated based on whether you, your subcontractors and partners have sufficient personnel or will be able to quickly access enough qualified experts or professionals, to deliver the proposed activities in a timely and effective fashion. Your ability to immediately begin the proposed work program will also be evaluated. Attach resumes or position descriptions (where staff is not yet hired) for all key personnel. (Resumes do not count toward the 30-page limit.)

(B)

Past Performance of Applicant/Project Coordinator

(6 Points) Your narrative must describe how you (or your proposed Project Coordinator) successfully implemented grant programs (including those listed below) designed to promote resident self-sufficiency or moving from welfare to work. You will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

(1) Achievement of specific measurable outcomes and objectives in terms of benefits gained by participating residents (i.e. higher incomes, higher rates of employment, increased savings, improved literacy, etc.);

(2) Success in attracting and keeping residents involved in past grant programs so that grant activities benefited a significant numbers of residents;

(3) Timely expenditure of funds throughout the term of the grant. Timely means regular drawdowns throughout the life of the grant, i.e. quarterly drawdowns, with all funds expended by the end of the grant term;

(4) Leveraging of funding or in-kind services beyond that which was originally proposed to be used for past projects;

(5) Long-term partnerships formed with local employers, libraries, community organizations, social service agencies, local colleges and universities, etc.

Your past experience may include, but is not limited to, programs aimed at assisting residents of low-income housing achieve economic self-sufficiency; i.e. Tenant Opportunities Program; Public Housing Drug Elimination program and Youthbuild. Your narrative must indicate the grants, grant amounts, grant terms and grant sources which you are counting towards past experience.

(C)

Program Administration and Fiscal Management

. (7 Points)

(1)

Program Administration

. (4 Points). Describe how you will manage the program; how HUD can be sure that there is program accountability; and describe staff's roles and responsibilities.

(2)

Fiscal Management

. (3 Points). In rating this factor, your skills and experience in fiscal management will be evaluated. If you have had any audit or material weakness findings, you will be evaluated on how well you have addressed them. You must provide the following:

(a) A complete description of your fiscal management structure, including fiscal controls you have in place including those of a Contract Administrator for all applicants except non-troubled PHAs, tribes and TDHEs;

(b) List any audit findings (HUD Inspector General, management review, fiscal, etc.), material weaknesses and what you have done to address them;

(c) For applicants who are required to have a Contract Administrator, describe the skills and experience your Contract Administrator has in managing federal funds.

Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the Problem (20 Points)

This factor addresses the extent to which there is a need for funding your proposed program and your indication of the importance of meeting the need in the target area. In responding to this factor, you will be evaluated on the extent to which you describe and document the level of need for your proposed activities and the urgency in meeting the need.

You should use statistics and analyses contained in data source(s) that are sound and reliable. Data that describes

socioeconomic conditions at the local level can be found by going to the following websites:

www.bls.gov

(Bureau of Labor Statistics) or

www.census.gov

(US Census). Other types of sources include Continuum of Care gaps analysis, law enforcement agency crime reports, academic, state, and local sources. To the extent possible, the data you use should be specific to the area where the proposed activities will be carried out. You should document needs as they apply to the area where activities will be targeted, rather than the entire locality or state.

In responding to this factor, you should include:

(1)

Socioeconomic Profile

(5 points). A thorough socioeconomic profile of the eligible residents to be served by your program, including education levels, income levels, the number of single-parent families, economic statistics for the local area, crime levels, etc.

(2)

Local Training Program Information

(5 points). Information on training programs currently available and easily accessible to residents either through the PHA, tribe/TDHE, or other local or state community organizations.

You may also address needs in terms of fulfilling the requirements of court actions or other legal decisions or which expand upon the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) to further fair housing. If you address needs that are in your community's Consolidated Plan, AI, or a court decision, or identify and substantiate needs in addition to those in the AI, you will receive a greater number of points than applicants who do not relate their proposed program to the approved Consolidated Plan or AI or court action. NOTE: Fines, penalties, damages, and other settlements resulting from violations (or alleged violations) of, or failure of the applicant to comply with federal, state, local or Indian tribal laws and regulations are unallowable means in which to satisfy this Rating Factor, except when incurred as a result of compliance with specific provisions of the federal award or written instructions by the awarding agency authorizing in advance such payments.

(3)

Resource Documentation

(3 points). The names and/or titles of information resources you used to document the need/extent of the problem.

(4)

Demonstrated Link Between Proposed Activities and Local Need

(7 points). There must be a clear relationship between your proposed activities, community needs and the purpose of the program funding for you to receive points for this factor.

Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach (30 Points)

This factor addresses both the quality and cost-effectiveness of your proposed work plan. Your work plan must indicate a clear relationship between your proposed activities, the targeted population's needs, and the purpose of the program funding. Your activities must address HUD's policy priorities which relate to this program.

In rating this factor HUD will consider:

(A)

Quality of the Work Plan

(18 points). This factor evaluates both your work plan and your budget and will be evaluated based on the following components:

(1)

Specific Services and/or Activities

(6 points). Your narrative must describe the specific services and activities you plan to offer and who will be responsible for each. You must also provide a work plan which will enumerate the specific services and activities and outcomes you expect. Please see a sample work plan in Appendix B. HUD will consider how well your proposed activities will:

(a) Involve community partners in the delivery of services; and

(b) Offer comprehensive services versus a small range of services geared toward enhancing economic opportunities for residents.

(2)

Feasibility and Demonstrable Benefits

(4 points). This factor examines whether your work plan is logical, feasible and likely to achieve its stated purpose during the term of the grant. HUD's desire is to fund projects that will quickly produce demonstrable results and advance the purposes of the ROSS program.

(a)

Timeliness

. This subfactor evaluates whether your work plan demonstrates that your project is ready to be implemented shortly after grant award, but not to exceed three months following the execution of the grant agreement. Your work plan should indicate timeframes and deadlines for accomplishing major activities.

(b)

Description of the problem and solution

. Your work plan will be evaluated based on how well your proposed activities address the needs described in Factor 2.

(3)

Budget Appropriateness/Efficient Use of Grant

. (4 Points) The score in this factor will be based on the following:

(a)

Justification of expenses

. You will be evaluated based on whether your expenses are reasonable and well-explained.

(b)

Budget Efficiency

. You will be evaluated based on whether your application requests funds commensurate with the level of effort necessary to accomplish your goals and anticipated results.

(4)

Involving Residents in the Design of the Work Plan

(4 points). All applicants should make every effort to involve residents in the design of the work plan, so that activities and services offered by your organization address their needs.

(B)

Addressing HUD's Policy Priorities

(12 points). HUD wants to improve the quality of life for those living in distressed communities. HUD's grant programs are a vehicle through which constructive changes can be achieved. Your narrative and work plan will be evaluated based on how well it meets the following HUD policy priorities:

(1)

Improving the Quality of Life in Our Nation's Communities

(5 points). In order to receive points in this category, your narrative and work plan must indicate the types of activities and training programs you will offer which can help residents successfully transition from welfare to work and earn higher wages.

(2)

Providing Full and Equal Access to Grassroots Faith-Based and Other Community-Based Organizations in HUD Program Implementation

(7 points). HUD encourages applicants to partner with grassroots organizations,

e.g.,

civic organizations, grassroots faith-based and other community-based organizations that are not usually effectively utilized. These grassroots organizations have a strong history of providing vital community services such as developing first-time homeownership programs, creating economic development programs, providing job training and other supportive services. In order to receive points under this factor, your narrative and work plan must describe how you will work with these organizations and what types of services they will provide.

Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources (20 Points)

This factor addresses your ability to secure community resources that can be combined with HUD's grant resources to achieve program purposes. Applicants are required to create partnerships with organizations that can help achieve their program's goals. PHAs are required by QHWRA (Sec. 12(d)(7) of the U.S. Housing Act, entitled “Cooperation Agreements for Economic Self-Sufficiency Activities”) to make best efforts to enter into such agreements with relevant state or local agencies. In rating this factor, HUD will look at the

extent to which you partner, coordinate and leverage your services with other organizations serving the same or similar populations.

Additionally, you must have at least a 25 percent cash or in-kind match. The match is a threshold requirement. Applicants who do not demonstrate the minimum 25% match will fail the threshold requirement and will not receive further consideration for funding. If you are applying for more than one grant ROSS grant, you must use different sources of match donations for each grant application. Leveraging in excess of the 25 percent of the grant amount will receive a higher point value. In evaluating this factor HUD will consider the extent to which you have partnered with other entities to secure additional resources to increase the effectiveness of your proposed program activities. The budget, the work plan, and commitments for additional resources and services, other than the grant, must show that these resources are firmly committed, will support the proposed grant activities and will, in combined amount (including in-kind contributions of personnel, space and/or equipment, and monetary contributions) equal at least 25 percent of the grant amount proposed in this application. “Firmly committed” means that the amount of resources and their dedication to ROSS-funded activities must be explicit, in writing and signed by a person authorized to make the commitment. Letters of commitment, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), or tribal resolutions must be on organization letterhead and signed by a person authorized to make the stated commitment. The letters of commitment/MOUs/tribal resolutions must indicate the annual level and/or amount of commitment, be dated within two months of the application deadline, and indicate how the commitment will relate to the proposed program. If you, the applicant, propose to use your own, non-ROSS grant funds to meet the match requirement in whole or in part, you must also include a letter of support indicating the type of match (cash or in-kind) and how the match will be used. For tribal and TDHE applicants, you must submit a letter of support and/or tribal resolution committing to the 25% match. Applicant staff time is not an eligible cash or in-kind match. Applicants shall annotate their budget form (the HUD-424-CB) to list the sources and amount of each match. Grant awards shall be contingent upon letters of commitment being submitted with your application.

(A) Volunteer time and services shall be computed by using the normal professional rate for the local area or the national minimum wage rate of $5.15 an hour (

Note:

Applicants may not use their staff time towards the match);

(B) In order for HUD to determine the value of any donated material, equipment, staff time, building, or lease, your application must provide a letter from the organization making the donation stating the value of the contribution. The letter must be on letterhead, signed by an official authorized to make such commitments on behalf of the donating organization and must be dated within two months of the application deadline.

(C) Other resources/services that can be committed include: in-kind services, contributions or administrative costs provided to the applicant; funds from federal sources (not including ROSS funds) as allowed by statute, including for example Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and federal Revenue Sharing; funds from any state or local government sources; and funds from private contributions. You may also partner with other program funding recipients to coordinate the use of resources in your target area.

(D) Points for this factor will be awarded based on the documented evidence of partnerships and firm commitments and the ratio of requested ROSS funds to the total proposed grant budget.

Points will be assigned based on the following scale:

Percentage of match

Points awarded

25

5

26-50

10

51-75

15

76-99 or above

20

Rating Factor 5: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation (10 Points)

An important element in this year's NOFA is the development and reporting of performance measures and outcomes. Under this rating factor, applicants must demonstrate how they propose to measure their success and outcomes as they relate to the Department's Strategic Plan.

This factor emphasizes HUD's determination to ensure that applicants meet commitments made in their applications and grant agreements and that they assess their performance so that they realize performance goals. HUD requires ROSS applicants to develop an effective, quantifiable, outcome oriented work plan for measuring performance and determining that goals have been met.

“Outcomes” are benefits accruing to the residents, families and/or communities during or after participation in the ROSS program. Outcomes are not the actual development of self-sufficiency services or program activities. Applicants must clearly identify the outcomes to be achieved and measured. Examples of outcomes are: Increasing the homeownership rates among residents of a development or from a particular housing authority, increasing residents' financial stability (

e.g.

increasing assets of a household through savings), or increasing employment stability (

e.g.,

whether persons assisted obtain or retain employment for one or two years after job training completion).

In addition to outcomes, applicants must establish interim benchmarks or outputs for their proposed program that lead to the ultimate achievement of outcomes. “Outputs” are the direct products of a program's activities. Examples of outputs are: The number of eligible families that participate in supportive services, the number of new services provided, the number of residents receiving counseling, or the number of households using a technology center. Outputs should produce outcomes for your program.

This rating factor requires that you, the applicant, identify program outcomes, outputs, benchmarks, and performance indicators that will allow you to measure your performance. Performance indicators should be objectively quantifiable and measure actual achievements against anticipated achievements. Your work plan should identify what you are going to measure, how you are going to measure it, and the steps you have in place to make adjustments to your work plan if performance targets are not met within established timeframes.

In order to satisfy the requirements for Factor 5, you must submit a work plan and a Logic Model that demonstrates how you will measure your own program performance. Your plan must identify the outcomes you expect to achieve or goals you hope to meet over the term of your proposed grant and benchmarks, outputs, and timeframes for accomplishing these goals. Your work plan must show how you will measure actual accomplishments against anticipated achievements. You must indicate how your plan will measure the performance of individual consortium members and affiliates, including the standards, data sources, and measurement methods, and the steps you have in place or how you plan to make adjustments if you begin to fall

short of established benchmarks and timeframes.

Applicants should also use the Logic Model provided in the General Section of this SuperNOFA for reporting on how they will conduct performance measurement. You will be evaluated based on how comprehensively you propose to measure your program's outcomes.

IV. Program Description: Resident Service Delivery Models—Elderly and Persons With Disabilities

(A)

Program Description

. The Resident Service Delivery Models (RSDM)-Elderly and Persons with Disabilities funding category is intended to provide PHAs, Resident Management Corporations, Resident Councils, Resident Organizations, Intermediary Resident Organizations, City-Wide Resident Organizations, nonprofits and Indian tribes/TDHEs with the resources to provide and coordinate supportive services that lead elderly and/or disabled public housing residents to independent living.

HUD is looking for applications that implement comprehensive programs within the thirty-six month grant term which will result in improved living conditions for the target population. HUD is looking for proposals that involve partnerships with organizations that will help grantees provide enhanced services to the elderly/persons with disabilities they will serve. Proposed grant activities should build on the foundation created by previous ROSS grants or other federal, state and local self-sufficiency efforts to assist these populations.

(B)

Available Funding

. The amount of funding available for FY03 is $9,300,300.

(C)

Allocation

. To the extent that there are a sufficient number of qualified applications, not less than 25 percent of funds available for RSDM-Elderly and Persons with Disabilities shall be provided directly to Resident Councils (RCs), Resident Organizations (ROs), Resident Management Corporations (RMCs), Intermediary Resident Organizations (IROs), and City-Wide Resident Organizations (CWROs). In addition, 5 percent of available funding shall be allocated to national nonprofit organizations provided there is a sufficient number of qualified applications.

1.

Maximum grant amount

. For PHAs applying for the RSDM-Elderly and Persons with Disabilities funding category, the maximum grant award will be based on the number of occupied elderly and disabled conventional public housing units. Tribes/TDHEs applying for this funding category should use the computation of units for the maximum grant amount, which is outlined below.

(a) PHAs must use the number of occupied elderly and disabled conventional public housing units as of September 30, 2002, per their budget to determine the maximum grant amount they are eligible for in accordance with the categories listed below. PHAs should clearly indicate the number of units under management on the Fact Sheet.

—For 1 to 217 units occupied by elderly residents and persons with disabilities, the maximum grant award is $100,000.

—For 218 to 1,155 units occupied by elderly residents and persons with disabilities, the maximum grant award is $200,000.

—For 1,156 or more units occupied by elderly residents and persons with disabilities, the maximum grant award is $300,000.

—The maximum grant award is $100,000 for each RA.

—Nonprofit entities that have resident support or RAs/ROs are limited to $100,000 for each RA/RO. A nonprofit may submit a single application for no more than three different RAs from the same PHA for a maximum grant award of $300,000. Nonprofits may submit more than one application provided they target residents of distinct PHAs.

(b) Tribes/TDHEs should use the number of units counted as Formula Current Assisted Stock for Fiscal Year 2002 as defined in 24 CFR 1000.316. Tribes/TDHEs are eligible for the same amount of funding as PHAs within each category in (a) above. Tribes who have not previously received funds from the Department under the 1937 Housing Act should count housing units under management that are owned and operated by the Tribe and are identified in their housing inventory as of September 30, 2002 for elderly/disabled units. Tribes should clearly indicate the number of units under management on the Fact Sheet.

(D)

Deobligation of Funds

. HUD may deobligate amounts for the grant if proposed activities are not initiated or completed within the required time period after the effective date of the award. The grant agreement will set forth in detail circumstances under which funds may be deobligated and other sanctions imposed.

(E)

Eligible Applicants

.

(1) This funding category provides grants to PHAs, tribes/TDHEs, resident management corporations, resident councils, resident organizations, and nonprofits, including grassroots, faith-based and other Community-based organizations, that have resident support or have the support of tribes, so they may provide supportive services for elderly and/or disabled residents. PHAs that are recipients of the Service Coordinator grant are not eligible to apply for this ROSS funding category.

(2) IROs with 501(c) status may apply as nonprofit entities under this funding category.

Note:

Applications from PHAs, tribes/TDHEs, ROs, RCs, RAs and nonprofit organizations targeting the same public housing development/population will not all be funded. HUD suggests that in these cases, applicants work together to submit one application. Otherwise, the highest scoring application will be funded.

(F)

Eligible Activities

.

(1) Hiring of a qualified project coordinator to run the grant program. A qualified project coordinator is someone with at least two years of experience working on supportive services programs designed for elderly and/or disabled people. The ROSS program will fund up to $62,500 in combined annual salary and fringe benefits for a full-time project coordinator. However, the project coordinator's salary and administrative costs may not exceed more than 30% of the total grant amount. Other administrative costs, see paragraph 9 below, may not exceed 10% of the total grant amount requested from HUD. For audit purposes, applicants must have documentation on file demonstrating that the salary they pay the project coordinator is comparable to similar professions in their local area. The project coordinator will be responsible for:

(a) Assessing participating residents' needs for supportive services (e.g. Medicaid, Medicare, physician care, food stamps, rehabilitation services, veterans disability, state-funded programs such as nurse case management, housekeeping, Meals-on-Wheels; transportation etc.);

(b) Designing and coordinating grant activities based on residents' needs;

(c) The project coordinator shall be responsible for monitoring the progress of program participants and evaluating the overall success of the program. A portion of grant funds should be reserved to ensure that evaluations can be completed for all participants who received assistance through this program. For more information on how to measure performance, please see Rating Factor 5.

(2) Coordination and set up of meal services;

(3) Assistance with daily activities;

(4) Coordination and set-up of transportation services;

(5) Wellness programs including, health and nutrition programs, preventive health education, referral to rehabilitation services, services for the disabled and other community resources;

(6) Personal emergency response;

(7) Congregate services—includes supportive services that are provided in a congregate setting at a conventional public housing development;

(8) Case management; and

(9)

Administrative costs

. Administrative costs may include, but are not limited to, purchase of furniture, office equipment and supplies, quality assurance, local travel, and utilities. Nonprofit organizations only may use administrative funds to pay for rental of space. Administrative costs must not exceed 10 percent of the total grant amount requested from HUD. Administrative costs must adhere to OMB Circular A-87. Please use HUD-424-CBW to itemize your administrative costs.

(G)

Ineligible Activities

.

(1) Service Coordinator salary and fringe benefits;

(2) Payment of wages and/or salaries to doctors, nurses or other staff in relation to medical services provided to residents;

(3) Payment of wages and/or salaries to participants receiving supportive services and/or training programs;

(4) Purchase of food;

(5) Purchase of non-prescription or prescription medications;

(6) Purchase or rental of land;

(7) New construction, materials costs;

(8) Rehab or physical improvements;

(9) Purchase or rental of vehicles; and

(10) Cost of application preparation.

(H)

Threshold Requirements

. Applicants must respond to threshold requirements clearly and thoroughly by following the instructions below. If your application fails one threshold requirement (regardless of the type of threshold) it will be considered a failed application and will not be reviewed further.

(1)

Match

. All applicants are required to have in place as defined in this NOFA a firmly committed 25% match in cash or in-kind donations. Applicants who do not demonstrate the minimum 25% match will fail this threshold requirement and will not receive further consideration for funding. If you are applying for more than one ROSS grant, you must use different sources of match donations for each grant application. Match donations must be firmly committed. “Firmly committed” means that the amount of match resources and their dedication to ROSS-funded activities must be explicit, in writing and signed by a person authorized to make the commitment. Letters of commitment, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) or tribal resolution must be on organization letterhead, and signed by a person authorized to make the stated commitment whether it be in cash or in-kind services. The letters of commitment/MOUs/tribal resolution must indicate the annual level and/or amount of commitment, be dated within two months of the application deadline, and indicate how the commitment will relate to the proposed program. If volunteer time is being committed it should be calculated using the number of hours to be committed and multiplied by either the normal professional rate for the local area or the national minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour. The commitment should be in place at time of award and should be for the duration of the grant. If you, the applicant, propose to use your own, non-ROSS grant funds to meet the match requirement in whole or in part, you must also include a letter of support/tribal resolution indicating the type of match (cash or in-kind) and how the match will be used. Applicant staff time is not an eligible cash or in-kind match. Applicants shall annotate the HUD-424-CB to list the sources and amount of each match for the duration of the grant term. Grant awards shall be contingent upon letters of commitment being submitted with your application.

(2)

Past Performance

. HUD's field offices will evaluate applicants for past performance to determine whether an applicant has the capacity to manage the grant for which they are applying. The DPONAP will review past performance for tribal/TDHE submissions. Using Rating Factor 1, the field office will evaluate applicants' past performance. Applicants should carefully review Rating Factor 1 to ensure their application addresses each of the criteria requested therein. If applicants fail to address what is requested in Rating Factor 1, their application will fail threshold and will not receive further consideration. If applicants pass threshold, they will go on to be scored for Rating Factor 1 during the technical review process.

(3) All applicants except non-troubled PHAs and tribes/TDHEs are required to submit a signed Contract Administrator Partnership Agreement. The agreement must be for the thirty-six month duration of the grant term. Your grant award shall be contingent upon having a Partnership Agreement included in your application. The Contract Administrator must assure that the financial management system and procurement procedures that will be in place during the thirty-six month grant term will fully comply with either 24 CFR part 84 or 85. Troubled PHAs are not eligible to be Contract Administrators. Grant writers who assist applicants prepare their ROSS applications are also ineligible to be Contract Administrators. See the definition in Section III of Contract Administrator for more information.

(4) Nonprofit applicants must include letters from Resident Organizations (RO), Resident Associations (RA) indicating that the ROs/RAs you will be working with support your application. Letters from ROs/RAs must be signed by a person authorized to sign for the organization and should, whenever possible, be on RO/RA letterhead.

(I)

Program Requirements

.

(1)

Eligible Participants

. All program participants must be residents of conventional public or Indian Housing. Participants in the Public or Indian Housing Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) programs who are residents of public housing (non Housing Choice Voucher Program) are also eligible to participate in activities funded under this category.

(2)

Resident Assessment

. Applicants are required to assess residents' needs and interests so that program activities are designed to address their needs.

(3)

Partnering

. Applicants should partner with local schools, libraries, businesses, banks, employment agencies, housing counseling agencies (preferably HUD-approved), state and local social service agencies, or other organizations which will help applicants deliver supportive services and fulfill residents' needs. These organizations can provide additional expertise, volunteers, office supplies, training materials, software, equipment, and other resources.

(4)

Performance Reports

. The grantee shall submit semi-annual performance reports to the field office. These progress reports shall include financial reports (SF-269A) and a narrative describing milestones, work plan progress, and problems encountered and methods used to address these problems. HUD anticipates that some of the reporting of financial status and grant performance will be through Internet-based submissions. Grantees shall use quantifiable data to measure performance against goals and objectives outlined in its work plan. Performance reports are due to the field office on July 30 and January 31 of each year. If reports are not received by the due date, grant funds will not be advanced until reports are received.

(5)

Final Report

. The grantees shall submit a final report which will include

a financial report (SF-269A) and a narrative evaluating overall performance against its work plan. Grantees shall use quantifiable data to measure performance against goals and objectives outlined in its work plan. The financial report shall contain a summary of all expenditures made from the beginning of the grant agreement to the end of the grant agreement and shall include any unexpended balances. The final narrative and financial report shall be due to the field office 90 days after the termination of the grant agreement.

(6)

Final Audit

. Grantees are required to obtain a complete final close-out audit of the grant's financial statements by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), in accordance with generally accepted government audit standards. A written report of the audit must be forwarded to HUD within 60 days of issuance. Grant recipients must comply with the requirements of 24 CFR part 84 or 24 CFR part 85 as stated in OMB Circulars A-110, A-87, and A-122, as applicable.

(J)

Application Selection Process

.

(1) Four types of reviews will be conducted: A screening to determine if you are eligible to apply for this funding category; whether your application submission is complete, on time and meets threshold; a review by the field office to evaluate past performance; and a technical review to rate your application based on the five rating factors provided in this section. A minimum score of 75 is required for the application to be considered for funding.

(2) The selection process is designed to achieve geographic diversity of grant awards throughout the country. HUD will first select the highest ranked application from each of the ten federal regions and DPONAP for funding. After this “round,” HUD will select the second highest ranked application in each of the ten federal regions and DPONAP for funding (the second round). HUD will continue this process with the third, fourth, and so on, highest ranked applications in each federal region and DPONAP until the last complete round is selected for funding. If available funds exist to fund some but not all eligible applications in the next round, HUD will make awards to those remaining applications in rank order regardless of region and DPONAP and will fully fund as many as possible with remaining funds. If remaining funds are too small to make an award, they may be transferred to another funding category. If transfer of funds does become necessary, HUD will give first priority to Homeownership Supportive Services, second priority to RSDM-Family and third priority to RSDM-Elderly.

(K)

Factors for Award Used to Evaluate and Rate RSDM-Elderly and Persons with Disabilities Applications

. The factors for rating and ranking applicants and maximum points for each factor are provided below. The maximum number of points available for this program is 102. This includes two RC/EZ/EC bonus points, as described in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. The SuperNOFA contains a certificate that must be completed in order for the applicant to be considered for RC/EZ/EC bonus points. A listing of federally designated RCs, EZs, ECs, EECs and Strategic Planning Communities is attached to the General Section of the SuperNOFA as Appendix A-2 and is also available from the SuperNOFA Information Center, and the HUD web site,

www.hud.gov

.

Note:

Applicants should carefully review each rating factor before writing a response. Applicants' narratives should be as descriptive as possible, ensuring that every requested item is addressed. Applicants should make sure to include all requested information, according to the instructions found in Section VIII of this NOFA. This will help ensure a fair and accurate review of your application. Applications must not be longer than 30 narrative pages. Supporting documentation and certificates will not be counted towards the 30 page limit. However, applicants should make every effort to submit only what is necessary in terms of supporting documentation.

Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational Staff (20 Points)

This factor addresses whether the applicant has the organizational resources necessary to successfully implement the proposed activities within the grant period. In rating this factor HUD will consider the extent to which the proposal demonstrates that the applicant will have qualified and experienced staff dedicated to administering the program.

(A)

Proposed Program Staffing

(7 Points).

(1)

Staff Experience

(4 Points). The knowledge and experience of your proposed project coordinator, staff, subcontractors, and partners in planning and managing programs for which funding is being requested. Experience will be judged in terms of recent, relevant and successful experience of your staff to undertake eligible program activities. In rating this factor, HUD will consider experience within the last 5 years to be recent; experience pertaining to the specific activities being proposed to be relevant; and experience producing specific accomplishments to be successful. The more recent the experience and the more experience your own staff members who work on the project have in successfully conducting and completing similar activities, the greater the number of points you will receive for this rating factor. The following information should be provided in order to provide HUD an understanding of your staff's experience and capacity:

(a) The number of staff years (one staff year = 2080 hours) to be allocated to your program by each employee or expert as well as each of their roles in the program;

(b) The staff's relevant educational background and/or work experience; and

(c) Relevant and successful experience running programs whose activities are similar to the eligible program activities described in this grant category.

(2)

Staff Capacity

(3 Points). You will be evaluated based on whether you, your subcontractors and partners have sufficient personnel or will be able to quickly access enough qualified experts or professionals, to deliver the proposed activities in a timely and effective fashion. Your ability to immediately begin the proposed work program will also be evaluated. Attach resumes or position descriptions (where staff is not yet hired) for all key personnel. (Resumes do not count toward the 30-page limit.)

(B)

Past Performance of Applicant/Project Coordinator

(6 Points). Your narrative must describe how you (or your proposed Project Coordinator) successfully implemented grant programs designed to assist the elderly/persons with disabilities meet their daily living needs and enhance their access to needed services so that they can continue to reside comfortably and productively in their current living environment. You will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

(1) Achievement of specific measurable outcomes and objectives in terms of benefits gained by participating residents (i.e. access to a greater number of social services; improved health conditions of targeted population; less emergency care; etc.);

(2) Success in attracting and keeping residents involved in past grant program so that grant activities benefited a significant number of residents;

(3) Timely expenditure of funds throughout the term of awarded grant. Timely means regular drawdowns throughout the life of the grant,

i.e.

quarterly drawdowns, with all funds expended by the end of the grant term;

(4) Leveraging of funding or in-kind services beyond that which was originally proposed to be used for past projects;

(5) Long-term partnerships formed with other state and local social service providers, nonprofits and other organizations serving these populations; etc.

Your past experience may include, but is not limited to, running and managing programs aimed at assisting elderly/persons with disabilities who reside in low-income housing/areas such as HUD's Office of Housing's Congregate grant program. Your narrative must indicate the grants, grant amounts, grant terms and grant sources which you are counting towards past experience.

(C)

Program Administration and Fiscal Management

. (7 Points).

(1)

Program Administration

. (4 Points). Describe how you will manage the program; how HUD can be sure that there is program accountability; and describe staff's roles and responsibilities.

(2)

Fiscal Management

. (3 Points). In rating this factor, your skills and experience in fiscal management will be evaluated. If you have had any audit or material weakness findings, you will be evaluated on how well you have addressed them. You must provide the following:

(a) A complete description of your fiscal management structure, including fiscal controls you have in place including those of a Contract Administrator for all applicants except non-troubled PHAs;

(b) List any audit findings (HUD Inspector General, management review, fiscal, etc.), material weaknesses and what you have done to address them; and

(c) For applicants who are required to have a Contract Administrator, describe the skills and experience your Contract Administrator has in managing federal funds.

Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the Problem (20 Points)

This factor addresses the extent to which there is a need for funding your proposed program and your indication of the importance of meeting the need in the target area. In responding to this factor, you will be evaluated on the extent to which you describe and document the level of need for your proposed activities and the urgency in meeting the need.

You should use statistics and analyses contained in data source(s) that are sound and reliable. Data that describes socioeconomic conditions at the local level can be found by going to the following Web sites:

www.bls.gov

(Bureau of Labor Statistics) or

www.census.gov

(US Census). Other types of sources include Continuum of Care gaps analysis, academic, state, and local sources. To the extent possible, the data you use should be specific to the area where the proposed activities will be carried out. You should document needs as they apply to the area where activities will be targeted, rather than the entire locality or state.

In responding to this factor, you should include:

(1)

Socioeconomic Profile

(5 points). A needs assessment which provides the number of residents needing assistance with activities of daily living;

(2)

Local Training Program Information

(5 points). Information on the type and number of social service programs currently available to residents either through the PHA, tribe/TDHE, or other local or state organizations. Your narrative should indicate the extent to which such programs are utilized by residents.

You may also address needs in terms of fulfilling the requirements of court actions or other legal decisions or which expand upon the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) to further fair housing. If you address needs that are in your community's Consolidated Plan, AI, or a court decision, or identify and substantiate needs in addition to those in the AI, you will receive a greater number of points than applicants who do not relate their proposed program to the approved Consolidated Plan or AI or court action. NOTE: Fines, penalties, damages, and other settlements resulting from violations (or alleged violations) of, or failure of the applicant to comply with federal, state, local or Indian tribal laws and regulations are unallowable means in which to satisfy this Rating Factor, except when incurred as a result of compliance with specific provisions of the federal award or written instructions by the awarding agency authorizing in advance such payments.

(3)

Resource Documentation

(3 points). The names and/or titles of information resources you used to document the need/extent of the problem.

(4)

Demonstrated Link Between Proposed Activities and Local Need

(7 points). There must be a clear relationship between your proposed activities, community needs and the purpose of the program funding for you to receive points for this factor.

Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach (30 Points)

This factor addresses both the quality and cost-effectiveness of your proposed work plan. Your work plan must indicate a clear relationship between your proposed activities, the targeted population's needs, and the purpose of the program funding. Your activities must address HUD's policy priorities which relate to this program.

In rating this factor HUD will consider:

(A)

Quality of the Work Plan

(18 points). This factor evaluates both your work plan and your budget and will be evaluated based on the following components:

(1)

Specific Services and/or Activities

(6 points). Your narrative must describe the specific services and activities you plan to offer and who will be responsible for each. You must also provide a work plan which will enumerate the specific services and activities and outcomes you expect. Please see a sample work plan in Appendix B. HUD will consider how well your proposed activities will:

(a) Involve community partners in the delivery of services; and

(b) Offer comprehensive services versus a small range of services geared toward enhancing economic opportunities for residents.

(2)

Feasibility and Demonstrable Benefits

(4 points). This factor examines whether your work plan is logical, feasible and likely to achieve its stated purpose during the term of the grant. HUD's desire is to fund projects that will quickly produce demonstrable results and advance the purposes of the ROSS program.

(a)

Timeliness

. This subfactor evaluates whether your work plan demonstrates that your project is ready to implement shortly after grant award, but not to exceed three months following the execution of the grant agreement. Your work plan should indicate timeframes and deadlines for accomplishing major activities.

(b)

Description of the problem and solution

. Your work plan will be evaluated based on how well your proposed activities address the needs described in Factor 2.

(3)

Budget Appropriateness/Efficient Use of Grant

. (4 Points) The score in this factor will be based on the following:

(a)

Justification of expenses

. You will be evaluated based on whether your expenses are reasonable and well-explained.

(b)

Budget Efficiency

. You will be evaluated based on whether your application requests funds

commensurate with the level of effort necessary to accomplish your goals and anticipated results.

(4)

Involving Residents in the Design of the Work Plan

(4 points). All applicants should make every effort to involve residents in the design of the work plan, so that activities and services offered by your organization address their needs.

(B)

Addressing HUD's Policy Priorities

(12 points). HUD wants to improve the quality of life for those living in distressed communities. HUD's grant programs are a vehicle through which constructive changes can be achieved. Your narrative and work plan will be evaluated based on how well it meets the following HUD policy priorities:

(1)

Improving the Quality of Life in Our Nation's Communities

(5 points). In order to receive points in this category, your narrative and work plan must indicate the types of activities and services you will offer which will enhance the quality of life of the elderly/persons with disabilities.

(2)

Providing Full and Equal Access to Grassroots Faith-Based and Other Community-Based Organizations in HUD Program Implementation

(7 points). HUD encourages applicants to partner with grassroots organizations, e.g., civic organizations, grassroots faith-based and other community-based organizations that are not usually effectively utilized. These grassroots organizations have a strong history of providing vital community services such as developing visiting programs, arranging holiday parties, connecting residents to transportation, and other supportive services. In order to receive points under this factor, your narrative and work plan must describe how you will work with these organizations and what types of services they will provide.

Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources (20 Points)

This factor addresses your ability to secure community resources that can be combined with HUD's grant resources to achieve program purposes. You are required to create partnerships with organizations that can help you achieve your program's goals. PHAs are required by QHWRA (Sec. 12(d)(7) of the U.S. Housing Act, entitled “Cooperation Agreements for Economic Self-Sufficiency Activities”) to make best efforts to enter into such agreements with relevant state or local agencies. In rating this factor, HUD will look at the extent to which you partner, coordinate and leverage your services with other organizations serving the same or similar populations.

Additionally, you must have at least a 25 percent cash or in-kind match. The match is a threshold requirement. Applicants who do not demonstrate the minimum 25% match will fail the threshold requirement and will not receive further consideration for funding. If you are applying for more than one grant ROSS grant, you must use different sources of match donations for each grant application. Leveraging in excess of the 25 percent of the grant amount will receive a higher point value. In evaluating this factor HUD will consider the extent to which you have partnered with other entities to secure additional resources to increase the effectiveness of your proposed program activities. The budget, the work plan, and commitments for additional resources and services, other than the grant, must show that these resources are firmly committed, will support the proposed grant activities and will, in combined amount (including in-kind contributions of personnel, space and/or equipment, and monetary contributions) equal at least 25 percent of the grant amount proposed in this application. “Firmly committed” means that the amount of resources and their dedication to ROSS-funded activities must be explicit, in writing and signed by a person authorized to make the commitment. Letters of commitment, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), or tribal resolution must be on organization letterhead and signed by a person authorized to make the stated commitment. The letters of commitment/MOUs/tribal resolution must indicate the annual level and/or amount of commitment, be dated within two months of the application deadline, and indicate how the commitment will relate to the proposed program. If you, the applicant, propose to use your own, non-ROSS grant funds to meet the match requirement in whole or in part, you must also include a letter of support indicating the type of match (cash or in-kind) and how the match will be used. Applicant staff time is not an eligible cash or in-kind match. Applicants shall annotate their budget form (the HUD-424-CB) to list the sources and amount of each match. Grant awards shall be contingent upon letters of commitment being submitted with your application.

(A) Volunteer time and services shall be computed by using the normal professional rate for the local area at the national minimum wage rate of $5.15 per hour (Note: Applicants may not use their staff time towards the match);

(B) In order for HUD to determine the value of any donated material, equipment, staff time, building, or lease, your application must provide a letter from the organization making the donation stating the value of the contribution. The letter must be on letterhead, signed by an official authorized to make such commitments on behalf of the donating organization and must be dated within two months of the application deadline.

(C) Other resources/services that can be committed include: in-kind services, contributions or administrative costs provided to the applicant; funds from federal sources (not including ROSS funds) as allowed by statute, including for example Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and federal Revenue Sharing; funds from any state or local government sources; and funds from private contributions. You may also partner with other program funding recipients to coordinate the use of resources in your target area.

(D) Points for this factor will be awarded based on the documented evidence of partnerships and firm commitments and the ratio of requested ROSS funds to the total proposed grant budget.

Points will be assigned based on the following scale:

Percentage of match

Points awarded

25

5

26-50

10

51-75

15

76-99 or above

20

Rating Factor 5: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation (10 Points)

An important element in this year's NOFA is the development and reporting of performance measures and outcomes. Under this rating factor, applicants must demonstrate how they propose to measure their success and outcomes as they relate to the Department's Strategic Plan.

This factor emphasizes HUD's determination to ensure that applicants meet commitments made in their applications and grant agreements and that they assess their performance so that they realize performance goals. HUD requires ROSS applicants to develop an effective, quantifiable, outcome oriented work plan for measuring performance and determining that goals have been met.

“Outcomes” are benefits accruing to the residents, families and/or communities during or after participation in the ROSS program. Outcomes are not the actual development of self-sufficiency services or program activities. Applicants must clearly identify the outcomes to be achieved and measured. Examples of

outcomes are: increasing the homeownership rates among residents of a development or from a particular housing authority, increasing residents' financial stability (

e.g.

increasing assets of a household through savings), or increasing employment stability (

e.g.

, whether persons assisted obtain or retain employment for one or two years after job training completion).

In addition to outcomes, applicants must establish interim benchmarks or outputs for their proposed program that lead to the ultimate achievement of outcomes. “Outputs” are the direct products of a program's activities. Examples of outputs are: the number of eligible families that participate in supportive services, the number of new services provided, the number of residents receiving counseling, or the number of households using a technology center. Outputs should produce outcomes for your program.

This rating factor requires that you, the applicant, identify program outcomes, outputs, benchmarks, and performance indicators that will allow you to measure your performance. Performance indicators should be objectively quantifiable and measure actual achievements against anticipated achievements. Your work plan should identify what you are going to measure, how you are going to measure it, and the steps you have in place to make adjustments to your work plan if performance targets are not met within established timeframes.

In order to satisfy the requirements for Factor 5, you must submit a work plan and a Logic Model that demonstrates how you will measure your own program performance. Your plan must identify the outcomes you expect to achieve or goals you hope to meet over the term of your proposed grant and benchmarks, outputs, and timeframes for accomplishing these goals. Your work plan must show how you will measure actual accomplishments against anticipated achievements. You must indicate how your plan will measure the performance of individual consortium members and affiliates, including the standards, data sources, and measurement methods, and the steps you have in place or how you plan to make adjustments if you begin to fall short of established benchmarks and timeframes.

Applicants should also use the Logic Model provided in the General Section of this SuperNOFA for reporting on how they will conduct performance measurement. You will be evaluated based on how comprehensively you propose to measure your program's outcomes.

V. Program Description: Homeownership Supportive Services

(A)

Program Description.

The Homeownership Supportive Services (HSS) category funds homeownership training, counseling and supportive services for residents of Public and Indian Housing who are participating or have participated in self-sufficiency programs, such as ROSS, Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) or other federal, state or local self-sufficiency programs. Resident participants in any HSS-funding activity cannot be public housing residents and section 8 voucher holders concurrently. HSS is designed to enhance other self-sufficiency efforts by providing public housing residents with the necessary preparation and supportive services they need in order to move from rental housing to homeownership. PHAs, tribes/TDHEs and nonprofits specializing in homeownership training and counseling are eligible to apply.

HUD is looking for applications that implement comprehensive programs within the thirty-six month grant term which will result in increased rates of homeownership for residents of public housing. In this vein, applicants should create linkages with the following HUD homeownership programs: Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership Program, Turnkey III, HOPE I, and the Section 5(h) Homeownership Program. The Turnkey III and HOPE I grant programs are not funding new applications but grantees are still operating homeownership programs under previously awarded grants. The PHA Homeownership Program (Section 32) supercedes the Section 5(h) program and allows PHAs to sell public housing units to low-income families without special funding from HUD. In order to find out whether a PHA or other organization in your area is operating any of these programs, contact your local field office.

Tribes/TDHEs should create linkages with programs such as the Mutual Help Homeownership Opportunity Program, the Section 184 Program, and other homeownership programs developed under the Indian Housing Block Grant Program such as mortgage assistance.

HUD is also looking for proposals that involve partnerships with organizations that will enhance the services grantees will offer. Applicants are strongly encouraged to partner with HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, or other organizations that provide housing counseling services. For a list of HUD-approved housing counseling agencies, go to:

http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hccprof14.cfm.

Applicants' programs should build on the foundation created by previous ROSS grants, or other state and local self-sufficiency efforts in which their target population may have participated.

(B)

Available Funding.

The amount of funding available for FY03 is $11,127,200.

(C)

Allocation.

To the extent that there are a sufficient number of qualified applications, not less than 5 percent of funds available for ROSS shall be provided to national nonprofit organizations which specialize in designing and delivering homeownership programs for low-income individuals and families.

1.

Maximum grant amount.

For PHAs applying for the HSS funding category, the maximum grant award will be based on the number of occupied conventional family public housing units.

(a) PHAs must use the number of occupied conventional family public housing units as of September 30, 2002 per their budget to determine the maximum grant amount they are eligible for in accordance with the categories listed below. PHAs should clearly indicate the number of units under management on the Fact Sheet.

—For PHAs with 1 to 780 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $250,000.

—For PHAs with 781 to 2,500 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $350,000.

—For PHAs with 2,501 to 7,300 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $500,000.

—For PHAs with 7,301 or more occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $1,000,000.

—Nonprofit entities that have resident support or RAs/ROs are limited to $100,000 for each RA/RO. A nonprofit may submit a single application for no more than three different RAs from the same PHA for a maximum grant award of $300,000. Nonprofits may submit more than one application provided they target residents of distinct PHAs.

(b) Tribes/TDHEs should use the number of units counted as Formula Current Assisted Stock for Fiscal Year 2002 as defined in 24 CFR 1000.316. Tribes/TDHEs are eligible for the same amounts as PHAs within each category in (a) above. Tribes that have not previously received funds from the Department under the 1937 Housing Act should count housing units under management that are owned and operated by the tribe and are identified in their housing inventory as of

September 30, 2002 for family units. Tribes should clearly indicate the number of units under management on the Fact Sheet.

(D)

Deobligation of Funds.

HUD may deobligate amounts for the grant if proposed activities are not initiated or completed within the required time period after the effective date of the award. The grant agreement will set forth in detail circumstances under which funds may be deobligated and other sanctions imposed.

(E)

Eligible Applicants.

This funding category provides grants to PHAs, tribes/TDHEs and qualified nonprofits so they may provide homeownership training and supportive services to residents of public housing.

Note:

Applications from PHAs and nonprofit organizations targeting the same public housing development/population will not all be funded. HUD suggests that in these cases, applicants work together to submit one application. Otherwise, the highest scoring application will be funded.

(1) PHA applicants must have a Homeownership Voucher program as stated in 24 CFR 982.625

et seq.

(65 FR 55163). Those PHAs that have not elected to provide assistance under the Homeownership Voucher option and receive funding under this category, will be required to implement the Homeownership Voucher program and make such option available to eligible families who participate in this ROSS activity.

(2) In applying for HSS, PHA applicants will be required to offer a minimum of 10 housing choice vouchers per year for eligible residents described above.

(3) Tribal/TDHE applicants must have a Low-income Homeownership Program outlined in its current Indian Housing Plan.

(4) In applying for HSS, Tribes/TDHEs will be required to provide homeownership assistance to a minimum of 10 eligible families as described above.

(F)

Eligible Activities.

Under this funding category, applicants will develop homeownership training programs and supportive services based on needs assessments of the residents they intend to serve. Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:

(1) Hiring of a qualified project coordinator to run the grant program. A qualified project coordinator is someone with at least two years of experience working on homeownership and supportive services programs designed for typically underserved populations. The ROSS program will fund up to $62,500 in combined annual salary and fringe benefits for a full-time project coordinator. However, the project coordinator's salary and administrative costs may not exceed more than 30% of the total grant amount. Other administrative costs, see paragraph 4 below, may not exceed 10% of the total grant amount requested from HUD. For audit purposes, applicants must have documentation on file demonstrating that the salary they pay the project coordinator is comparable to similar professions in their local area. The project coordinator should be responsible for:

(a) Assessing participating residents' needs;

(b) Designing and coordinating grant activities based on residents' needs;

(c) Monitoring the progress of program participants and evaluating the overall success of the program. A portion of grant funds should be reserved to ensure that evaluations can be completed for all participants who received assistance through this program. For more information on how to measure performance, please see Rating Factor 5.

(2) Training to include:

a. Asset building;

b. Credit counseling and credit scoring;

c. Financial literacy and management;

d. Selecting a real estate broker;

e. Choosing a lender;

f. Appraisals;

g. Home inspections;

h. Avoiding delinquency and predatory lending;

i. Foreclosure prevention;

j. Home maintenance and financial management for first-time homeowners;

k. Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA); and

l. Fair Housing Counseling.

(3) Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs). You may create programs that encourage residents to save and contribute to matched savings accounts such as Individual Development Accounts (IDAs). ISAs may be used for escrow accounts, downpayment assistance and closing costs only. HSS funds can be used as matching funds for ISAs but no more than 20% of total grant funds may be used for this purpose. You are encouraged to leverage HSS funds by working with local financial organizations which can also contribute to residents' ISAs. FSS escrow accounts may not be used as a match for HSS-funded ISAs. FSS residents are not eligible to participate in the ISA provision.

(4)

Administrative costs.

Administrative costs may include, but are not limited to, purchase of furniture, office equipment and supplies, quality assurance, local travel, and utilities. Nonprofit organizations only may use administrative funds to pay for rental of space. Administrative costs must not exceed 10 percent of the total grant amount requested from HUD. Administrative costs must adhere to OMB Circular A-87. Please use HUD-424-CBW to itemize your administrative costs.

(G)

Ineligible Activities.

(1) Payment of wages and/or salaries to participants receiving supportive services and/or training programs;

(2) Stipends;

(3) Down payment assistance;

(4) Revolving loan funds;

(5) Purchase or rental of land;

(6) New construction, materials costs;

(7) Rehab or physical improvements;

(8) Purchase or rental of vehicles; and

(9) Cost of application preparation.

(H)

Threshold Requirements.

Applicants must respond to threshold requirements clearly and thoroughly by following the instructions below. If your application fails one threshold requirement (regardless of the type of threshold) it will be considered a failed application and will not be reviewed further.

(1)

Match.

All applicants are required to have in place a firmly committed 25% match in cash or in-kind donations as defined in this NOFA. Applicants who do not demonstrate the minimum 25% match will fail this threshold requirement and will not receive further consideration for funding. If you are applying for more than one ROSS grant, you must use different sources of match donations for each grant application. Match donations must be firmly committed. “Firmly committed” means that the amount of match resources and their dedication to ROSS-funded activities must be explicit, in writing and signed by a person authorized to make the commitment. Letters of commitment, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), or tribal resolution must be on organization letterhead, and signed by a person authorized to make the stated commitment whether it be in cash or in-kind services. The letters of commitment/MOUs/tribal resolutions must indicate the annual level and/or amount of commitment, be dated within two months of the application deadline, and indicate how the commitment will relate to the proposed program. If volunteer time is being committed it should be calculated using the number of hours to be committed and multiplied by either the normal professional rate for the local area or the national minimum wage rate of $5.15/hour. The commitment should be in place at time of award and should be for the duration

of the grant. If you, the applicant, propose to use your own, non-ROSS grant funds to meet the match requirement in whole or in part, you must also include a letter of support/tribal resolution indicating the type of match (cash or in-kind) and how the match will be used. Applicant staff time is not an eligible cash or in-kind match. Applicants shall annotate the HUD-424-CB to list the sources and amount of each match for the duration of the grant term. Grant awards shall be contingent upon letters of commitment being submitted with your application.

(2)

Past Performance.

HUD's field offices will evaluate applicants for past performance to determine whether an applicant has the capacity to manage the grant for which they are applying. The DPONAP will review past performance for tribal and TDHE submissions. Using Rating Factor 1, the field office will evaluate applicants' past performance. Applicants should carefully review Rating Factor 1 to ensure their application addresses each of the criteria requested therein. If applicants fail to address what is requested in Rating Factor 1, their application will fail threshold and will not receive further consideration. If applicants pass threshold, they will go on to be scored for Rating Factor 1 during the technical review process.

(3) All applicants except nontroubled PHAs and tribe/TDHEs are required to submit a signed Contract Administrator Partnership Agreement. The agreement must be for the thirty-six month duration of the grant term. Your grant award shall be contingent upon having a Partnership Agreement included in your application. The Contract Administrator must assure that the financial management system and procurement procedures that will be in place during the thirty-six month grant term will fully comply with either 24 CFR part 84 or 85. Troubled PHAs are not eligible to be Contract Administrators. Grant writers who assist applicants prepare their ROSS applications are also ineligible to be Contract Administrators. See the definition in Section III of Contract Administrator for more information.

(4) Nonprofit applicants must include letters from Resident Organizations (RO), Resident Associations (RA) indicating that the ROs/RAs you will be working with support your application. Letters from ROs/RAs must be signed by a person authorized to sign for the organization and should, whenever be possible, be on RO/RA letterhead.

(I)

Program Requirements.

(1)

Eligible Participants.

All program participants must be residents of conventional public housing or NAHASDA-assisted housing. This funding category is targeted to the population of public housing residents that were recipients/beneficiaries of previously awarded ROSS grants, other state or local self-sufficiency programs, and/or participate or participated in the public housing Family Self Sufficiency Program. Resident participants in any HSS-funding activity cannot be public housing residents and section 8 voucher holders concurrently.

(b) ROSS families or FSS residents to be targeted for proposed grant activities must meet the following eligibility requirements:

(i) Achieve a level of income within the acceptable range for the local minimum income for home purchases in the local area; and

(ii) Currently reside in public housing.

(2)

Resident Assessment.

Applicants are required to assess residents' needs and interests so that program activities are designed to address their needs.

(3)

Partnering.

Applicants should partner with local schools, libraries, businesses, banks, employment agencies, housing counseling agencies (preferably HUD-approved), state and local social service agencies, or other organizations which will help applicants deliver supportive services and fulfill residents' needs. These organizations can provide additional expertise, volunteers, office supplies, training materials, software, equipment, and other resources.

(4)

Performance Reports.

The grantee shall submit semi-annual performance reports to the field office. These progress reports shall include financial reports (SF-269A) and a narrative describing milestones, work plan progress, and problems encountered and methods used to address these problems. HUD anticipates that some of the reporting of financial status and grant performance will be through Internet-based submissions. Grantees shall use quantifiable data to measure performance against goals and objectives outlined in its work plan. Performance reports are due to the field office on July 30 and January 31 of each year. If reports are not received by the due date, grant funds will not be advanced until reports are received.

(5)

Final Report.

The grantees shall submit a final report which will include a financial report (SF-269A) and a narrative evaluating overall performance against its work plan. Grantees shall use quantifiable data to measure performance against goals and objectives outlined in its work plan. The financial report shall contain a summary of all expenditures made from the beginning of the grant agreement to the end of the grant agreement and shall include any unexpended balances. The final narrative and financial report shall be due to the field office 90 days after the termination of the grant agreement.

(6)

Final Audit.

Grantees are required to obtain a complete final close-out audit of the grant's financial statements by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), in accordance with generally accepted government audit standards. A written report of the audit must be forwarded to HUD within 60 days of issuance. Grant recipients must comply with the requirements of 24 CFR part 84 or 24 CFR part 85 as stated in OMB Circulars A-110, A-87, and A-122, as applicable.

(J)

Application Selection Process.

(1) Four types of reviews will be conducted: a screening to determine if you are eligible to apply for this funding category; whether your application submission is complete, on time and meets threshold; a review by the field office to evaluate past performance; and a technical review to rate your application based on the five rating factors provided in this section. A minimum score of 75 is required for the application to be considered for funding.

(2) The selection process is designed to achieve geographic diversity of grant awards throughout the country. HUD will first select the highest ranked application from each of the ten federal regions for funding. After this “round,” HUD will select the second highest ranked application in each of the ten federal regions for funding (the second round). HUD will continue this process with the third, fourth, and so on, highest ranked applications in each federal region until the last complete round is selected for funding. If available funds exist to fund some but not all eligible applications in the next round, HUD will make awards to those remaining applications in rank order regardless of region and will fully fund as many as possible with remaining funds. If remaining funds are too small to make an award, they may be transferred to another funding category. If transfer of funds does become necessary, HUD will give first priority to Homeownership Supportive Services, second priority to RSDM-Family and third priority to RSDM-Elderly.

(K)

Factors for Award Used to Evaluate and Rate Homeownership Supportive Services Applications.

The factors for rating and ranking applicants and maximum points for each factor are provided below. The maximum number of points available for this program is 102. This includes two RC/EZ/EC bonus

points, as described in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. The SuperNOFA contains a certificate that must be completed in order for the applicant to be considered for RC/EZ/EC bonus points. A listing of federally designated RCs, EZs, ECs, EECs and Strategic Planning Communities is attached to the General Section of the SuperNOFA as Appendix A-2 and is also available from the SuperNOFA Information Center, and the HUD Web site,

www.hud.gov.

Note:

Applicants should carefully review each rating factor before writing a response. Applicants' narratives should be as descriptive as possible, ensuring that every requested item is addressed. Applicants should make sure to include all requested information, according to the instructions found in Section VIII of this NOFA. This will help ensure a fair and accurate review of your application. Applications must not be longer than 30 narrative pages. Supporting documentation and certificates will not be counted towards the 30 page limit. However, applicants should make every effort to submit only what is necessary in terms of supporting documentation.

Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational Staff (20 Points)

This factor addresses whether the applicant has the organizational resources necessary to successfully implement the proposed activities within the grant period. In rating this factor HUD will consider the extent to which the proposal demonstrates that the applicant will have qualified and experienced staff dedicated to administering the program.

(A)

Proposed Program Staffing

(7 Points).

(1)

Staff Experience

(4 Points). The knowledge and experience of your proposed project coordinator, staff, subcontractors, and partners in planning and managing programs for which funding is being requested. Experience will be judged in terms of recent, relevant and successful experience of your staff to undertake eligible program activities. In rating this factor, HUD will consider experience within the last 5 years to be recent; experience pertaining to the specific activities being proposed to be relevant; and experience producing specific accomplishments to be successful. The more recent the experience and the more experience your own staff members who work on the project have in successfully conducting and completing similar activities, the greater the number of points you will receive for this rating factor. The following information should be provided in order to provide HUD an understanding of your staff's experience and capacity:

(a) The number of staff years (one staff year = 2080 hours) to be allocated to your program by each employee or expert as well as each of their roles in the program;

(b) The staff's relevant educational background and/or work experience; and

(c) Relevant and successful experience running programs whose activities are similar to the eligible program activities described in this grant category.

(2)

Staff Capacity

(3 Points). You will be evaluated based on whether you, your subcontractors and partners have sufficient personnel or will be able to quickly access enough qualified experts or professionals, to deliver the proposed activities in a timely and effective fashion. Your ability to immediately begin the proposed work program will also be evaluated. Attach resumes or position descriptions (where staff is not yet hired) for all key personnel. (Resumes do not count toward the 30-page limit.)

(B)

Past Performance of Applicant/Project Coordinator

(6 Points). Your narrative must describe how you (or your proposed Project Coordinator) successfully implemented grant programs designed to promote resident self-sufficiency, moving from welfare to work or homeownership. You will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

(1) Achievement of specific measurable outcomes and objectives in terms of benefits gained by participating residents (

i.e.

higher incomes, higher rates of employment, increased savings, moving out of subsidized housing to market-rate housing, homeownership etc.);

(2) Success in attracting and keeping residents involved in past grant programs so that grant activities benefited a significant numbers of residents;

(3) Timely expenditure of funds throughout the term of the grant. Timely means regular drawdowns throughout the life of the grant,

i.e.

quarterly drawdowns, with all funds expended by the end of the grant term;

(4) Leveraging of funding or in-kind services beyond that which was originally proposed to be used for past projects;

(5) Long-term partnerships formed with local housing groups, employers, community organizations, social service agencies, etc.

Your past experience may include, but is not limited to, programs aimed at assisting residents of low-income housing achieve economic self-sufficiency;

i.e.

Tenant Opportunities Program and Youthbuild. Your narrative must indicate the grants, grant amounts, grant terms and grant sources which you are counting towards past experience.

(C)

Program Administration and Fiscal Management.

(7 Points)

(1)

Program Administration.

(4 Points). Describe how you will manage the program; how HUD can be sure that there is program accountability; and describe staff's roles and responsibilities.

(2)

Fiscal Management.

(3 Points). In rating this factor, your skills and experience in fiscal management will be evaluated. If you have had any audit or material weakness findings, you will be evaluated on how well you have addressed them. You must provide the following:

(i) A complete description of your fiscal management structure, including fiscal controls you have in place including those of a Contract Administrator for all applicants except non-troubled PHAs;

(ii) List any audit findings (HUD Inspector General, management review, fiscal, etc.), material weaknesses and what you have done to address them; and

(iii) For applicants who are required to have a Contract Administrator, describe the skills and experience your Contract Administrator has in managing federal funds.

Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the Problem (20 Points)

This factor addresses the extent to which there is a need for funding your proposed program and your indication of the importance of meeting the need in the target area. In responding to this factor, you will be evaluated on the extent to which you describe and document the level of need for your proposed activities.

You should use statistics and analyses contained in data source(s) that are sound and reliable. Data that describes socioeconomic conditions at the local level can be found by going to the following Web sites:

www.bls.gov

(Bureau of Labor Statistics) or

www.census.gov

(US Census). Other types of sources include academic, state, and local sources. To the extent possible, the data you use should be specific to the area where the proposed activities will be carried out. You should document needs as they apply to the area where activities will be targeted, rather than the entire locality or state.

In responding to this factor, you should include:

(1)

Socioeconomic Profile

(5 points). A thorough socioeconomic profile of the eligible residents to be served by your program, including education levels, income levels, the number of single-parent families, economic statistics for the local area, crime levels, etc.

(2)

Local Training Program Information

(5 points). Information on training programs currently available and easily accessible to residents either through the PHA or other state or local organizations.

You may also address needs in terms of fulfilling the requirements of court actions or other legal decisions or which expand upon the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) to further fair housing. If you address needs that are in your community's Consolidated Plan, AI, or a court decision, or identify and substantiate needs in addition to those in the AI, you will receive a greater number of points than applicants who do not relate their proposed program to the approved Consolidated Plan or AI or court action. NOTE: Fines, penalties, damages, and other settlements resulting from violations (or alleged violations) of, or failure of the applicant to comply with federal, state, local or Indian tribal laws and regulations are unallowable means in which to satisfy this Rating Factor, except when incurred as a result of compliance with specific provisions of the federal award or written instructions by the awarding agency authorizing in advance such payments.

(3)

Resource Documentation

(3 points). The names and/or titles of information resources you used to document the need/extent of the problem.

(4)

Demonstrated Link Between Proposed Activities and Local Need

(7 points). There must be a clear relationship between your proposed activities, community needs and the purpose of the program funding for you to receive points for this factor.

Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach (30 Points)

This factor addresses both the quality and cost-effectiveness of your proposed work plan. Your work plan must indicate a clear relationship between your proposed activities, the targeted population's needs, and the purpose of the program funding. Your activities must address HUD's policy priorities which relate to this program.

In rating this factor HUD will consider:

(A)

Quality of the Work Plan

(18 points). This factor evaluates both your work plan and your budget and will be evaluated based on the following components:

(1)

Specific Services and/or Activities

(6 points). Your narrative must describe the specific services and activities you plan to offer and who will be responsible for each. You must also provide a work plan which will enumerate the specific services and activities and outcomes you expect. Please see a sample work plan in Appendix B. HUD will consider how well your proposed activities will:

(a) Involve community partners in the delivery of services; and

(b) Offer comprehensive services versus a small range of services geared toward enhancing homeownership opportunities for residents.

(2)

Feasibility and Demonstrable Benefits

(4 points). This factor examines whether your work plan is logical, feasible and likely to achieve its stated purpose during the term of the grant. HUD's desire is to fund projects that will quickly produce demonstrable results and advance the purposes of the ROSS program.

(a)

Timeliness.

This subfactor evaluates whether your work plan demonstrates that your project is ready to implement shortly after grant award, but not to exceed three months following the execution of the grant agreement. Your work plan should indicate timeframes and deadlines for accomplishing major activities.

(b)

Description of the problem and solution.

Your work plan will be evaluated based on how well your proposed activities address the needs described in Factor 2.

(3)

Budget Appropriateness/Efficient Use of Grant.

(4 Points). The score in this factor will be based on the following:

(a)

Justification of expenses.

You will be evaluated based on whether your expenses are reasonable and well-explained.

(b)

Budget efficiency.

You will be evaluated based on whether your application requests funds commensurate with the level of effort necessary to accomplish your goals and anticipated results.

(4)

Involving Residents in the Design of the Work Plan

(4 points). All applicants should make every effort to involve residents in the design of the work plan, so that activities and services offered by your organization address their needs.

(B)

Addressing HUD's Policy Priorities

(12 points). HUD wants to improve the quality of life for those living in distressed communities. HUD's grant programs are a vehicle through which constructive changes can be achieved. Your narrative and work plan will be evaluated based on how well it meets the following HUD policy priorities:

(1)

Providing Increased Homeownership and Rental Opportunities for Low- and Moderate-Income Persons, Persons with Disabilities, the Elderly, Minorities, and Families with Limited English Proficiency

(5 points). In order to receive points in this category, your narrative and work plan must indicate the types of activities and training programs you will offer which can help residents successfully transition from subsidized housing to market-rate rental housing or homeownership.

(2)

Providing Full and Equal Access to Grassroots Faith-Based and Other Community-Based Organizations in HUD Program Implementation

(7 points). HUD encourages applicants to partner with grassroots organizations,

e.g.

, civic organizations, grassroots faith-based and other community-based organizations that are not usually effectively utilized. These grassroots organizations have a strong history of providing vital community services such as developing first-time homeownership programs, creating economic development programs, providing job training and other supportive services. In order to receive points under this factor, your narrative and work plan must describe how you will work with these organizations and what types of services they will provide.

Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources (20 Points)

This factor addresses your ability to secure community resources that can be combined with HUD's grant resources to achieve program purposes. You are required to create partnerships with organizations that can help you achieve your program's goals. PHAs are required by QHWRA (Sec. 12(d)(7) of the U.S. Housing Act, entitled “Cooperation Agreements for Economic Self-Sufficiency Activities”) to make best efforts to enter into such agreements with relevant state or local agencies. In rating this factor, HUD will look at the extent to which you partner, coordinate and leverage your services with other organizations serving the same or similar populations.

Additionally, you must have at least a 25 percent cash or in-kind match. The match is a threshold requirement. Applicants who do not demonstrate the minimum 25% match will fail the threshold requirement and will not receive further consideration for funding. If you are applying for more than one grant ROSS grant, you must use different sources of match donations

for each grant application. Leveraging in excess of the 25 percent of the grant amount will receive a higher point value. In evaluating this factor HUD will consider the extent to which you have partnered with other entities to secure additional resources to increase the effectiveness of your proposed program activities. The budget, the work plan, and commitments for additional resources and services, other than the grant, must show that these resources are firmly committed, will support the proposed grant activities and will, in combined amount (including in-kind contributions of personnel, space and/or equipment, and monetary contributions) equal at least 25 percent of the grant amount proposed in this application. “Firmly committed” means that the amount of resources and their dedication to ROSS-funded activities must be explicit, in writing and signed by a person authorized to make the commitment. Letters of commitment, or Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), or tribal resolutions must be on organization letterhead and signed by a person authorized to make the stated commitment. The letters of commitment/MOUs/tribal resolution must indicate the annual level and/or amount of commitment, be dated within two months of the application deadline, and indicate how the commitment will relate to the proposed program. If you, the applicant, propose to use your own, non-ROSS grant funds to meet the match requirement in whole or in part, you must also include a letter of support indicating the type of match (cash or in-kind) and how the match will be used. Applicant staff time is not an eligible cash or in-kind match. Applicants shall annotate their budget forms (the HUD-424CB) to list the sources and amount of each match. Grant awards shall be contingent upon letters of commitment being submitted with your application.

(A) Volunteer time and services shall be computed by using the normal professional rate for the local area or the national minimum wage rate of $5.15 per hour (Note: Applicants may not use their staff time towards the match);

(B) In order for HUD to determine the value of any donated material, equipment, staff time, building, or lease, your application must provide a letter from the organization making the donation stating the value of the contribution. The letter must be on letterhead, signed by an official authorized to make such commitments on behalf of the donating organization and must be dated within two months of the application deadline.

(C) Other resources/services that can be committed include: in-kind services, contributions or administrative costs provided to the applicant; funds from federal sources (not including ROSS funds) as allowed by statute, including for example Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and federal Revenue Sharing; funds from any state or local government sources; and funds from private contributions. You may also partner with other program funding recipients to coordinate the use of resources in your target area.

(D) Points for this factor will be awarded based on the documented evidence of partnerships and firm commitments and the ratio of requested ROSS funds to the total proposed grant budget.

Points will be assigned based on the following scale:

Percentage of match

Points awarded

25

5

26-50

10

51-75

15

76-99 or above

20

Rating Factor 5: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation (10 Points)

An important element in this year's NOFA is the development and reporting of performance measures and outcomes. Under this rating factor, applicants must demonstrate how they propose to measure their success and outcomes as they relate to the Department's Strategic Plan.

This factor emphasizes HUD's determination to ensure that applicants meet commitments made in their applications and grant agreements and that they assess their performance so that they realize performance goals. HUD requires ROSS applicants to develop an effective, quantifiable, outcome oriented work plan for measuring performance and determining that goals have been met.

“Outcomes” are benefits accruing to the residents, families and/or communities during or after participation in the ROSS program. Outcomes are not the actual development of self-sufficiency services or program activities. Applicants must clearly identify the outcomes to be achieved and measured. Examples of outcomes are: increasing the homeownership rates among residents of a development or from a particular housing authority, increasing residents' financial stability (

e.g.

increasing assets of a household through savings), or increasing employment stability (

e.g.

, whether persons assisted obtain or retain employment for one or two years after job training completion).

In addition to outcomes, applicants must establish interim benchmarks or outputs for their proposed program that lead to the ultimate achievement of outcomes. “Outputs” are the direct products of a program's activities. Examples of outputs are: the number of eligible families that participate in supportive services, the number of new services provided, the number of residents receiving counseling, or the number of households using a technology center. Outputs should produce outcomes for your program.

This rating factor requires that you, the applicant, identify program outcomes, outputs, benchmarks, and performance indicators that will allow you to measure your performance. Performance indicators should be objectively quantifiable and measure actual achievements against anticipated achievements. Your work plan should identify what you are going to measure, how you are going to measure it, and the steps you have in place to make adjustments to your work plan if performance targets are not met within established timeframes.

In order to satisfy the requirements for Factor 5, you must submit a work plan and a Logic Model that demonstrates how you will measure your own program performance. Your plan must identify the outcomes you expect to achieve or goals you hope to meet over the term of your proposed grant and benchmarks, outputs, and timeframes for accomplishing these goals. Your work plan must show how you will measure actual accomplishments against anticipated achievements. You must indicate how your plan will measure the performance of individual consortium members and affiliates, including the standards, data sources, and measurement methods, and the steps you have in place or how you plan to make adjustments if you begin to fall short of established benchmarks and timeframes. Applicants should also use the Logic Model provided in the General Section of this SuperNOFA for reporting on how they will conduct performance measurement. You will be evaluated based on how comprehensively you propose to measure your program's outcomes.

VI. Program Description: Neighborhood Networks

(A)

Program Description.

This funding category provides grants to PHAs and qualified nonprofit organizations to (1) update, maintain and expand existing Neighborhood Networks/community technology centers; or (2) establish new Neighborhood Networks (NN) computer

technology centers. NN centers provide computer and Internet access to public housing residents and offer a full range of supportive services. Applicants should submit proposals that will: Provide job training, reduce welfare dependency; promote economic self-sufficiency; increase the use of computer technology; expand educational opportunities for residents; develop access to health and nutrition information; and meet other needs of residents. All applicants must complete a Business Plan (see sample provided in Appendix B) covering the thirty-six month grant term. Applicants' business plan and narrative must indicate how the centers will become self-sustaining after the grant term expires.

An

existing computer center

is: (1) A computer lab, or community technology center already owned and operated by a PHA or nonprofit which serves residents of public housing and which has not received prior Neighborhood Networks funding and therefore is not officially designated a HUD Public & Indian Housing (PIH) Neighborhood Networks center; or (2) a computer lab officially designated a HUD PIH Neighborhood Networks center by virtue of prior funding received under this grant program.

A

new computer center

is one that: (1) Is not operational; (2) in development; and/or (3) needs funding under this grant program to become fully operational and serve residents of public housing.

HUD is looking for applications that implement comprehensive programs within the grant term which will result in improved economic self-sufficiency for public housing residents. HUD is looking for proposals that involve partnerships with organizations that will help supplement and enhance the services grantees' offered to residents.

Proposed grant activities should build on the foundation created by previous ROSS grants or other federal, state and local self-sufficiency efforts.

(B)

Available Funding.

The amount of funding available for FY03 is $14,902,500.

(C)

Allocation.

Fifty percent of available funding for NN will provide grants for updating, maintaining and expanding existing computer technology centers. The other 50% will provide grants to establish and operate new Neighborhood Networks centers. Five percent of available funding shall be provided to national nonprofit organizations provided there is a sufficient number of qualified applications.

(1)

Maximum Funding Amount.

To update, maintain and expand existing computer technology centers, PHAs must use the number of occupied conventional family public housing units they have as of September 30, 2002 per their budget to determine the maximum grant amount they are eligible for in accordance with the categories listed below. PHAs should clearly indicate the number of units under management on the Fact Sheet.

—For PHAs with 1 to 780 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $50,000.

—For PHAs with 781 to 7,300 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $100,000.

—For PHAs with 7,301 or more occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $200,000.

— Nonprofit entities that have resident support or RAs/ROs are limited to $100,000 for each RA/RO. A nonprofit may submit a single application for no more than three different RAs from the same PHA for a maximum grant award of $300,000. Nonprofits may submit more than one application provided they target residents of distinct PHAs.

(2) For new NN centers, PHAs must use the number of occupied conventional family public housing units they have as of September 30, 2002 per their budget to determine the maximum grant amount they are eligible for in accordance with the categories listed below for families:

—For PHAs with 1 to 780 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $150,000.

—For PHAs with 781 to 7,300 occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $250,000.

—For PHAs with 7,301 or more occupied conventional family public housing units, the maximum grant award is $450,000.

—Nonprofit entities that have resident support or RAs/ROs are limited to $100,000 for each RA/RO. A nonprofit may submit a single application for no more than three different RAs from the same PHA for a maximum grant award of $300,000. Nonprofits may submit more than one application provided they target residents of distinct PHAs.

(D)

Deobligation of Funds.

HUD may deobligate amounts for the grant if proposed activities are not initiated or completed within the required time period after the effective date of the award. The grant agreement will set forth in detail circumstances under which funds may be deobligated and other sanctions imposed.

(E)

Eligible Applicants.

Public Housing Authorities and nonprofit organizations that have a demonstrated expertise in developing and managing community technology centers are eligible to apply for this funding category. Tribes/TDHEs are not eligible to apply for this funding category.

Note:

Applications from PHAs and nonprofit organizations targeting the same public housing development/population will not all be funded. HUD suggests that in these cases, applicants work together to submit one application. Otherwise, the highest scoring application will be funded.

(F)

Eligible Activities.

Programs offered by Neighborhood Networks centers shall be designed to meet residents' needs; be geared towards helping residents transition from welfare to work; assist school-age children and youth with homework; provide guidance and preparatory programming to high school students (or other interested residents) for post-secondary education (college or trade schools); offer life-skills and job training for youth, adults and seniors; provide health care information; and other services as deemed necessary by results obtained from resident surveys.

Neighborhood Networks centers should be located within a public housing development, on PHA land or within reasonable walking distance to the PHA development(s) being served by the center.

Neighborhood Networks will use computers, software and Internet connectivity and should provide the following array of supportive services:

(1) Hiring of a qualified Project Coordinator to run the grant program. A qualified Project Coordinator should have two years of experience running a community technology center. The Project Coordinator should be hired for the entire term of your grant. The ROSS program will fund up to $62,500 in combined annual salary and fringe benefits for a full-time project coordinator. However, the project coordinator's salary and administrative costs may not exceed more than 30% of the total grant amount. Other administrative costs, see paragraph 17 below, may not exceed 10% of the total grant amount requested from HUD. For audit purposes, applicants must have documentation on file demonstrating that the salary they pay the project coordinator is comparable to similar professions in their local area. The project coordinator should be responsible for ensuring that the center's programs achieve your proposal's goals and objectives. In

addition, the project coordinator should be responsible for the following activities:

(a) Marketing the program to residents;

(b) Assessing participating residents' needs, interests, skills and job-readiness;

(c) Assessing participating residents' needs for supportive services,

e.g.

childcare, transportation.

(d) Designing and coordinating grant activities based on residents' needs; and

(e) Monitoring the progress of program participants and evaluating the overall success of the program. A portion of grant funds should be reserved to ensure that evaluations can be completed for all participants who received training through this program. For more information on how to measure performance, please see Rating Factor 5.

(2) Life skills training: How to apply for a job; credit worthiness; opening a bank account; balancing a checkbook; creating a weekly spending budget; contingency planning for child care and transportation;

(3) Real Life Issues: Tax forms; voter registration; lease samples; fair housing; car insurance; health insurance; long-term care insurance;

(4) Literacy training and GED preparation;

(5) Computer training, from basic to advanced;

(6) College preparatory courses and information;

(7) Goal setting: Working with residents to define their professional, educational, economic goals;

(8) Mentoring;

(9) Job Training: Oral and written communication skills; work ethic; interpersonal and teamwork skills; resume writing; interviewing techniques, creating job training and placement programs with local employers and placement agencies; and post-employment follow-up to assist residents who are new to the workplace.

(10) Su

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