Conference Entitled “Conservation Reserve Program: Planting for the Future”
Federal RegisterMay 14, 2004
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency
Conference Entitled “Conservation Reserve Program: Planting for the Future”
AGENCY:
Farm Service Agency, USDA.
ACTION:
Notice of a scientific conference on the Conservation Reserve Program.
SUMMARY:
USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Department of Interior's U.S. Geological Survey are hosting a national conference on the future of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)—the Nation's largest conservation program.
DATES:
June 6-9, 2004. An optional field trip is planned for June 9, 2004, depending on attendee interest. Details will be announced at the conference.
ADDRESSES:
The conference will be held at the University Park Holiday Inn, Fort Collins, Colorado. The field trip, if held, will be to the Pawnee National Grasslands and neighboring CRP fields, about 30 miles west of Fort Collins, Colorado. Transportation and directions for the field trip will be provided at the conference.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alexander Barbarika, Natural Resources Analysis Group, Economic Policy and Analysis Group, Farm Service Agency, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, STOP 0516, Washington, DC 20250-0516; telephone: (202) 720-7093; FAX (202) 690-2186; email:
Alexander.Barbarika@usda.gov
.
Persons with disabilities who require special accommodation to attend or participate in the conference should contact Laurie Montgomery, telephone: (202) 205-7832; email:
laurie.montgomery@usda.gov
, by May 31, 2004.
EN14MY04.142
Healthy Homes Demonstration Program
Overview Information
A.
Federal Agency Name:
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control.
B.
Funding Opportunity Title:
Healthy Homes Demonstration Program.
C.
Announcement Type:
Initial announcement.
D.
Funding Opportunity Number:
The
Federal Register
number is: FR-4900-N-04. The OMB Paperwork approval number is 2539-0015.
E.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
14.901 Healthy Homes Demonstration Program.
F.
Dates:
An original and three copies of your application must be submitted on or before July 13, 2004. See the General Section of the SuperNOFA Section IV, Application and submission Information, regarding application submission procedures and timely filing requirements.
G.
Additional Overview Content Information:
1.
Purpose of the Program.
The purpose of the Healthy Homes Demonstration Program is to develop, demonstrate, and promote cost-effective, preventive measures to correct multiple safety and health hazards in the home environment that produce serious diseases and injuries in children of low-income families. Through the Healthy Homes Demonstration program, HUD will initiate competitive projects to promote implementation of available risk reduction techniques for the control of key hazards described in Appendix A.
2.
Available Funds.
HUD anticipates that approximately $5 million in Fiscal Year 2004 funds will be available.
3.
Number of Awards.
Approximately four to approximately six grants will be awarded, ranging from approximately $250,000 to approximately $1,000,000. The average award in 2003 was $845,000.
4.
Eligible Applicants.
Not-for-profit institutions, and for-profit firms located in the U.S., state and local governments, and federally recognized Indian Tribes are eligible to apply. For-profit firms are not allowed to include a fee in the cost proposal (
i.e.
, no profit can be made from the project).
5.
Type of Award.
Grant.
6.
Match.
None required, but strongly encouraged.
7.
Limitations.
There are no limitations on the number of applications that each applicant can submit.
8.
Information on Application.
Information and procedures for completing an application are provided below.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Background
The Healthy Homes Demonstration Program is a part of HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative (HHI). In April 1999, HUD submitted to Congress a preliminary plan containing a full description of the HHI. This description (Summary and Full Report) is available on the HUD Web site at:
www.hud.gov
; this site also contains additional information on the HHI and a link to its website.
The HHI builds upon HUD's existing housing-related health and safety issues, including lead hazard control, building structural safety, electrical safety, and fire protection to address multiple childhood diseases and injuries, such as asthma, mold-induced illness, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other conditions related to housing in a coordinated fashion. The HHI departs from the more traditional approach of attempting to correct one hazard at a time (
e.g.
, asbestos, radon); a coordinated effort is feasible because a limited number of building deficiencies contribute to many hazards. Substantial savings are possible using this approach, because separate visits to a home by an inspector, public health nurse, or outreach worker can add significant costs to efforts to eliminate hazards.
In addition to deficiencies in basic housing facilities that may impact health, changes in the U.S. housing stock and more sophisticated epidemiological methods and biomedical research have led to the identification of new and often more subtle health hazards in the residential environment. While such hazards will tend to be found disproportionately in housing that is substandard (
e.g.
, structural problems, lack of adequate heat,
etc.
), such housing-related environmental hazards may also exist in housing that is otherwise of good quality. Appendix A of this NOFA briefly describes the housing-associated health and injury hazards HUD considers key targets for intervention. Appendix D lists references that serve as the basis for the information provided in the Healthy Homes Demonstration Program NOFA.
B. Healthy Homes Initiative Goals
1. Mobilize public and private resources, involving cooperation among all levels of government, the private sector, and faith-based and other community-based organizations to develop the most promising, cost-effective methods for identifying and controlling housing-based hazards;
2. Build local capacity to operate sustainable programs that will prevent and control housing-based hazards in low- and very low-income residences when HUD funding is exhausted; and
3. Affirmatively further fair housing and environmental justice.
HUD is interested in promoting approaches that are cost-effective and efficient and that result in the reduction of health threats for the maximum number of residents for the long run, and, in particular, for children in low-income families. In addition, HUD encourages applicants to undertake specific activities that will assist the Department in implementing its Policy Priorities. HUD's Fiscal Year 2004 Policy Priorities are discussed in the General Section to the SuperNOFA (hereafter referred to as the General Section of the SuperNOFA).
Policy Priorities that are applicable to the Healthy Homes Demonstration NOFA are: (1) Improving our Nation's Communities (focus on distressed communities); (2) Providing Full and Equal Access to GrassRoots Faith-based or other Community-based Organizations in HUD Program Implementation; (3) Participation of Minority-Serving Institutions in HUD Programs and (4) Removal of Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. Applicants that address these Policy priorities are eligible to earn additional points toward the overall score awarded their submission.
C. Healthy Homes Demonstration Objectives
HUD will initiate competitive projects that implement housing assessment, maintenance, renovation and construction techniques to identify and correct housing-related illness and injury risk factors, disseminate healthy homes information and replicate successful interventions. The objectives of the Healthy Homes Demonstration program include:
1. Identification of target areas and homes where assessment and interventions will occur;
2. Identification and evaluation of effective methods of hazard abatement and risk reduction;
3. Development of appropriately scaled, flexible, cost-effective and efficient assessment and intervention strategies that take into account the range of conditions likely to be encountered in housing, and that maximize the number of housing units that receive interventions;
4. Development of methodologies for evaluating intervention effectiveness;
5. Development of local capacity in target areas and training programs for target groups to operate sustainable programs to prevent and control housing-based hazards, especially in low- and very low-income residences;
6. Development of cost-effective protocols for identifying homes that are candidates for interventions, identifying hazards in these homes, and screening out homes where structural or other factors (
e.g.
, cost) make interventions impractical;
7. Development and delivery of public outreach programs that provide information about effective methods for preventing housing-related childhood diseases and injuries and for promoting the use of these interventions;
8. Targeting, through education and outreach, specific high-risk communities and other identified audiences such as homeowners, landlords, health care deliverers, pregnant women, children, residential construction contractors, maintenance personnel, housing inspectors, real estate professionals, home buyers, and low-income minority families;
9. Implementation of media strategies to use print, radio and television to increase public awareness of housing-related hazards that threaten children, including the use of minority media, nonprofit organizations that work with persons with disabilities (including providing materials in alternative formats), advocates for racial and ethnic minorities (including providing materials in other languages for populations with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)), and faith-based organizations;
10. Dissemination of tools currently used by the applicant and/or tools available from other sources and, as needed, tools to be developed, to inform parents and caregivers about housing-related hazards and enable them to take prompt corrective action; and
11. Development of training programs for Healthy Homes activities to emphasize assessment and intervention methods applicable to public and private housing in target areas.
Specific project activities applicable to these objectives can be found under Rating Factor 3.1.b.
D. Authority
The authority for this program is sections 501 and 502 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1970 and the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution of 2004, Public Law 108-199.
II. Award Information
A. Funding Available
Approximately $5 million in Fiscal Year 2004 funds is available for the Healthy Homes Demonstration Program Grants. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis. HUD anticipates that approximately four to six grants will be awarded, ranging from approximately $250,000 to approximately $1,000,000. In fiscal year 2003, the average award was $845,000. The rating factors and selection process are discussed in Section V.
Abstracts of currently funded grantees are available on the Healthy Homes Web site at:
www.hud.gov/healthyhomes.
Applicants may wish to review these for program content and may also contact Project Directors for additional information.
B. Anticipated Start Date and Period of Performance for New Grants
The start date for new grants is expected to be October 1, 2004, with a period of performance not to exceed 36 months. HUD reserves the right to approve no cost time extensions for any grant under this program for a period not to exceed 12 months.
C. Type of Award Instrument
All awards in response to this NOFA will be made as grants. However, HUD will require quarterly reporting and will work closely with grantees to develop and monitor projects.
III. Eligibility Information
A. Eligible Applicants
Not-for-profit institutions, and for-profit firms located in the U.S., Native American Tribes, state and local governments, and federally recognized Indian Tribes are eligible to apply. For-profit firms are not allowed to include a fee in the cost proposal (
i.e.
, no profit can be made from the project).
B. Cost Sharing or Matching
Cost sharing or matching is not required. In rating your application, however, HUD will award a higher score under Rating Factor 4 (see Section V.d) if you provide evidence of significant cost sharing.
C. Other
1. Threshold Requirements Applicable to all Applicants Under the SuperNOFA
As an applicant, you must meet all of the threshold requirements described in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. Information about threshold requirements is provided in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. These requirements include the requirement to affirmatively further fair housing (AFFH). Applications that meet all of the threshold requirements will be eligible to be scored and ranked. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis following evaluation of all proposals according to the rating factors described in the General Section of this SuperNOFA. A minimum score of 75 out of a possible 102, including EZ/EC bonus points, is required for award consideration.
Applications will not be rated or ranked if they do not meet the threshold requirements of the General Section of the SuperNOFA.
2. Eligible Activities
The following activities and support tasks are eligible under the Healthy Homes Demonstration grant program.
a. Performing evaluations of eligible housing to determine the presence of housing-based hazards (
e.g.
, moisture intrusion, mold growth, pests and allergens, unvented appliances, exposed steam pipes or radiators, deteriorated lead-based paint) through the use of accepted assessment procedures.
b. Conducting housing interventions to remediate existing housing-based hazards and address conditions that could result in their recurrence. Refer to the HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing (
Guidelines
) for information about conducting such remediation. The
Guidelines
and/or applicable regulations may be downloaded from the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control's homepage, linked to HUD's website at:
www.hud.gov.
c. Undertaking housing rehabilitation activities that are specifically required to carry out effective control of housing-based hazards, and without which the intervention could not be completed and maintained. Funds under this program may also be used to control lead-based paint hazards; however, such controls may not be a principal focus of the grant. Lead hazard control activities are carried out under HUD's Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Grant Program.
d. Carrying out temporary relocation of families and individuals, when necessary, during the period in which intervention is conducted and until the time the affected unit receives clearance for re-occupancy.
e. Conducting medical examinations, when such examinations of young children for conditions caused or exacerbated by exposure to residential hazards are demonstrated to be critical to the outcome of your project, and
there are no alternative sources to cover these costs.
f. Environmental sampling and medical testing recommended by a physician or applicable occupational or public health agency to protect the health of the intervention workers, supervisors, and contractors, unless reimbursable from another source.
g. Conducting testing, analysis, and mitigation for lead, mold, carbon monoxide and/or other housing-related hazards as appropriate, with respect to generally accepted standards or criteria, or if standards are unavailable, other appropriate levels justified in conjunction with the project. A laboratory recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Lead Laboratory Accreditation Program (NLLAP) must analyze clearance dust samples related to lead-based paint. It is recommended that samples to be analyzed for fungal species be submitted to a laboratory accredited in the Environmental Microbiological Laboratory Accreditation Program (EMLAP), administered by the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).
h. Carrying out architectural, engineering and work specification development and other construction management services to control housing-based hazards and remediate existing hazards.
i. Providing training on Healthy Homes practices to homeowners, renters, painters, remodelers, and housing maintenance staff working in low- or very low-income housing.
j. Providing cleaning supplies for hazard intervention and hazard control to faith-based or other community-based organizations for use by homeowners and tenants in low-income housing, or to such homeowners and tenants directly. (
See
the General Section of the SuperNOFA for more information about faith-based or other community-based organizations.)
k. Conducting general or targeted community education programs on environmental health and safety hazards. This activity would include, but not be restricted to, training on Healthy Homes maintenance and renovation practices. It would also include making materials available in alternative formats for persons with disabilities (
e.g.
, Braille, audio, large type) upon request, and providing materials in languages other than English that are common in the community, consistent with HUD's published “Limited English Proficiency (LEP)” Recipient Guidance.
l. Securing liability insurance for hazard evaluation and control activities to be performed. This is not considered an administrative cost.
m. Supporting data collection, analysis, and evaluation of project activities. As a condition of the receipt of financial assistance under this NOFA all successful applicants will be required to cooperate with all HUD staff and contractors performing HUD funded research and evaluation studies.
n. Preparing quarterly progress reports and an overall final grant report detailing activities (
e.g.
, number of units tested, hazards found, types of interventions provided, evaluation of the most cost-efficient methodologies by type of unit), findings, and recommended future actions for cost-effective interventions at the conclusion of grant activities.
3. Program Requirements
a. Work Activities. All lead hazard control activities must be conducted in compliance with the applicable requirements of HUD's Lead-Safe Housing Rule, 24 CFR Part 35, especially § 35.1325 for abatement and § 35.1330 for interim controls and as clarified in HUD's Interpretive Guidance about this rule. Activities must also comply with any additional requirements in effect under a state or Native American Tribal Lead-Based Paint Training and Certification Program that has been authorized by the EPA pursuant to 40 CFR 745.320.
b. Institutional Review Board Approval. In conformance with the Common rule (Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects, codified by HUD at 24 CFR part 60), if your research involves human subjects, your organization must provide an assurance (
e.g.
, a letter signed by an appropriate official) that the research has been reviewed and approved by an IRB before you can initiate activities that require IRB approval. You must also provide the number for your organization's assurance (
i.e.
, an “institutional assurance”) that has been approved by the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP). For additional information on what constitutes human subject research or how to obtain an institutional assurance see the OHRP website at:
http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov.
c. Program Performance. Grantees shall take all reasonable steps to accomplish all healthy homes activities within the approved period of performance. HUD will closely monitor the grantee's performance with particular attention to completion of specified activities, deliverables and milestones, and number of units proposed to be assessed or receive interventions within the approved period of performance. HUD reserves the right to terminate the grant prior to the expiration of the period of performance if the grantee fails to meet 25 percent of the milestones, including all deliverables, as scheduled in their work plan.
d. Certified and Trained Providers. Lead hazard control activities must be conducted by persons qualified for the activities according to 24 CFR Part 35 (possessing certification as abatement contractors, risk assessors, inspectors, abatement workers, or sampling technicians, or others having been trained in a HUD-approved course in lead-safe work practices).
e. Clearance Testing for Lead Hazard Control Activities. Clearance dust testing must be conducted according to the EPA Lead Hazards Standards Rule (40 CFR part 745) for abatement projects and the Lead-Safe Housing Rule (24 CFR part 35) for lead hazard control activities other than abatement. These are available at:
www.epa.gov/lead
and
www.hud.gov,
respectively.
f. All tests results related to lead-based paint must be provided to the owner of the unit, together with a notice describing the owner's legal duty to disclose the results to tenants and buyers. Disclosure of other housing-related hazards to the owner of the unit is encouraged but not required.
g. All pest control activities shall incorporate the principles and methods of integrated pest management (IPM). In technical terms, IPM is the coordinated use of pest and environmental information with available pest control methods to prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. The IPM approach emphasizes a targeted use of pesticides that limits the possibility of human exposure (
e.g.
, as opposed to wide-spread applications) and includes interventions based on the behavior of the target pest (
e.g.
, preventing access to food or water). (One information source is the University of Minnesota's electronic textbook of Integrated Pest Management, available at:
http://ipmworld.umn.edu/textbook.htm.
)
h. Grantees collecting samples of settled dust from participant homes for environmental allergen analyses (
e.g.
, cockroach, dust mite) will be required to use a standard dust sampling protocol, unless there is a strong justification to use an alternate protocol. The HUD protocol will be posted on the OHHLHC website at:
http://www.hud.gov/offices/
lead/hhi/hhiresources.cfm.
Grantees conducting these analyses will also be required to include quality control dust samples, provided by OHHLHC at no cost to the grantee, with the samples that are submitted for laboratory analyses. For the purpose of budgeting laboratory costs, assume that five percent of your total allergen dust samples would consist of QC samples.
i. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) (
e.g.
, 29 CFR part 1910 and/or 1926, as applicable), the EPA (
e.g.
, 40 CFR parts 61, 260-282, 300-374, and/or 700-799, as applicable), the Department of Transportation (
e.g.
, 49 CFR parts 171-177), and/or appropriate state or local regulatory agencies and applicable EPA, HUD, state, and local regulatory agency guidance. You must handle disposal of wastes from hazard control activities that contain lead-based paint, but are not classified as hazardous in accordance with state or local law or the HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Hazards in Housing (HUD Guidelines). The HUD Guidelines may be downloaded from the HUD Web site at:
www.hud.gov.
j. Worker Protection Procedures. You must comply with the procedures for worker protection established in the HUD Guidelines as well as the requirements of the OHSA,
e.g.
, 29 CFR part 1910 and/or 1926, as applicable, or the state or local occupational safety and health regulations, whichever are more stringent.
k. Written Policies and Procedures. You must have written policies and procedures for all phases of interventions, including evaluation, development of specifications, financing, occupant relocation, independent project inspection, and clearance testing (
e.g.
, for mold, lead, carbon monoxide or other hazards, as applicable). You and all your subcontractors, subrecipients, and their contractors must comply with these policies and procedures.
l. Continued Availability of Safe Housing to Low-Income Families. Units in which housing-based hazards have been controlled under this program shall be occupied by and/or continue to be available to low-income residents for not less than three years following the completion of intervention activities.
m. Data Collection and Provision. You must collect, maintain, and provide to HUD the data necessary to document the various approaches used to evaluate and control housing-based hazards, including evaluation and control methods, building conditions, medical and familial information (with confidentiality of individually-identifiable information ensured) in order to determine the effectiveness and relative cost of these methods.
n. Section 3 Employment Opportunities. Recipients of assistance in the Healthy Homes Demonstration Program must comply with Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, 12 U.S.C. 1701u (Economic Opportunities for Low- and Very Low-Income Persons in Connection with Assisted Projects) and the HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 135, including the reporting requirements of subpart E. Please see the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional information about Section 3 requirements.
o. Certifications and Assurances. You must include the certifications and assurances listed in the General Section of this SuperNOFA with your application. A Certification of Consistency with the Consolidated Plan is not required for the Healthy Homes Demonstration NOFA.
p. Conducting Business in Accordance with HUD Core Values and Ethical Standards. If awarded assistance under the Healthy Homes Demonstration NOFA, you will be required, prior to entering into a grant agreement with HUD, to submit a copy of your code of conduct and describe the methods you will use to ensure that all officers, employees, and agents of your organization are aware of your code of conduct. See the General Section of the SuperNOFA for information about conducting business in accordance with HUD's core values and ethical standards.
4. DUNS Requirement
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for information regarding the DUNS requirement.
IV. Application and Submission Information
If you are interested in applying for funding under this program, please review carefully the General Section of this Notice of Funding Availability and the following additional information.
A. Address To Request an Application Package
An application kit is not available for this NOFA. The information and material needed for an application is available from this program NOFA and the General Section of the SuperNOFA. Required forms are available online at:
www.hud.gov.
There are no materials available by mail for this NOFA.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
Your application must include the following items and must be in concordance with the format and instructions described therein. The application should follow the outline provided in the Checklist to be found in Appendix E.
1. Provide a one-page transmittal letter, signed by the chief executive or other authorized official, that provides the title of your proposed project, the dollar amount requested, and identifies you and your partners in the application. Include the name, mailing address, and telephone number of the principal contact person. If you are a consortium of associates, subrecipients, partners, major subcontractors, joint venture participants, or others contributing resources to the project, similar information shall also be provided for each of these entities. You must also specify the primary entity.
2. An abstract describing the goals and objectives of your proposed program (2-page limit, single-spaced, 12-point standard font, one-inch margins) must be included in the proposal.
3. Checklist and Submission Table of Contents (see Appendix E of this NOFA; inclusion of the checklist is voluntary; however, it is recommended.).
4. Required Forms. All required forms are discussed in the General Section of the SuperNOFA and listed on the checklist in Appendix E. These forms are available at:
www.grants.gov.
They are also available as fillable Adobe Reader (PDF) or Word (DOC) formats from the HUD Web site at:
www.hud.gov.
5. A narrative statement addressing the rating factors for award. The narrative statement must be numbered in accordance with each factor for award (Rating Factors 1 through 5). We recommend that you number all pages consecutively, including all appendices. The response to the rating factors must not exceed a total of 25 pages (single-spaced, 12-point font, one-inch margins). Key points to consider in preparing your application are provided in Appendix C of this NOFA. Any pages in excess of this limit will not be read.
6. Any attachments, appendices, references, or other relevant information that directly support the narrative may accompany it, but must not exceed twenty pages (12-point font with 1-inch margins) for your entire application. As discussed above, we recommend that you number pages consecutively. Any pages in excess of this limit will not be read. This material should be placed in
Appendix 2 of your application. Specific criteria for the content of the appendices for the Healthy Homes Demonstration Program grant application are listed in the Checklist and Submission Table of Contents (see Appendix E of this NOFA.)
7. A detailed budget with supporting cost justification for all budget categories of your funding request, in accordance with Rating Factor 3, (2)(b). The budget and related materials should be placed in Appendix 3 of your application. This information will not be counted towards the page limits. In completing the budget forms and justification, you should address the following elements:
a. Direct Labor costs should include all full- and part-time staff required for the planning and implementation phases of the project. These costs should be based on FTE (full time equivalent) or hours per year (hours/year) (
i.e.
, one FTE equals 2,080 hours/year)
b. You should budget for three trips to HUD Headquarters in Washington, DC, planning each trip for two people, assuming the first trip occurring shortly after grant award for a stay of two or three days, depending on your location, and the remaining trips having a stay of one or two days, depending on your location.
c. A separate budget proposal should be provided for any subrecipients receiving more than 10 percent of the total federal budget request.
d. You should be prepared to provide supporting documentation for salaries and prices of materials and equipment upon request.
e. Organizations that have a federally negotiated indirect rate should use that rate and the appropriate base. Other organizations must obtain a rate from their cognizant federal agency; otherwise the organization will be required to obtain a negotiated rate from HUD.
f. You should submit the negotiated rate agreements for fringe benefits and indirect costs, if applicable, as an attachment to the budget sheets.
8. The position descriptions and resumes, if available, of your project director and project manager and up to three additional key personnel (in accordance with Rating Factor 1), not to exceed three pages each (single-spaced, 12-point font with 1-inch margins). This information is to be included in Appendix 1 of your application and will not be counted toward the page limit.
C. Submission Dates and Times
You must submit an original and three copies of your application on or before July 13, 2004. Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional submission requirements including acceptable submission methods, acceptable proof of delivery, and other information regarding application submission.
D. Intergovernmental Review
Not required for this submission.
E. Funding Restrictions
1. Administrative Costs. There is a 10 percent maximum allowance for administrative costs. Additional information about allowable administrative costs is provided in Appendix F of this NOFA.
2. Purchase of Real Property is not permitted.
3. Purchase or lease of equipment having a per unit cost in excess of $5,000 is not permitted, unless prior written approval is obtained from HUD.
4. Medical costs, except as specified above in Section III.C.2., are not permitted.
G. Other Submission Requirements
1. Application Submission Procedures
Submit an original and three copies of your application to: HUD Headquarters; Robert C. Weaver Federal Building; 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room P3206; Washington, DC 20410-3000; ATTN: Healthy Homes Demonstration Program.
See the General Section of this SuperNOFA for specific procedures concerning the form of application submission (
e.g.
, mailed applications, express mail, or overnight delivery).
V. Application Review Information
A. Criteria
1.
Rating and Ranking.
Applications will be reviewed by an Application Review Panel (ARP) which will assign each application a numerical score based on the rating factors presented below. The ARP chairperson initially selects and provides at least one application to panel members to score during a calibration round to ensure that all panel members are consistent in their interpretation of the rating factors. When the calibration round is completed, each application is reviewed and scored by at least two panel members who will assign a score based on the rating factors presented in section V.A.2 below. Each factor is weighted as indicated by the number of points that are attainable for it. An average score is then computed for each application. The ARP chair may call upon an advisor to the ARP to review and comment on a proposal; however, the advisor does not score the application. The ARP holds a final meeting to identify the top-ranking applications to be recommended for funding. Awards will be made separately in rank order within the limits of funding availability. The maximum score that can be assigned to an application is 102 points. Applicants should be certain that these factors are adequately addressed in the project description and accompanying materials.
a.
Five rating factors:
Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational xperience (20 points);
Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the Problem (15 points);
Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach (40 points);
Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources (10 points);
Rating Factor 5: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation (15 points);
RC/EZ/EC Bonus Points (2 points);
Total: 102 points.
Applicants are eligible to receive two bonus points for projects located within federally designated Renewable Communities (RC)/Employment Zones (EZ)/Enterprise Communities (EC) (RC/EZ/ECs) and which will serve the residents of these communities (see the General Section of the SuperNOFA).
2.
Rating Factors.
The factors for rating and ranking applicants, and maximum points for each factor, are provided below.
a. Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational Experience (20 Points)
This factor addresses your organizational capacity necessary to successfully implement your proposed activities in a timely manner. The rating of you or your staff includes any faith-based or other community-based organizations, sub-contractors, consultants, subrecipients, and members of consortia that are firmly committed to your project. Applicants that either are or propose to partner, fund, or sub-contract with grassroots organizations, including faith-based or other community-based nonprofits, in conducting their work programs will receive higher rating points as specified in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. In rating this factor, HUD will consider the four items listed below.
(1) Capacity and Qualifications of Principal Investigator and Key Personnel. Your recent, relevant, and successful demonstrated experience in undertaking eligible program activities. You must describe the knowledge and experience of the proposed overall
project director and day-to-day project manager in planning and managing large and complex interdisciplinary programs, especially those involving housing, public health, or environmental programs. In your narrative response for this factor, you should include information on your project staff, their experience with housing and health programs, percentage commitment to the project, and position titles. Resumes of up to three pages each and position descriptions for up to three key personnel in addition to the project director and project manager, and a clearly delineated organizational chart for the Healthy Homes project you propose, must be included in Appendix 1 of your application. Position descriptions and copies of job announcements (including salary range) should be included for any key positions that are currently vacant or contingent upon an award. Indicate the name of the position, the percentage of time that proposed staff will devote to your project and any salary costs to be paid by funds from this program. Successful applicants must hire within 120 days of award all key staff positions identified in the proposal as vacant or required in the award agreement. HUD reserves the right to terminate grant awards made to applicants that fail to timely hire (within 120 days of award) such staff. Include descriptions of the experience and qualifications of subcontractors and consultants. You may find it useful to include a table indicating the name, position and percentage contribution of staff members, specifying organizational affiliation.
(2) Qualifications of Applicant and Partner Organizations. To carry out the proposed activities as evidenced by experience, academic background, training, and/or relevant publications of project staff. Document whether you have sufficient personnel, or will be able to quickly retain qualified experts or professionals to begin your proposed project immediately, and to perform your proposed activities in a timely and effective fashion. Describe how principal components of your organization will participate in, or support, your project and how you propose to coordinate with your partners. You should thoroughly describe capacity, as demonstrated by experience in initiating and implementing related environmental, health, or housing projects.
(3) Past performance of the organization. Applicant or partners in another Healthy Homes or Lead Hazard Control grant, another grant related to environmental health and safety issues, or other experience in a similar program. Provide details about the nature of the project, the funding agency, and your performance, relative to performance measures and the achievement of desired housing and health related outcomes.
(4) Performance as a Healthy Homes Grantee. If your organization is an existing Healthy Homes grantee, provide a description of the progress and outcomes achieved in that grant. If you received previous Healthy Homes Demonstration funding, this experience will be evaluated in terms of cumulative progress and achievements under the previous grant.
Please complete the Factor 1 table, Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational Experience, in Appendix B to support narrative information submitted.
b. Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the Problem (15 Points)
This factor addresses the extent to which there is a need for your proposed project activities to address documented problems related to healthy homes issues and housing-related hazards in your target area(s) and target group(s).
(1) Specifically identify a target area for your proposed activities. Document a critical level of need for your proposed activities in this target area. You should pay specific attention to documenting the need as it applies to your target area(s), and provide statistics for this area, if available, rather than general statistics or information pertinent to a larger geographic area. If your target area comprises a Renewal Community/Enterprise Community/Empowerment Zone, indicate the location of this area in the narrative for this rating factor. (2 bonus points are awarded if your target area is located in a Renewal Zone/Enterprise Community/Empowerment Zone.)
(2) Your documentation should summarize available data linking housing-based hazards to disease or injuries to children in your target area(s), if available. Examples of data that might be used to demonstrate need include:
(a) Economic and demographic data relevant to your target area(s), including poverty and unemployment rates;
(b) Rates of childhood illnesses (
e.g.
, asthma, allergies, hypertension, elevated blood lead levels) or injuries (
e.g.
, falls, burns) among children residing in your target areas that could be caused or exacerbated by exposure to conditions in the home environment; and
(3) For the areas targeted for your project activities, provide data available in your jurisdiction's currently approved Consolidated Plan and the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) or Indian Housing Plan or derived from current census data or from other sources. Provide and reference data that address the following:
(a) The age and condition of housing;
(b) The number and percentage of low- and very low-income families with incomes less than 50 percent and 80 percent of the median income, respectively, as determined by HUD, for the area, with adjustments for smaller and larger families. Statistics that describe low- and very-low income families are available at:
www.huduser.org/datasets/il/fmr00/sect82.html.
Additional census statistics are available at:
www.census.gov/hhes/www/income00.html, www.census.gov/hhes/income/income00/statemhi.html,
and
www.huduser.org/datasets/il/fmr00/index.html
;
(c) To the extent that statistics and other data contained in your community's Consolidated Plan or AI support the extent of the problem, you should include references to the Consolidated Plan or AI in your response; and
(d) Data documenting targeted groups that are traditionally underserved or have special needs. For a maximum score in this rating factor, data provided should specifically represent the target area. If the data presented in your response do not specifically represent your target area, you should discuss why the target areas are being proposed. If your application addresses needs that are in the Consolidated Plan or AI, you will receive more points than applicants that do not relate their project to a previously identified need.
Complete the Factor 2 table, Need/Extent of Problem, in Appendix B to support narrative information (and section A if lead poisoning risk is part of demonstrated need).
c. Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach (40 Points)
This factor addresses the quality and cost-effectiveness of your proposed work plan. You should present detailed information on the proposed approach for addressing housing-based hazards and describe how proposed activities would help HUD achieve its goals for this program area. For you to receive maximum points for this factor, there must be a direct relationship between the proposed activities, documented and demonstrated community needs, and the purpose of the project. Your application will be evaluated according to the comprehensiveness of addressing
activities that are applicable to your project. The response to this factor should include details about your technical approach and project activities. HUD is looking for a clear statement of activities, timeline for completing the work and expected deliverables, including any quantitative deliverables.
(1)
Approach for Implementing the Project
(25 points).
(a) Technical Approach. Describe your overall technical approach for strategizing and implementing your proposed project. Your narrative response to this sub-factor will be used to assess how well your proposed project will be executed. In this factor, describe the methods, schedule, milestones, and quality assurance activities that will be carried out to identify and control housing-based hazards and to achieve the desired project outcomes. Include summary information about the estimated numbers of clients to be contacted, clients enrolled, units to be assessed, units to receive interventions, individuals to be trained and individuals to be reached through education/outreach activities.
(b) Project Activities. Your project description must include a discussion of specific planned project activities that address one or more of the following activities.
(i) Describe in detail how you will identify, select, prioritize, and enroll units of eligible housing in which you will undertake housing-based hazard interventions, how you will integrate safe work practices into housing maintenance, repair, and improvements, and then target such units to low-income families with young children. Describe impediments that you anticipate for recruitment, measures you will perform to sustain recruitment, and the staff responsible for both monitoring recruitment status and implementing the measures identified to sustain recruitment. Describe any anticipated impact of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) on your recruitment strategy.
(ii) Describe any assessment tools you would employ to establish baseline data. These tools include questionnaires, visual assessment protocols and environmental sampling and analysis. Include a description of the Informed Consent/Disclosure process you intend to follow for obtaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, if necessary. In particular, describe how you will provide informed consent (
e.g.
, from the subjects, and their parents and guardians, as applicable) to help ensure their understanding of, and consent to, the elements of informed consent, such as the purposes, benefits and risks of the research activities. Describe how this information will be provided and how the consent will be collected. For example, describe the use of “plain language” forms, flyers, and verbal scripts, and discuss your plans to work with persons with limited English proficiency and their families, and with families including persons with disabilities.
(iii) Describe your process for evaluating units of eligible housing in which you will undertake housing-based hazard interventions. Provide the estimated total number of owner-occupied and/or rental units in which you will perform assessments and conduct interventions.
(iv) Describe any specialized testing, if applicable, or visual assessment that you will conduct during assessment of units and provide a reference to source(s) of the protocol(s). Provide a description of protocols or include protocols in an appendix of your application.
(v) Discuss efforts to incorporate cost-effective methods to address multiple environmental health and safety hazards, and describe the specific interventions you will utilize to control housing-based hazards before children are affected; and/or to control these hazards in units where children have already been treated for illnesses or injuries associated with housing-based hazards (
e.g.
, burns, lead poisoning, asthma). Provide an estimate of the cost of each intervention (material costs and labor costs associated with installation) and an estimate of costs projected per unit. Describe your management processes to be used to ensure the cost-effectiveness of the housing interventions.
(vi) Describe the process to be followed for referring children for medical case management and indicate organizations that will be involved in this process.
(vii) Describe your process for the development of work specifications for the selected interventions.
(viii) Discuss your process to select and obtain contractors for conducting interventions in selected units and provide details about the competitive bidding process, if applicable.
(ix) Describe your plan for the relocation of occupants of units selected for intervention, if temporary relocation is necessary. Describe criteria that will determine the need for relocation and identify staff that will make relocation decisions. Address the use of safe houses and other housing arrangements, storage of household goods, stipends, incentives, etc., and the source of funding for relocation.
(x) Describe your plan for ensuring right of return and/or first referral for occupants of units selected for intervention who have had to move for intervention to occur.
(xi) Describe how you will affirmatively further fair housing, which would include, but not be limited to: Affirmative marketing of the program to those least likely to apply based on race, color, sex, familial status, national origin, religion, disability, especially when persons in these demographic groups are generally not served by the nonprofit or faith-based applicant or partner organizations; providing materials in alternative formats for persons with disabilities; providing materials in languages other than English for individuals with limited English proficiency and their families; assuring long-term residency by families currently living in the community; and assuring that priority for treated units go to those who need the features (treatment) of the unit.
(xii) Describe the financing strategy, including eligibility requirements, terms, conditions, and amounts available, to be employed in conducting housing-based hazards activities. You must discuss the way funds will be administered (
e.g.
, use of grants, deferred loans, forgivable loans, other resources, private sector financing, etc.) as well as the agency that will administer the process.
(xiii) Describe your proposed methods for community and/or targeted education and training. These should include community awareness, education, training, and outreach programs that support your work plan and are culturally sensitive and targeted appropriately. Provide information about specific educational/outreach activities with quantitative data (number of individuals to be reached, etc.) and a description of the intended audience. Describe proposed activities to deliver culturally appropriate educational materials and methods to the target population and communities. Describe efforts to understand and incorporate culturally sensitive approaches to assessment and interventions.
(xiv) Provide detailed information about training staff or other organizations to provide the knowledge and skills required to address Healthy Homes issues that are essential for successfully implementing your project (
e.g.
, education, assessments and interventions). Include an outline of training curricula, a description of
qualifications of trainers, and selection of individuals or groups who will receive the training. Describe how Healthy Homes training programs will be expanded to include public housing agencies or Tribally Designated Housing Entities and other potential collaborators, such as faith-based or other community-based organizations.
(xv) Describe your proposed involvement of neighborhood, or faith-based and other community-based organizations in the proposed activities. These activities may include outreach, community education, marketing, inspection, and housing evaluations and interventions.
(xvi) Describe your proposed methods to reach high-risk groups and communities, vulnerable populations and persons traditionally underserved.
(xvii) Indicate if, and describe how, you will address any of HUD's departmental policy priorities (see General Section of the SuperNOFA for a fuller explanation of HUD's policy priorities). You will receive points under Rating Factor 3 for each of the applicable FY 2004 policy priorities that are adequately addressed in your application to a maximum of five points (see the General Section of this NOFA). Policy priorities that are applicable to the Healthy Homes Demonstration NOFA are: (1) Improving our Nation's Communities (focus on distressed communities; (2) Providing Full and Equal Access to GrassRoots Faith-based or other Community-based Organizations in HUD Program Implementation); (3) Participation of Minority-Serving Institutions in HUD Programs; and (4) Removal of Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing. Each policy priority is worth one point, except for policy priority (4), Removal of Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing, which is worth up to 2 points. Applicants that include work activities that specifically address one or more applicable policy priorities will receive higher rating scores than applicants that do not address these HUD priorities, up to a maximum of 5 points
(2)
Approach for Managing the Project.
(12 points). Describe your project goals and objectives and the strategy you will use in managing and executing the project. You should provide information on the general approach and overall plan employed.
(a)
Project Management Plan
(10 points). Include a management plan that:
(i) Incorporates appropriate performance goals;
(ii) Lists the project objectives, major tasks and activities. All specific activities necessary to complete the proposed project must be included in the task listing;
(iii) Provides a schedule for the assignment, tracking and completion of major tasks and activities, and a timeframe for delivery;
(iv) Ensures that quality assurance activities and corrective actions are managed;
(v) Designates resources and identifies responsible entities (project staff/ partner organizations);
(vi) Describes the strategy and methods for coordination and communication between partners; and
(vii) Describes the management processes to manage costs and ensure that cost-effective housing interventions will be implemented.
(b)
Budget Justification
(2 points). Your proposed budget will be evaluated for the extent to which it is reasonable, clearly justified, and consistent with the project management plan and intended use of program funds. HUD is not required to approve or fund all proposed activities. Your detailed budget should be submitted using Form HUD-CBW. An electronic copy of this and other budgetary forms are available at:
www.grants.gov.
You must thoroughly document and justify all budget categories and costs (form HUD-424-CB) and all major tasks for yourself, subrecipients, partners, major subcontractors, joint venture participants, or others contributing resources to the project. Include a 2-page narrative that describes clearly and in detail your budgeted costs for each required program element (major task) included in your overall plan. (You may include this narrative along with the budget forms; it will not count toward the 25-page limit of the narrative.)
(3)
Economic Opportunity
(3 points). To the greatest extent feasible, your project should promote job training, employment, and other economic opportunities for low-income and minority residents and businesses which are owned by, and/or employ, low-income and minority residents as defined in 24 CFR 135.5. You should:
(a) Describe how you or your partners will comply with Section 3 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701u) and HUD's implementing rules at 24 CFR part 135. Describe how you will accomplish this requirement by:
(i) providing training and employment opportunities for low- and very low-income persons living within the grantee's jurisdiction, and by
(ii) providing business opportunities to businesses owned by low- and very low-income persons living within the targeted jurisdiction; information about Section 3 requirements is available by searching HUD's website,
www.hud.gov
;
(b) Describe how your proposed project will provide opportunities for self-sufficiency, particularly for persons enrolled in welfare-to-work programs, or providing educational and job training opportunities; and
(c) Describe the extent to which your proposed activities will occur in an Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community (EZ/EC), Urban Enhanced Enterprise Community (EEC), or Renewal Community (RC) as defined in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. (You may identify the RC/EC/EZ in Rating Factor 2, Need/Extent of the Problem.)
d. Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources (10 Points)
This factor addresses your ability to secure other community resources (
e.g.
, financing, supplies, or services) that can be combined with HUD's resources to achieve project purposes. These community resources may be contributions from organizations such as the applicant, partners, or other organizations not directly involved in the project.
(1) In evaluating this factor, HUD will consider the extent to which you have developed partnerships to secure additional resources to increase the effectiveness of your proposed project. Describe how other organizations will participate in or support your project. Resources may include funding or in-kind contributions (
e.g.
, labor, fringe benefits, services, supplies, or equipment) budgeted for your proposed project. Resources may be provided by state and local governmental entities, public or private organizations, or other partners.
(2) Each source of contributions (financial or in-kind) must be supported by a letter of commitment from the contributing entity, whether the applicant, a partner organization, or a public or private source. The letter must describe the contributed resource(s) that will be used in your project and the dollar value of each contribution. Staff in-kind contributions should be given a market-based monetary value. If you fail to provide letters of commitment with specific details, including the amount of the actual contributions, you will not get rating points for this factor. Each letter of commitment, memorandum of understanding, or agreement to participate shall include the organization's name and the proposed level of commitment and responsibilities as they relate to the
proposed project. The commitment must be signed by an official legally able to make commitments on behalf of the organization. Letters of support (letters that indicate support, but do not specify a monetary commitment to the project) will not be considered in the scoring of Rating Factor 4. Include information to address the following elements.
(a) The extent to which you have coordinated your activities with other known organizations that are not directly participating in your proposed work activities, but with which you share common goals and objectives.
(i) Describe your plan for integrating and coordinating housing-based hazard interventions with other housing-related activities (
e.g.
, rehabilitation, weatherization, correction of code violations, and other similar work).
(ii) Describe your plans to generate and use public subsidies or other resources, such as revolving loan funds, to finance future interventions to prevent and control housing-based hazards, particularly in low- and very low-income housing.
(b) The extent to which your project exhibits the potential to be financially self-sustaining by decreasing dependence on federal funding and relying more on state, local and private funding to continue healthy homes activities after the grant period is completed.
Applicants are to complete the Factor 4 table, Leveraging Resources, in Appendix B to support narrative information submitted.
e. Rating Factor 5: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation (15 Points)
This rating factor reflects HUD's goal to embrace high standards of ethics, management and accountability. HUD is committed to ensuring that applicants keep promises made in their applications and assess their performance to ensure that performance goals are met. Achieving results means you, the applicant, have clearly identified the benefits or outcomes of your program. Outcomes are ultimate goals. Benchmarks or outputs are interim activities or products that lead to the ultimate achievement of your goals.
Program evaluation requires that you identify program outcomes, interim 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 Evaluation 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 time frames.
In your response to this rating factor, you are to discuss the performance goals for your project, and identify specific outcome measures. Identify and discuss the specific methods you will use to measure progress towards your goals, track and report results of assessments and interventions, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions; identify important project milestones (
e.g.
, the end of specific phases in a multi-phased project) and deliverables specific to your project timeline, and identify milestones that are critical to achieving project objectives (
e.g.
, developing questionnaires or protocols, hiring staff, recruitment of participants, and Institutional Review Board approval, if applicable); identify benchmarks such as number of units that received intervention, percent of interventions that occurred in high-risk communities, etc. that you will use to track the progress of your project.
You should also identify how your project will be held accountable for meeting project goals, objectives, and the actions undertaken in implementing the grant program. You should provide assurances that work plans and performance measures developed for your project will be achieved in a timely and cost-effective manner.
You must complete and return the Form HUD-96010, Logic Model, showing your proposed project long-term, mid-term, short-term, and final results, and how they support HUD's departmental goals and objectives. Information about developing a Logic Model is available at:
www.hud.gov.
In evaluating Rating Factor 5, HUD will consider how you have described the benefits and outcome measures of your program.
B. Reviews and Selection Process
Information on the review and selection process is provided in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. The General Section also provides the procedures for correcting deficient applications.
C. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates
The anticipated award date for this NOFA is September 30, 2004.
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
1. Applicants Selected for Award
Successful Applicants will receive a letter from the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Grant Officer. The letter will provide additional details regarding the effective start date of the grant and any additional data and information to be submitted to execute a grant agreement. This letter is not an authorization to begin work or incur costs under the grant.
HUD may require that all the grantees participate in negotiations to determine the specific terms of the grant agreement and budget. In cases where HUD cannot successfully conclude negotiations with a selected applicant or a selected applicant fails to provide HUD with requested information, an award will not be made to that applicant. In this instance, HUD may offer an award, and proceed with negotiations with the next highest-ranking applicant. If you accept the terms and conditions of the grant, you must return your signed grant agreement by the date specified during negotiation.
After receiving the letter, additional instructions on how to have the grant account entered into HUD's Line of Credit Control System (LOCCS) payment system will be provided. Other forms and program requirements will also be provided.
In accordance with OMB Circular A-133 (Audits of States, Local Governments and Non-Profit Organizations), grantees will have to submit their completed audit-reporting package along with the Data Collection Form (SF-SAC) to the Single Audit Clearinghouse. The address can be obtained from their website. The SF-SAC can be downloaded at:
http://harvester.census.gov/sac/.
2. Debriefing
The General Section of the SuperNOFA provides the procedures for applicants to request a debriefing.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional details regarding the Administrative and National Policy Requirements applicable to HUD Programs.
1. Environmental Requirements
Activities assisted under this program are subject to HUD environmental review to the extent required under 24 CFR part 50. An award under the Healthy Homes Initiative does not constitute approval of specific sites where activities may be carried out. Following award execution, HUD will perform environmental reviews for activities to be carried out on properties proposed by your organization. You must comply with HUD's regulations in
24 CFR 50.3(h) in carrying out responsibilities regarding environmental review. You may not rehabilitate, convert, repair or construct a property, or commit or expend program funds or non-HUD funds for these program activities for any eligible property, until you receive written notification from the appropriate HUD official that HUD has completed its environmental review and the property has been approved. The results of environmental reviews may require that proposed activities be modified or proposed sites rejected. Recipients of a grant under this NOFA will be given guidance in these responsibilities.
2. Coastal Barrier Resources Act
Pursuant to the Coastal Barrier Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3501), funds may not be used for properties located in the Coastal Barrier Resources System.
3. Flood Disaster Protection Act
Under the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4001-4128), funds may not be used for construction, reconstruction, repair or improvement of a building or mobile home which is located in an area identified by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as having special flood hazards unless:
a. The community in which the area is situated is participating in the National Flood Insurance Program in accordance with the applicable regulations (44 CFR parts 59-79), or less than a year has passed since FEMA notification regarding these hazards; and
b. Where the community is participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, flood insurance on the property is obtained in accordance with section 102(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act (42 U.S.C. 4012a(a)). You are responsible for assuring that flood insurance is obtained and maintained for the appropriate amount and term.
4. National Historic Preservation Act
The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 470) (NHPA) and the regulations at 36 CFR part 800 apply to the mold intervention and related hazard control activities that are undertaken pursuant to this program. HUD and the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation have developed an optional Model Agreement for use by grantees and State Historic Preservation Officers in carrying out any lead hazard control activities under this program. A Model Agreement (Prototype Programmatic Agreement) is available at the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control's website, linked to
www.hud.gov.
5. Relocation
Any person (including individuals, partnerships, corporations, or associations) who moves from real property or moves personal property from real property directly (1) because of a written notice to acquire real property, in whole or in part, or (2) because of the acquisition of the real property, in whole or in part, for a HUD-assisted activity, is covered by federal relocation statutes and regulations. Specifically, this type of move is covered by the acquisition policies and procedures and the relocation requirements of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 URA, as amended, and the implementing governmentwide regulation at 49 CFR part 24. The relocation requirements of the URA and the governmentwide regulations cover any person who moves permanently from real property or moves personal property from real property directly because of acquisition, rehabilitation or demolition for an activity undertaken with HUD assistance. See Section V (G) of the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional information about relocation.
6. Davis-Bacon Act
The Davis-Bacon Act does not apply to this program. However, if program funds are used in conjunction with other federal programs in which Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates apply, then Davis-Bacon provisions would apply to the extent required under the other federal programs.
C. Reporting
Successful applicants will be required to submit quarterly and final program and financial reports according the requirements of the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. Specific guidance and additional details will be provided to successful applicants.
The following items are a part of OHHLHC” reporting requirements.
1. Final Work Plan and Budget are due prior to the effective start of the grant.
2. Quality Assurance Plan (QAP). Successful Healthy Homes Demonstration applicants that will be collecting housing, demographic or environmental data in a formalized manner for use in assessing accomplishments of the approaches being demonstrated under the grant will be required to submit a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) to HUD prior to initiating work under the grant. This is a streamlined version of the format used by some other federal agencies, and is intended to help ensure the accuracy and validity of the data that you will collect under the grant. Your proposed project activities should include developing this QAP. The QAP will be submitted to HUD as a part of your work plan.
3. Progress reports are due on a quarterly basis.
4. A final report is due at the end of the grant. Specific information on all reporting requirements will be provided to successful applicants.
5. Racial and Ethnic Beneficiary Data. HUD does not require grantees to collect and report racial and ethnic beneficiary data for this program. If, however, racial and ethic data are collected and reported as part of a study funded under this program NOFA, you must use the Office of Management and Budget's Standards for the Collection of Racial and Ethnic Data as presented on Form HUD-27061, Racial and Ethnic Data Reporting Form (and instructions for its use), found on
www.grants.gov.
VII. Agency Contacts
For technical or programmatic questions, you may contact by writing: Emily Williams, Acting Director; Healthy Homes Division; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control; 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room P3206; Washington, DC 20410-3000; or by telephone by calling (336) 547-4002, extension 2067 (this is not a toll-free number). For administrative questions, you may contact Curtissa L. Coleman, Grants Officer, at the address above or by telephone at: (202) 755-1785, extension 119 (this is not a toll-free number). If you are hearing or speech-impaired, you may reach the above telephone numbers via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
VIII. Other Information
1. The provisions of the HUD Reform Act of 1989 that apply to this NOFA are discussed in the General Section. Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for details regarding other information on submitting a complete application that meets HUD requirements. For additional general, technical, and grant program information pertaining to the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, visit:
http://www.hud.gov/healthyhomes.
2. The information collection requirements contained in this
document have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) and assigned OMB control number 2539-0015. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection displays a currently valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 96 hours per annum per respondent for the application and grant administration. This includes the time for collecting, reviewing, and reporting the data for the application, quarterly reports, and final report. The information will be used for grantee selection and monitoring the administration of funds. Response to this request for information is required in order to receive the benefits to be derived.
3. The appendices to this NOFA follow.
Appendix A: Housing-Related Health and Injury Hazards
The following briefly describes the housing-associated health and injury hazards HUD considers key targets for intervention. More information about housing-associated health and injury hazards is available at the Healthy Homes Initiative Web site at:
www.hud.gov.
Allergens and asthma:
Experts estimate that 14 million Americans have asthma, with an associated annual cost of $6.2 billion. Asthma is now recognized as the leading cause of school and work absences, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations. For sensitized children, exposure to antigens from dust mites, certain pets, and cockroaches has been associated with more severe asthma. There is a preponderance of evidence showing a dose-response relationship between exposure and prevalence of asthma and allergies; some evidence also indicates that exposure to antigens early in life may predispose or hasten the onset of allergies and asthma. Dust mites have been identified as the largest trigger for asthma and allergies. Cockroach allergens appear to be excessive in 30-50 percent of inner-city housing and affect 5-15 percent of the population, whereas dust mites appear to be the dominant allergen in other environments.
Interventions known to have beneficial effects include the installation of impervious mattress and pillow covers, which can reduce allergen exposure by 90 percent. Other dust mite control measures include dehumidification, laundering bedding, and removal of carpets and other dust sinks. Cleaning carpets with tannic acid solution has also been demonstrated to greatly reduce dust mites. Asthma prevention program costs have been estimated at about $500 per unit, which includes about $150 for educational interventions. Additional information is available in HUD's research topic paper, “Healthy Homes Issues: Asthma” available at the Resources, Technical Resources link of HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative website, linked to HUD's Web site,
www.hud.gov.
Asbestos:
Asbestos is a mineral fiber that has been used commonly in a variety of building construction materials and household products for insulation and as a fire-retardant. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have banned most asbestos products. Manufacturers have also voluntarily limited uses of asbestos. Today, asbestos is most commonly found in older homes, in pipe and furnace insulation materials, asbestos shingles, millboard, textured paints and other coating materials, and floor tiles. Elevated concentrations of airborne asbestos can occur when asbestos-containing materials (ACMs) are disturbed by cutting, sanding, or other remodeling activities. Improper attempts to remove these materials can release asbestos fibers into the air in homes, increasing asbestos levels and endangering the people living in those homes. The most dangerous asbestos fibers are too small to be visible. After they are inhaled, they can remain and accumulate in the lungs. Asbestos can cause lung cancer, mesothelioma (a cancer of the chest and abdominal linings), and asbestosis (irreversible lung scarring that can be fatal). Most people with an asbestos-related disease were exposed to elevated concentrations on the job; some developed disease from exposure to clothing and equipment brought home from job sites. As with radon, dose-response extrapolations suggest that lower level exposures, as may occur when asbestos-containing building materials deteriorate or are disturbed, may also cause cancer.
Intact asbestos-containing materials are not a hazard; they should be monitored for damage or deterioration and isolated if possible. Repair of damaged or deteriorating ACMs usually involves either sealing (encapsulation) or covering (enclosure) it. Repair is usually cheaper than removal, but it may make later removal of asbestos more difficult and costly. Only a professional who is trained and certified to handle asbestos safely should do repairs. Repairs can cost from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars and removal can be more expensive.
Combustion products of heating and cooking appliances:
Burning of oil, natural gas, kerosene, and wood for heating or cooking purposes can release a variety of combustion products of health concern. Depending upon the fuel, these may include carbon monoxide (a chemical asphyxiate), oxides of nitrogen (respiratory irritants), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (
e.g.
, the carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene), and airborne particulate matter (respiratory irritants). Carbon monoxide, an odorless gas, can be fatal. Nitrogen dioxide can damage the respiratory tract, and sulfur dioxide can irritate the eyes, nose and respiratory tract. Smoke and other particulates irritate the eyes, nose and throat, and can cause lung cancer.
Improper venting and poor maintenance of heating systems and cooking appliances can dramatically increase exposure to combustion products. Experts recommend having combustion heating systems inspected by a trained professional every year to identify blocked openings to flues and chimneys, cracked or disconnected flue pipes, dirty filters, rust or cracks in heat exchangers, soot or creosote build-up, and exhaust or gas odors. Installing a carbon monoxide detector is also recommended; however, such a detector will not detect other combustion by-products.
Insect and rodent pests:
The observed association between exposure to cockroach antigen and asthma severity has already been noted above. In addition, cockroaches may act as vehicles to contaminate environmental surfaces with certain pathogenic organisms. Rodents can transmit a number of communicable diseases to humans, either through bites, arthropod vectors, or exposure to aerosolized excreta. In addition, humans can become sensitized to proteins in rodent urine, dander, and saliva. Such sensitization may contribute to asthma severity among children. Insect and rodent infestation is frequently associated with substandard housing that makes it difficult to eliminate. Treatment of rodent and insect infestations often includes the use of toxic pesticides that may present hazards to occupants (see below). Integrated pest management (IPM) for rodents and cockroaches, which reduces the use of pesticides, is estimated to cost approximately $150 per unit. IPM control measures include sealing holes and cracks, removing food sources and the use of traps. In technical terms, IPM is the coordinated use of pest and environmental information with available pest control methods to prevent unacceptable levels of pest damage by the most economical means and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. (One information source is the University of Minnesota's electronic textbook of Integrated Pest Management, available at:
http://ipmworld.umn.edu/textbook.htm.
)
Lead:
Exposure to lead, especially from deteriorating lead-based paint, remains one of the most important and best studied of the household environmental hazards to children. Although blood lead levels have fallen nationally, a large reservoir of lead remains in housing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found, for example, for children under age 6, that about 434,000 have elevated blood lead levels. Overall, the prevalence rate among all children under six years of age is 4.4 percent. Among low-income children living in older housing where lead-based paint is most prevalent, the rate climbs to 16 percent; and for African-American children living in such housing, it reaches 21 percent.
The National Survey of Lead and Allergens in Housing (2000) estimates that 38 million dwellings have some lead-based paint, and that 24 million have significant lead-based paint hazards. Of those, about 4.8 million have young children and of those, about 1.2 million have household incomes under $30,000 per year. Costs for Lead Hazard Control can range anywhere from $500 to $15,000 per unit. Corrective measures include paint stabilization, enclosure and
removal of certain building components coated with lead paint, and cleanup and “clearance testing,” which ensures the unit is safe for young children.
Mold and moisture:
An analysis of several pulmonary disease studies estimates that 25 percent of airways disease, and 60 percent of interstitial lung disease may be associated with moisture in the home or work environment. Moisture is a precursor to the growth of mold and other biological agents, which is also associated with respiratory symptoms. An investigation of a cluster of pulmonary hemosiderosis (PH) cases in infants showed PH was associated with a history of recent water damage to homes and with levels of the mold Stachybotrys atra (SA) in air and in cultured surface samples. Associations between exposure to SA and “sick building” symptoms in adults have also been observed. Other related toxigenic fungi have been found in association with SA-associated illness and could play a role. For sensitive individuals, exposure to a wide variety of common molds may also aggravate asthma. Addressing mold problems in housing requires coordination among the medical, public health, microbiological, housing, and building science communities. Additional information is available in HUD's research topic paper, “Healthy Homes Issues: Mold” available at the Resources, Technical Resources link of HUD's Healthy Homes Initiative Web site, linked to HUD's Web site,
www.hud.gov.
The cost of mold/moisture-related intervention work (
e.g.
, IPM, clean and tune furnace, remove debris, vent clothes dryer, cover dirt floor with impermeable vapor barrier) is a few hundred dollars, unless major modification of the ventilation system is needed. For example, in Cleveland, mold interventions, including repairs to ventilation systems and basement flooring, in the most heavily contaminated homes range from $500-$5,000, with some costs also being dedicated to lead hazard control simultaneously through its Lead+Asthma program.
Pesticide residues:
According to the EPA, 75 percent of U.S. households used at least one pesticide product indoors during the past year. Products used most often are insecticides and disinfectants. Another study suggests that 80 percent of most people's exposure to pesticides occurs indoors and that measurable levels of up to a dozen pesticides have been found in the air inside homes. The amount of pesticides found in homes appears to be greater than can be explained by recent pesticide use in those households; other possible sources include contaminated soil or dust that migrates in from outside, stored pesticide containers, and household surfaces that collect and then release the pesticides. Pesticides used in and around the home include products to control insects (insecticides), termites (termiticides), rodents (rodenticides), molds and fungi (fungicides), and microbes (disinfectants). In 1990, the American Association of Poison Control Centers reported that some 79,000 children were involved in common household pesticide poisonings or exposures. In households with children under five years of age, almost half stored at least one pesticide product within the reach of children. Data are available on hazard evaluation methods and remediation effectiveness regarding pesticide residues in the home environment.
Radon progeny:
The National Academy of Sciences estimates that approximately 15,000 cases of lung cancer per year are related to radon exposure. Epidemiological studies of miners exposed to high levels of radon in inhaled air have defined the dose response relation for radon-induced lung cancer at high exposure levels. Extrapolation of this data has been used to estimate the excess risk of lung cancer attributable to exposure to radon gas at the lower levels found in homes. These estimates indicate that radon gas is an important cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. Excessive exposures are typically related to home ventilation, structural integrity, and location.
Radon measurement and remediation methods are well developed, and the EPA recommends that every home be measured for radon. The EPA estimates that materials and labor costs for radon reduction in an existing home are $800-$2,500. Including radon resistant techniques in new home construction costs $350-$500, and can save up to $65 annually in energy costs, according to the EPA.
Take-home hazards from work/hobbies and work at home:
When the clothing, hair, skin, or shoes of workers become contaminated with hazardous materials in the workplace, such contaminants may inadvertently be carried to the home environment and/or an automobile. Such “take-home” exposures have been demonstrated, for example, in homes of lead-exposed workers. In addition, certain hobbies or workplaces located in the home may provide an especially great risk of household contamination.
Control methods include storing and laundering work clothes separately, and showering and changing clothes before leaving work or immediately after arriving at home. Once a home becomes contaminated, cleaning floors and contact surfaces, and replacing furnishings may be necessary to reduce exposures.
Unintentional injuries/fire:
Unintentional injury is now the leading cause of death and disability among children younger than 15 years of age. In 1997, nearly 7 million persons in the U.S. were disabled for at least one full day by unintentional injuries received at home. During the same year, 28,400 deaths were attributable to unintentional home injuries, of which 1,800 occurred among children four years of age and younger. Among young children, three types of events accounted for more than 75 percent of deaths: fires/ burns; drowning; and mechanical suffocation. Falls and poisoning are the next most common causes of death.
Home visitation protocols have been shown to be effective in reducing exposure to such hazards. The “add-on” cost of injury prevention measures, when combined with other housing interventions are estimated at about $100 per unit. This includes the cost of some injury prevention devices (
e.g.
, smoke alarms, electrical socket covers, etc.).
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Appendix C: Preparing Your Application
Rating Factor 1: Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational Experience
In this rating factor, you should provide details about the following:
1. The skills and experience of the staff and the applicant organization;
2. A description of the participating organization, its roles and experience;
3. The past performance of the organization (applicant or partners) in another Healthy Homes or Lead Hazard Control grant, another grant related to environmental health and safety issues, or other experience in a similar program; include the name of the project, funding organization, amount funded and desired outcomes and results achieved in these projects;
4. The percentage of time each staff person or subcontractor will devote to the project. A staffing table or roster may be helpful to address this element. You may want to use the template provided as Worksheet 1 of Appendix B;
5. Level of involvement of the applicant organization in general oversight of the project and oversight of the partnering organizations.
Rating Factor 2: Need/Extent of the Problem
In this rating factor, you should provide details about the following:
1. The location of the target area(s) and the rationale for selecting these area(s); include backup documentation;
2. The number of children at risk of environmental illnesses or injuries, and the sources of this information;
3. The age and condition of the housing to receive interventions, and the sources of this information;
4. The number of low- and very low-income families and the demographic composition of families served by race, ethnicity, disability, size of family and ages of children, number of single-parent households in the target area(s);
5. Other socio-economic or environmental factors relating to need in the target area(s);
6. The relationship of the Consolidated Plan, Indian Housing Plan or the Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) to the request for assistance.
Rating Factor 3: Soundness of Approach
In this rating factor, you should provide details about the following:
1. A project work plan that identifies tasks, deliverables, and quality assurance activities and describes how the applicant will organize and perform Healthy Homes activities;
2. A schedule of deliverables and project milestones;
3. The target population for the project and the selection criteria involved, and the relationship of the activities to “Need/Extent of the Problem” as established in Rating Factor 2;
4. The number of families or individuals to be enrolled and/or units to receive assessment and interventions;
5. The rationale for selecting hazards of concern and intervention methods;
6. The mechanism for funding assessments and interventions;
7. The costs/unit for intervention;
8. The medical case management process, if applicable;
9. The process used to develop work specifications;
10. The temporary relocation plan, if appropriate, that includes who will decide on the need for relocation and the source of funding for relocation. Indicate how you will distinguish between temporary and permanent relocation and the benefits to be provided;
11. Awareness, outreach and education activities;
12. A discussion of project evaluation, data collection, and outcome analysis;
13. The proposed budget, with justification of costs by task;
14. Actions to affirmatively further fair housing;
15. Provisions for employment and economic development opportunities for low- and very low-income individuals;
16. Mechanisms for communication between the applicant organization and partners; and
17. The coordination of activities in this project with other similar projects being performed by the applicant or partnering organizations.
Rating Factor 4: Leveraging Resources
In this rating factor, you should provide details about the following:
1. Identify participating faith-based and community-based organizations and other private sector organizations that will contribute time and resources to the project;
2. Include (in Appendix 1 of your application) letters of commitment or memoranda of understanding from organizations. These letters must provide details about resources to be contributed and a dollar amount for the contributed (in-kind or matching) resources. (Letters of support that do not provide a dollar amount of contributed funding should be included in Appendix 2 of your application.);
3. Applicants should provide a discussion of their plans to enhance or expand partnership efforts under this application;
4. Describe how the effectiveness of grant funds will be increased as a result of leveraged efforts; and
5. Describe any existing or potential Community Reinvestment Act funding mechanisms.
Rating Factor 5: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation
In this rating factor, you should provide details about the following:
1. Desired outcomes for your project;
2. Mechanisms for collecting and archiving data to develop the outcome analysis; and
3. Include a Logic Model in this Rating Factor. (Information about developing a Logic Model is available at www.hud.gov.), and in the General Section of this SuperNOFA.
A tabular summary of the Rating Factors and Bonus Points is provided below.
Rating Factor
Points
1. Capacity of the Applicant and Relevant Organizational Experience
20
2. Need/Extent of the Problem
15
3. Soundness of Approach
40
4. Leveraging Resources
10
5. Achieving Results and Program Evaluation
15
Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Bonus.
2
Total
102
Appendix D: References
To secure any of the documents listed, call the telephone number provided. A number of these references are provided on HUD's CD, “Residential Lead Desktop Reference, 3rd Edition.” This CD can be obtained at no charge by calling the National Lead Information Clearinghouse, 800-424-LEAD. If you are a hearing-or speech-impaired person, you may reach the telephone numbers listed in this section through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339.
Regulations
1. Worker Protection: The two Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) publications listed below can be purchased by calling either OSHA Regulations at 202-693-1888 or the Government Printing Office (GPO) at 202-512-1800 (these are not toll-free numbers).
(a) General Industry Lead Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1025 (Document Number 869022001124). This document can be downloaded without charge from the OSHA website at
www.osha-slc.gov/OshStd_data/1910_1025.html;
(b) Lead Exposure in Construction, 29 CFR 1926.62, and appendices A, B, C, and D (Document Number 869022001141). This document can be downloaded without charge from the OSHA website at
www.osha-slc.gov/OshStd_data/1926_0062.html.
2. Waste Disposal. A copy of the EPA regulations at 40 CFR parts 260-268 can be purchased by calling 1-800-424-9346 (this is a toll-free number) downloaded without charge from the EPA website at
www.epa.gov/docs/epacfr40/chapt-I.info/subch-I.htm.
3. Lead.
(a) Requirements for Lead-Based Paint Activities in Target Housing and Child-Occupied Facilities; Final Rule: 40 CFR Part 745, (EPA) (Lead Hazard Standards, Work Practice Standards, EDP and State Certification and Accreditation programs for those engaged in lead-based paint activities). Can be purchased by calling the Toxic Substances Control Act Hotline at 202-554-1404 (this is not a toll-free number) or downloaded from without charge from the EPA website at
www.epa.gov/lead.
Guidelines
1. Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing; HUD, June 1995, and amended
September 1997. These guidelines can be purchased by calling 800-245-2691 toll free or downloaded without charge from the HUD website at
www.hud.gov/offices/lead.
2. Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children; Centers for Disease Control, October 1991. These guidelines can be obtained without charge by calling the CDC's toll-free number, 888-232-6789 or they can be downloaded from the HUD website at
www.hud.gov/offices/lead.
3. Screening Young Children for Lead Poisoning: Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials, November 1997; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These guidelines can be obtained without charge by calling the CDC's toll-free number, 888-232-6789 or they can be downloaded from the HUD website at
www.hud.gov/offices/lead.
Reports
1. Putting the Pieces Together: Controlling Lead Hazards in the Nation's Housing, (Summary and Full Report); HUD, July 1995. A copy of this summary and report may be purchased by calling 800-245-2691 toll-free or through the HUD website at
www.hud.gov/offices/lead.
2. The Healthy Homes Initiative: A Preliminary Plan (Summary and Full Report); HUD, April, 1999. A copy of this summary report may be obtained by calling NLIC's toll-free number, 800-424-LEAD, or downloaded from the HUD Web site at
www.hud.gov/offices/lead.
3. Institute of Medicine.
Indoor Allergens. Assessing and Controlling Adverse Health Effects.
National Academy Press. Washington, DC 1993.
4. Mott L., Our Children at Risk. Natural Resources Defense Council. Washington, DC 1997. Can be ordered from the Internet from:
www.nrdc.org.
5. Rom W.N., Ed.
Environmental and Occupational Medicine.
Little, Brown and Co., Boston. 1992.
6. President's Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. Asthma and The Environment: An Action Plan to Protect Children. Washington, DC 1999.
7.
Eliminating Childhood Lead Poisoning:
A Federal Strategy Targeting Lead Paint Hazards. Washington, DC, 2000. Can be downloaded from the Internet without charge from:
www.epa.gov/children.
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Appendix F: Administrative Costs
I. Purpose
The intent of this HUD grant program is to allow the Grantee to be reimbursed for the reasonable direct and indirect costs, subject to a top limit, for overall management of the grant. In some instances the grantee, whether a state or a local government, principally serves as a conduit to pass funding to sub-grantees, which are to be responsible for the conducting healthy homes-related work. Congress set a top limit of ten percent of the total grant sum for the grantee to perform the function of overall management of the grant program, including passing on funding to sub-grantees. The cost of that function, for the purpose of this grant, is defined as the “administrative cost” of the grant, and is limited to ten percent of the total grant amount. The balance of ninety percent or more of the total grant sum is reserved for sub-grantees or other direct-performers of healthy homes demonstration work. These activities include, but are not necessarily limited to outreach, training, enrollment, home assessments and remediation and parent/child and public education.
II. Administrative Costs: What They Are Not
For the purposes of this HUD grant program for states and local governments to provide support for the evaluation and remediation of health hazards in low- and moderate-income target housing, the term “administrative costs” should not be confused with the terms “general and administrative cost,” “indirect costs,” “overhead,” and “burden rate.” These are accounting terms usually represented by a government-accepted standard percentage rate. The percentage rate allocates a fair share of an organization's costs that cannot be attributed to a particular project or department (such as the chief executive's salary or the costs of the organization's headquarters building) to all projects and operating departments (such as the Fire Department, the Police Department, the Community Development Department, the Health Department or this program). Such allocated costs are added to those projects' or departments' direct costs to determine their total costs to the organization.
III. Administrative Costs: What They Are
For the purposes of this HUD grant program, “Administrative Costs” are the grantee's allowable direct costs for the overall management of the grant program plus the allocable indirect costs. The allowable limit of such costs that can be reimbursed under this program is 10 percent of the total grant sum. Should the grantee's actual costs for overall management of the grant program exceed 10 percent of the total grant sum, those excess costs shall be paid for by the grantee. However, excess costs paid for by the grantee may be shown as part of the requirement for cost-sharing funds to support the grant.
IV. Administrative Costs: Definition
A. General
Administrative costs are the allowable, reasonable, and allocable direct and indirect costs related to the overall management of the HUD grant for Healthy Homes activities. Those costs shall be segregated in a separate cost center within the grantee's accounting system, and they are eligible costs for reimbursement as part of the grant, subject to the ten percent limit. Such administrative costs do not include any of the staff and overhead costs directly arising from specific sub-grantee program activities eligible under Section III of this NOFA because those costs are eligible for reimbursement under a separate cost center as a direct part of project activities.
The grantee may elect to serve solely as a conduit to sub-grantees, who will in turn perform the direct program activities eligible under Section III(C)(1) of this NOFA, or the grantee may elect to perform all or a part of the direct program activities in other parts of its own organization, which shall have their own segregated, cost centers for those direct program activities. In either case, not more than 10 percent of the total HUD grant sum may be devoted to administrative costs, and not less than 90 percent of the total grant sum shall be devoted to direct program activities. The grantee shall take care not to mix or attribute administrative costs to the direct project cost centers.
B. Specific
Reasonable costs for the grantee's overall grant management, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation are eligible administrative costs. Subject to the 10 percent limit, such costs include, but are not limited to, necessary expenditures for the following goods, activities and services:
(1) Salaries, wages, and related costs of the grantee's staff, the staff of affiliated agencies or organizations, or other staff engaged in grantee's overall grant management activities. In charging costs to this category the recipient may either include the entire salary, wages, and related costs allocable to the program for each person whose primary responsibilities (more than 65 percent of their time) with regard to the grant program involve direct overall grant management assignments, or the pro rata share of the salary, wages, and related costs of each person whose job includes any overall grant management assignments. The grantee may use only one of these two methods during this program. Overall grant management includes the following types of activities:
(a) Preparing grantee program budgets and schedules, and amendments thereto;
(b) Developing systems for the selection and award of funding to sub-grantees and other sub-recipients;
(c) Developing suitable agreements for use with sub-grantees and other sub-recipients to carry out grant activities;
(d) Developing systems for assuring compliance with program requirements;
(e) Monitoring sub-grantee and sub-recipient activities for progress and compliance with program requirements;
(f) Preparing presentations, reports, and other documents related to the program for submission to HUD;
(g) Evaluating program results against stated objectives;
(h) Providing local officials and citizens with information about the overall grant program; however, a more general education program, helping the public understand the nature of home environmental triggers and their health consequences is a direct project support activity);
(i) Coordinating the resolution of overall grant audit and monitoring findings; and
(j) Managing or supervising persons whose responsibilities with regard to the program include such assignments as those described in paragraphs (a) through (i).
(2) Travel costs incurred for official business in carrying out the overall grant management;
(3) Administrative services performed under third party contracts or agreements, for services directly allocable to grant management such as: legal services, accounting services, and audit services;
(4) Other costs for goods and services required for and directly related to the overall management of the grant program; and including such goods and services as telephone, postage, rental of equipment, renter's insurance for the program management space, utilities, office supplies, and rental and maintenance (but not purchase) of office space for the program.
(5) The fair and allocable share of grantee's general costs that are not directly attributable to specific projects or operating departments such as salaries, office expenses and other related costs for university or local officials (
e.g.
, mayor and city council members, dean, president etc.), and expenses for a city or university's legal or accounting department which are not charged back to particular projects or other operating departments. If a grantee has an established burden rate, it should be used; if not, the grantee shall be assigned a negotiated provisional burden rate, subject to final audit.
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Operation Lead Elimination Action Program (LEAP)
Overview Information
A.
Federal Agency Name:
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control.
B. Funding Opportunity Title:
Operation Lead Elimination Action Program (LEAP)
C.
Announcement Type:
Initial announcement.
D.
Funding Opportunity Number:
FR-4900-N-14, OMB Approval number 2539-0015.
E.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number:
14.903, Operation Lead Elimination Action Program.
F.
Dates:
Application Deadline: A completed original and three copies of your application must be submitted to HUD on or before the application due date. The application due date is July 13, 2004. Please see the General Section of the SuperNOFA for application submission, delivery and timely receipt requirements.
G.
Additional Overview Content Information:
1.
Purpose of the Program.
The purpose of the Operation Lead Elimination Action Program (LEAP) is to provide grants to private sector and nonprofit organizations to conduct activities that leverage additional funding for addressing lead hazards in privately owned housing units and eliminating lead poisoning as a major public health threat to young children.
2.
Available Funds.
Approximately $9 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 funds.
3.
Eligible Applicants.
To be eligible to apply for funding under this program, the applicant must be a tax-exempt nonprofit (501(c)(3)), or other non-profit or for-profit entity or firm. For-profit institutions are not allowed to earn a fee. Colleges and universities are also eligible to apply. National and local parent groups are encouraged to apply. States and units of general local government and their departments are not eligible.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Program Description
Operation LEAP funds are for grants to private sector and nonprofit organizations for activities that leverage additional funding for addressing lead hazards in eligible privately owned housing units and eliminating lead poisoning as a major public health threat to young children. HUD's authority for making funding available under this NOFA is the Consolidated Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year (2004). Leveraged funds must be spent exclusively on addressing lead hazards in eligible privately owned housing units for which no other funding is available. Applicants are encouraged to employ creativity and initiative in mobilizing resources expeditiously for lead hazard control prevention efforts. Based upon the responses provided to the rating factors criteria described below, grants will be awarded to those entities that submit a detailed plan and strategy that demonstrates adequate capacity to implement the program and who demonstrate the ability to generate and use private sector resources for lead hazard control prevention efforts.
LEAP funds may also be used to eliminate lead-based paint hazards in low-income privately owned housing as well as implementing other lead hazard control strategies as defined by Title X of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 4851
et seq.
). However, these activities are only eligible if they are tied directly to a leveraging strategy. For example, LEAP funds could be used to fund the replacement of windows that are determined to be a lead-based paint hazard, while leveraged funds from owners could be used to do paint stabilization elsewhere in the unit (or in other units) where lead-based paint hazards are present.
II. Award Information
Funding Available:
Approximately $9 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 funds. The maximum award shall be $2 million per grant. HUD anticipates that approximately 5-10 grants will be awarded. The period of performance is 42 months (24 months for leveraging private sector resources followed by 18 months of activities utilizing leveraged funds for lead-related work). HUD reserves the right to approve no cost time extensions for a period not to exceed 12 months.
III. Eligibility Information
See
the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional eligibility requirements applicable to HUD Programs.
A. Eligible Applicants
To be eligible to apply for funding under this program, the applicant must be a tax-exempt nonprofit (501(c)(3)), or other non-profit or for-profit entity or firm. For-profit institutions are not allowed to earn a fee. Colleges and universities are also eligible. National and local parent groups are encouraged to apply. States and units of general local government and their departments are not eligible. Applicants who received awards under the Fiscal Year 2003 Notice of Funding Availability published in the
Federal Register
on April 25, 2003 cycle are eligible to apply under this NOFA.
B. Cost Sharing or Matching
There is no match requirement for this grant.
C. Other
To be eligible for funding under this NOFA, the applicant must meet all federal statutory and regulatory requirements applicable to this program including 24 CFR part 84 and applicable OMB circulars (
i.e.
, cost principal, uniform administrative requirements, audits). In addition, you will be required to comply with all State and local statutes, regulations or other applicable requirements.
1.
Threshold Requirements.
As an applicant, you and any subrecipient must meet all of the threshold requirements in section III. C. of the General Section of the SuperNOFA. Applications will not be rated or ranked if they do not meet the threshold requirements.
2.
Eligible Activities.
Activities conducted for the purpose of developing local or regional strategies designed to leverage or mobilize resources from the private sector. These activities may include, but are not necessarily limited to:
a. Providing technical lead safety training to workers or supervisors regarding lead safe work practices;
b. Conducting outreach and related activities that are directly tied to a leveraging strategy, and that will result in increased lead hazard control activities in low-income privately owned or owner occupied housing with lead-based paint hazards.
c. Lead hazard control activities tied directly to a leveraging strategy and conducted in low- and very low-income eligible privately-owned rental and occupied housing units, including:
(1) Performing dust, paint or soil testing, hazard screens, inspections, and risk assessments of eligible housing constructed before 1978 to determine the presence of lead-based paint and/or lead hazards from paint, dust, or soil;
(2) Conducting lead hazard control, which may include interim control of lead-based paint hazards in housing (which may include specialized cleaning techniques to address lead dust); or abatement of lead-based paint hazards, including soil and dust, by means of removal, enclosure, encapsulation, or replacement methods.
Unless there are only a few surfaces coated with lead paint, complete abatement of all lead-based paint or lead-contaminated soil is not usually acceptable as a cost-effective strategy unless justification is provided and subsequently approved by HUD. Abatement of lead-contaminated soil should be limited to areas with bare soil in the immediate vicinity of the structure,
i.e.
, drip line or foundation of the structure being treated, and children's play areas. All hazard control activities must comply with 24 CFR part 35, subpart R, the HUD Guidelines for the Evaluation and Control of Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing and all applicable Federal, State, and local regulations; in the case of a conflict between any of the above, the more stringent shall apply;
(3) Carrying out temporary relocation of families and individuals during the period in which lead hazard control is conducted and until the time the affected unit receives clearance for re-occupancy;
(4) Performing blood lead testing and air sampling to protect the health of the hazard control workers, supervisors, and contractors; and
(5) Undertaking minimal housing rehabilitation activities that are specifically required to carry out effective hazard control, and without which the hazard control could not be completed and maintained. Operation LEAP grant funds may be used for lead hazard control work done in conjunction with other housing rehabilitation programs. HUD strongly encourages integration of this grant program with housing rehabilitation, weatherization, and other energy conservation activities.
(6) Conducting clearance dust-wipe testing and associated laboratory analysis.
(7) Purchasing or leasing no more than two (2) X-ray fluorescence analyzers for use by the Program, if not already available.
d. Eligible costs that include providing all necessary administrative and indirect support, including rent, equipment, materials, travel expenses and logistics, and subcontractor/consultant costs necessary to carryout grant activities.
3.
Program Requirements.
In general, applicants conducting lead hazard control activities must ensure that work is conducted in compliance with the applicable requirements of HUD's Lead-Safe Housing Regulation, 24 CFR Part 35, and as clarified in HUD's Interpretive Guidance about the rule located at
http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/guidelines/leadsaferule/index.cfm.
a. Eligible Housing Units. LEAP funds may be used to support lead hazard control work in eligible low- and very low-income privately owned rental and occupied housing units. Refer to section IV. E of this NOFA for a list (Eligibility of HUD Assisted Housing) of the HUD-associated housing programs that meet the definition of eligible housing under this program.
b. Continued Availability of Lead-Safe Housing to Low-Income Families. Units in which lead hazards have been controlled under this program shall be occupied by and/or continue to be available to low-income families for at least three years as required by Title X (section 1011). The grantee must also notify the owner of the information that is collected so that the owner will comply with disclosure requirements under 24 CFR part 35, subpart A.
c. Testing. For applicants conducting lead hazard control activities, all testing and sampling shall conform to the current HUD Guidelines and Federal, State, or tribal regulations developed as part of the appropriate contractor certification program whichever is more stringent. Testing must be conducted according to the HUD Guidelines, located at
http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/guidelines/hudguidelines/index.cfm,
and the EPA lead hazard standards rule at 40 CFR part 745. All test results must be provided to the owner in a timely fashion, together with a notice describing the owner's legal duty to disclose the results to tenants and buyers under 24 CFR part 35, subpart A. All units undergoing lead hazard control must have clearance testing performed.
(1) Lead-Based Paint and Lead-Based Paint Hazard Identification. For applicants conducting lead hazard control activities, an inspection or risk assessment is required. You should ensure that lead paint inspection and risk assessment reports are conducted in accordance with established protocols and sufficient to support hazard control decisions.
(2) Clearance Testing. For applicants conducting lead hazard control activities, clearance testing shall be completed in accordance with Chapter 15 of the HUD Guidelines and the EPA lead hazards standards rule at 40 CFR part 745 for abatement projects and the Lead-Safe Housing Regulation (24 CFR part 35) for lead hazard control activities or other abatement. The clearance standards shall be the more restrictive of those set by the local jurisdiction or by EPA or HUD.
(3) Blood Lead Testing: Before lead hazard control work begins, HUD recommends that each occupant who is under six years of age be tested for lead poisoning prior to proceeding with the housing intervention. Any child with an elevated blood lead level should be referred for appropriate medical follow-up. The standards for such testing are described in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publications
Preventing Lead Poisoning in Young Children
(1991), and
Screening Young Children for Lead Poisoning: Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials
(1997).
d. Written Policies and Procedures. For applicants conducting lead hazard control activities, you must have clearly established written policies and procedures for eligibility, program marketing, unit selection, expediting work on homes occupied by children with elevated blood lead levels, and all phases of lead hazard control, including risk assessment, inspection, development of specifications, pre-hazard control blood lead testing, financing, relocation, and clearance testing. Grantees, subcontractors, sub-grantees, sub-recipients, and their contractors must adhere to these policies and procedures.
e. Prohibited Practices. For applicants conducting lead hazard control activities, you must not engage in the following prohibited practices:
(1) Open flame burning or torching;
(2) Machine sanding or grinding without a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) exhaust control;
(3) Uncontained hydro blasting or high-pressure wash;
(4) Abrasive blasting or sandblasting without HEPA exhaust control;
(5) Heat guns operating above 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit;
(6) Chemical paint strippers containing methylene chloride or other volatile hazardous chemicals in a poorly ventilated space; and
(7) Dry scraping or dry sanding, except scraping in conjunction with heat guns or around electrical outlets or when treating no more than two square feet in any one interior room or space, or totaling no more than 20 square feet on exterior surfaces.
f. Research. In conformance with the Common Rule (
Federal Policy for the Protection of Human Subjects,
codified by HUD at 24 CFR part 60), for applicants conducting blood lead testing as part of a research effort, your organization must provide an assurance (
e.g.
, a letter signed by an appropriate official) that the research has been reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before you can receive funds from HUD for activities that require IRB approval. Before receiving such funds, you must
also provide the number for your organization's assurance (
i.e.
, an “institutional assurance”) that has been approved by the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP). For additional information on what constitutes human subject research or how to obtain an institutional assurance
see
the OHRP Web site at
http://ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov/.
g. Conducting Business in Accordance with HUD Core Values and Ethical Standards. Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for information about conducting business in accordance with HUD's core values and ethical standards.
4.
DUNS Requirement.
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for information regarding the DUNS requirement. You will need to obtain a DUNS number to receive an award from HUD.
5.
Eligibility of HUD-Assisted Housing.
The chart “Eligibility of HUD-Assisted Housing” below lists the “eligible” housing units that may participate under LEAP when lead hazard control is tied directly to a leveraging strategy.
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IV. Application and Submission Information
A. Addresses To Request Application Package
1.
Application Submission. See
the General Section of the SuperNOFA for specific procedures concerning the form of application submission (
e.g.
, mailed applications, express mail or overnight delivery). Be advised that there is no Application Kit for the Operation Lead Elimination Action Program. All the information required to submit an application is contained in this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).
a. Guidebook and Further Information. You may request general information, copies of the General Section and Program Sections of the SuperNOFA from the SuperNOFA Information Center (800-HUD-8929 or 800-HUD-2209 (TTY)) between the hours of 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. (eastern time) Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays. When requesting information, please refer to the name of the program you are interested in. Be sure to provide your name, address (including zip code), and telephone number (including area code). To ensure sufficient time to prepare your application, requests for copies of the SuperNOFA or this NOFA can be made immediately following publication of the SuperNOFA. The SuperNOFA Information Center opens for business simultaneously with the publication of HUD's 2004 NOFAs. You can obtain information on this SuperNOFA and download application information for this SuperNOFA through the Web site
http://www.grants.gov.
B. Content and Form of Application Submission
1.
Application Submission Requirements for the Operation Lead Elimination Action Program (LEAP).
Applicants under this category of the NOFA are to follow the submission requirements described below.
a. Application Information.
(1) Application Format. The application narrative response to the Rating Factors are limited to a maximum of 15 pages. Your response must be typewritten on one side only on 8
1/2
× 11 inch paper, using a standard 12-point font, with not less than “ inch margins on all sides. Appendices should be referenced and discussed in the narrative response. Materials provided in the appendices should directly apply to the rating factor narrative.
(2) Application Checklist (voluntary). Your application must contain all of the required information noted in this Program Section and the General Section of the SuperNOFA. These items include the standard forms, certifications, and assurances listed in the General Section of this SuperNOFA that are applicable to this funding (collectively referred to as the “standard forms”). The standard forms can be found in the General Section of the SuperNOFA. The “Checklist and Submission Table of Contents” below includes a listing of the required items needed for submitting a complete application and receiving consideration for funding. You are to assemble the application in the order shown in the Checklist and Submission Table of Contents and note the corresponding page number where the response is located. Inclusion of this Checklist and Submission Table of Contents with your proposal is recommended but not required.
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The following are the items to be included in an application:
(a) Transmittal Letter. A transmittal letter that identifies the applicant(s) submitting the application, the dollar amount requested, what the program funds are requested for, and the nature of involvement with community-based organizations. Also include the name, mailing address, telephone number, and principal contact person of the applicant. If you have consortium associates, sub-grantees, partners, major subcontractors, joint venture participants, or others contributing resources to your project, you must provide similar information for each of these partners;
(b) Checklist and Submission Table of Contents (voluntary)
(c) Abstract Summary. Provide an abstract summary describing the goals and objectives of the proposed program (two-page maximum); including—
(i) The total amount of the federal request and the amount of the matching contribution for the entire period of performance;
(ii) The specific activities that will be conducted;
(iii) The organization(s) that will participate in the program; and
(iv) Your prior activities, experience and achievements in related work.
(d) Forms. All standard forms as required by the General Section of the SuperNOFA and program Form HUD-96009 (Work Plan Development Worksheet With Minimum Benchmark Performance Standards).
(e) Budget. A total budget summary (total budget is the federal share and leveraged contribution) with supporting narrative and cost justifications for all budget categories of your grant request. A maximum of ten percent of the federal share can be for administrative costs.
An itemized breakout (using the HUD Form-424CBW) of leveraged contributions that are directly received by the project or subrecipients should be documented including:
(i) Values placed on donated in-kind services;
(ii) Letters or other evidence of commitment from donors; and
(iii) The amounts and sources of contributed resources; and
(f) Partners. Contracts, Memoranda of Understanding or Agreement, letters of commitment or other documentation must describe the proposed roles of agencies, local broad-based task forces, participating faith-based or other community- or neighborhood-based groups or organizations, local businesses, and others working with the program. For-profit entities and/or firms must clearly demonstrate and document how activities, including the lead-based paint hazard identification and control measures to be undertaken by the applicant will be coordinated with local organizations, state(s) or units of general local government to carry out lead hazard control and other program activities.
Other leveraged resources not received directly by the project and subrecipients but used to support program activities should be included in the narrative response to Rating Factor 3, but not on HUD Form 424-CBW. Applicants should describe their methodology for tracking leveraged resources not directly received by the project or subrecipients. c. Rating Factor Responses—Proposed Activities. All applications must, at a minimum, describe the proposed activities in the narrative responses to the rating factors. Your narrative statement must be numbered in accordance with each factor for award (Rating Factors 1 through 4).
C. Submission Dates and Times
1.
Application Due Date.
The application due date is July 13, 2004. Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional submission requirements including acceptable submission methods, acceptable proof of delivery and other information to assist the applicant.
D. Intergovernmental Review
Not applicable.
E. Funding Restrictions
1.
Ineligible Activities.
You may not use grant funds for any of the following:
a. Purchase of real property;
b. Chelation or other medical treatment costs related to children with elevated blood lead levels; and
c. Lead hazard abatement activities in public housing, or project-based Section 8 housing.
F. Other Submission Requirements
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for other application submission requirements.
1.
Addresses and Number of Copies.
The applicant, must submit an original and three copies of a complete application to: HUD Headquarters, Robert C. Weaver Federal Building, 451 Seventh Street, SW., Room P3206, Washington, DC 20410; Attn: LEAP.
V. Application Review Information
A. Criteria
The factors for award used to evaluate and rate applications include:
• Rating Factor 1: Organizational Capacity.
• Rating Factor 2: Approach.
• Rating Factor 3: Leveraging Resources.
• Rating Factor 4: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation.
Applicants are encouraged to employ creativity and initiative in mobilizing resources expeditiously for lead hazard control prevention efforts. Based upon the responses provided to the rating factors described below, grants will be awarded to those entities who submit a detailed strategy that demonstrates adequate capacity to carry out the proposed use of funds and who demonstrate the ability to generate and use private sector resources for lead hazard control prevention efforts. The factors for rating and ranking applicants, and maximum points for each factor, are delineated below. The maximum number of points to be awarded is 100.
1. Rating Factor 1: Organizational Capacity (30 points)
This factor addresses the applicant's organizational capacity to successfully implement the proposed activities in a timely manner.
a.
Staff Experience (20 points).
Describe the knowledge and experience of the staff responsible for the following functions: Executive Direction; Finance, Marketing; and Program Coordination. The applicant must have sufficient qualified personnel or be able to quickly retain qualified experts or professionals in financial/grant management, marketing, and/or lead-based paint programs that will allow you to immediately begin your proposed work program and to perform your proposed activities within the 42-month period of performance.
The applicant's narrative should include information about your organizational and staff capacity in raising and/or leveraging funds, and in successfully garnering private sector support recently (
e.g.
, within the past five years). Include a discussion of staff knowledge and expertise in raising and/or leveraging funds, possessing the prerequisite organizational skills, and lead poisoning prevention activities.
The discussion on capacity should include the depth, experience, the commitment of time to the program, salary information, and position titles of the program staff.
Resumes or detailed job announcements for the above key positions must be included as an appendix to your application. Indicate the percentage of time key personnel will devote to the proposed project. An applicant may demonstrate capacity by thoroughly describing prior experience in this type of activity and/or how the
applicant will develop the necessary capacity to carryout proposed activities.
b.
Grants Management (4 points).
Describe the agency's or organization's ability to manage grants and leveraged program funds and activities.
c.
Partner Expertise (4 points).
Describe project participants/partners knowledge and experience regarding lead poisoning as a public health threat to children, and/or lead-based paint issues and hazard control. Use of staff with more recent, relevant, and demonstrated successful experience will result in a higher rating.
d.
Removal of Barriers to Affordable Housing (2 points).
A new applicant will be awarded up to two points under Rating Factor 1 for activities that remove barriers to affordable housing within their communities, support state and local efforts to streamline processes and procedures, eliminate redundant requirements, statutes, regulations, and codes which impede the availability of affordable housing. This priority relates to HUD's Strategic Goals for Increasing Homeownership Opportunities and Promoting Decent Affordable Housing.
2. Rating Factor 2: Approach (40 points)
This factor addresses the approach and strategy that the applicant intends to follow in meeting the goals and objectives of the program. This strategy should address the following:
a.
Selection Process for Partner Organization (5 points).
Describe the selection process for those organizations that are to conduct or coordinate work activities for lead hazard control, outreach, evaluation, etc and discuss how you intend to involve faith-based or other community-based organizations in your proposed activities.
b.
Strategy and Approach (35 points).
(1) Leveraging Strategy. Describe the proposed strategy for leveraging private sector resources including:
(a) Target audiences/constituencies;
(b) Use of contractors/subgrantees/partners and their method of selection;
(c) Methods of outreach/promotion;
(d) Types of leveraging to be employed;
(e) Proposed use and distribution of funds/resources leveraged;
(f) Overall project management and coordination; and
(g) Proposed schedule of activities within the 42-month period of performance.
(2) Work Plan Strategy. The work plan strategy narrative shall include:
(a) The management plan that describes how the project will be managed, and the timeline for staffing the program. Applicants should develop a work plan that includes specific, measurable and time-phased objectives for each major program activity. The applicant's work plan should reflect the benchmark standards with quarterly milestones for proposed program activities and expenditures, and that will provide HUD with measurable outcome results to be achieved with the requested funds. Measurable outcome results should be stated in terms relevant to the purpose of the program funds as a direct result of the work performed within the performance period of the grant.
(b) A detailed description of how assistance and funding will flow from the grantee to the actual performers of the work;
(c) The selection process for sub-grantees, sub-contractors and/or sub-recipients (if any);
(d) The evaluation process used to measure program performance;
(e) The overall objectives for activities. Quarterly performance milestones are to be developed to achieve the overall objectives for these activities;
(f) Performance benchmarks have been developed. The benchmarks referred to in this NOFA can also be found on the HUD Web site at:
http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/grantfrm/hudgrantee.cfm.
Development of your work plan should include and reflect these benchmark standards.
(g) A successful applicant's award is contingent upon budget negotiation and approval of a work plan.
(3) Strategies/Approaches. The applicant is encouraged to employ creativity and initiative in achieving the objectives of the program. Some examples of possible strategies/approaches include the following:
(a) Enlisting the support and resource commitment of financial institutions, foundations, private industry, the general public, property owners, and others to make residential housing lead-safe and eliminate lead poisoning as a public health threat to children;
(b) Soliciting the support of national building materials providers, building component manufacturers, and housing-related national retail outlets to donate money and/or materials to lead hazard control programs in housing and health departments, landlords and owner-occupants to eliminate lead-based paint hazards in privately owned low-income dwellings: For example, a window, wallboard, or paint manufacturer/retailer could donate or coordinate the donation and distribution of windows or paint to lead-based paint and/or rehabilitation projects throughout the country. This strategy could also include the distribution of discount coupons for purchases of paint or other materials from national supplies;
(c) Forming partnerships with banks or other mortgage or financial institutions willing to provide no or low-interest home improvement loans to finance lead hazard control activities and abatement measures among low-income recipients who would not otherwise be served. By participating, banks could fulfill a major element of their responsibilities under the Community Reinvestment Act;
(d) Forming partnerships to facilitate the coordination and distribution of donated building materials, such as windows, trim molding, or paint, etc., to local projects involved in lead hazard control programs;
(e) Identifying and facilitating the availability and use of temporary relocation facilities for families who need to move out of their dwellings while lead hazard control work is being undertaken. For example, hotel chains, colleges, and other lead-safe sites could be contacted to make housing available for the temporary relocation of families during lead hazard control;
(f) Working with landlords, tenant groups and others to form consortia or otherwise engage landlords and owner-occupants to enroll their eligible housing units in local lead hazard control or rehabilitation programs. The applicant should obtain commitments from landlords to provide matching resources for work to be done on their units. For example, the lead hazard control program could offer landlords grant funds for replacement windows if the landlords contribute the cost of additional repairs (such as basic system upgrades, or other rehabilitation work including painting and maintenance) that is associated with lead hazard control. To encourage such commitments, efforts should be made to educate landlords about the primary benefits (effect on children's health) and supplementary benefits that can result from lead hazard reduction work such as improving an apartment's physical condition and marketability;
(g) Expanding dust testing and clearance testing, especially in high-risk communities;
(h) Promoting homebuilder, remodeler, or contractor associations to coordinate efforts to reduce lead hazards by contributing technical assistance, training, presentations and materials and/or labor to lead hazard control efforts;.
(i) Encouraging landscaping firms, nurseries, and landscape architects to contribute lead-safe soil, mulch, and other forms of vegetation cover and shrubbery designed to mitigate lead
contamination of soil around the exterior/perimeter and play areas of affected housing units;
(j) Working with health, housing, and community development organizations or other entities to conduct lead poisoning prevention activities, including efforts to plan and/or facilitate or participate in strategic planning to eliminate lead poisoning as a public health threat to young children by 2010.
(k) Working with grassroots faith-based or other community-based organizations that are committed to improving the quality of life of young children in high risk housing; and
(l) Providing training for significant numbers of trades people to implement lead-safe work practices, such as window replacement and weatherization work.
3. Rating Factor 3: Leveraging Resources (20 points)
This factor addresses the applicant's ability to obtain and use private sector resources or leverage private sector activities that can be combined with HUD and other program resources to achieve program objectives. Private funds/resources do not include any public sector funds,
e.g.
, funds provided by states and units of general local government including Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)/Home Investment Partnership (HOME) funds. Applicants are encouraged to use such funds as part of this program but these funds are not considered under this rating factor. Describe the types of public or private sector commitments, if any, currently available to devote to Operation LEAP grant program activities, and the anticipated future amounts to be generated. Based upon the estimated amount of funding anticipated for leveraging over the life of the award, identify the general geographic locations of the units that will be treated by this increased funding or leveraged resources. Also provide an estimate of the number of eligible housing units that can be expected to be treated and the number of low- and very low-income families that will benefit under LEAP. Generated resources may include cash or in-kind contributions of personnel, services, equipment, or supplies. In evaluating this factor, HUD will consider the extent to which the applicant has established working partnerships, memoranda of understanding, and/or firm agreements with other identified entities for the commitment of additional resources. Resources may be provided by any private source, including contributions of investor-owners. However, the donations of resources, goods, and services considered as leveraged resources should be based on market values and documented. Applicants that do not have such partnerships at the time of application will be required to establish partnerships immediately following notification of grant award. Only contributions that have a stated monetary value with supporting documentation from the contributing organization/entity authorized to make such commitment will be counted as leveraged funds. Firmly established commitments will be rated more highly than applications with commitments that have not yet been established. The most advantageous agreements will be those not solely dependent on LEAP funding, including those that create long-term commitments for leveraged funds beyond the period of the LEAP grant. Therefore it is preferable that LEAP funds act as “seed” funds so any future funding streams can be used to stimulate additional leveraging agreements and not simply support prior agreements. In evaluating this factor, HUD will examine the extent to which agreements provide for sustained contributions from non-public sources and allow for non-LEAP funds to support such leveraging in the future. Applicants that have targeted specific high-risk neighborhoods or geographic locations for leveraging/fundraising and abatement/control activities will receive a higher number of rating points. Describe what the organization has done in the recent past (
e.g.
, within the past five years) that gives evidence of its ability and experience to leverage substantial private sector resources. Describe specific activities, the amount of funds or resources leveraged, and what the leveraged funds will be used to support. If an applicant has experience in generating funds or resources for purposes similar to addressing lead paint abatement or control measures, the applicant should describe those activities and the results achieved.
4. Rating Factor 4: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation (10 Points)
This factor emphasizes HUD's commitment to ensuring that applicants achieve the goals outlined in their work plan and other benchmark standards and assess their performance to ensure performance goals are met. Achieving results means you, the applicant, have clearly identified the benefits, or outcomes of your program. Outcomes are ultimate goals. Benchmarks or outputs are interim activities or products that lead to the ultimate achievement of your goals. Program evaluation requires that you, the applicant, identify program outcomes, interim products or 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 Evaluation Plan should identify what you are going to measure, how you are going 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. Applicants are required to complete the HUD Logic Form to supplement the narrative response to this rating factor.
a. An applicant is to identify and describe specific methods, measures, and tools that you will use (in addition to HUD reporting requirements) to measure progress, evaluate program effectiveness, and identify program changes necessary to improve performance. Describe how you will obtain, document and report the information. In evaluating this factor, HUD will consider how you have described outcome measures and benefits of your program including:
b. Ability to generate substantial private sector resources. The main objective of Operation LEAP is to leverage private sector resources to eliminate lead poisoning as a major public health threat to young children. The key terms here are “leverage private sector resources.” HUD is looking for those applicants that demonstrate the most realistic and successful fund raising and/or leveraging skills to mobilize substantial private sector resources for addressing lead hazards in housing.
c. Ability to demonstrate or develop a national and/or regional (multi-state) strategy for leveraging resources from the private sector is essential. Those resources should be realistic and achievable and made part of the work plan and benchmark activities of this proposal. The proposed budget should demonstrate how these leveraged funds will be used to address lead hazards in housing and make residential housing lead-safe and eliminate lead poisoning as a public health threat to children.
d. Results of any specific plans and objectives established to implement and/or maintain a registry (listing) of lead-safe housing that is available to the public, or to incorporate the inclusion of the lead-safe status of properties in another publicly accessible address-based property information system. Results could include how the information would be managed and affirmatively marketed to the public so
that families (particularly low-income families with children under six years of age) can make informed decisions regarding their housing options. Applicants that demonstrate partnerships with national or regionally recognized material suppliers,
e.g.,
sheet rock/drywall manufacturers or retailers, paint manufacturers or distributors, window manufacturers or distributors, etc., will receive stronger consideration.
e. The extent to which affirmatively furthering fair housing for all segments of the population is advanced by the proposed activities. Detail how the proposed work plan will support the community's efforts to affirmatively further affordable housing and discuss the impact of prior activities that have contributed to enhanced lead-safe housing opportunities.
f. How your program will be held accountable for meeting program goals, objectives, and the actions undertaken in implementing the grant program. Applicants should provide a description of the mechanism to assess progress and track performance in meeting the goals and objectives outlined in the work plan. Applicants should provide assurances that work plans and performance measures developed for the program will assist intended beneficiaries, and that work will be conducted in a timely and cost-effective manner.
B. Reviews and Selection Process
1. HUD's Strategic Goals
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for information on HUD's strategic goals.
2. Rating and Ranking
Please refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for details. Only those applications that meet the threshold review requirements will be rated and ranked according to their response to the Rating Factor Criteria included in this NOFA. The maximum number of points to be awarded is 100. A minimum score of 75 is required for fundable applications.
Rating factor
Maximum points
Rating Factor 1: Organizational Capacity
30
Rating Factor 2: Approach
40
Rating Factor 3: Leveraging Resources
20
Rating Factor 4: Achieving Results and Program Evaluation
10
Total
100
VI. Award Administration Information
A. Award Notices
1. Successful applicants will receive a letter from the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Grant Officer indicating that they have been selected for an award. This letter will provide additional details regarding the effective start date of the grant and any additional data and information to be submitted to execute a grant agreement. This letter is not an authorization to begin work or incur costs under the grant. A fully executed grant agreement is the authorizing document. Unsuccessful applicants will also be notified that their application was not selected for an award and will be afforded an opportunity to request a debriefing on the unsuccessful application according to the procedures outlined in the SuperNOFA.
2.
Negotiation.
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional details.
3.
Adjustments to Funding.
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for additional details.
4.
Performance and Compliance Actions of Funding Recipients.
HUD will measure and address the performance and compliance actions of funding recipients in accordance with the applicable standards and sanctions of their respective programs.
B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements
1.
Environmental Requirements:
Certain activities assisted under this program may be subject to HUD environmental review to the extent required under 24 CFR part 50. An award under the Lead Elimination Action Program (LEAP) does not constitute approval of specific sites where activities that are subject to environmental review may be carried out. Following grant award execution, HUD will be responsible for ensuring that any necessary environmental reviews are completed. You may not rehabilitate, convert, or repair property, or commit or expend grant funds or HUD-leveraged funds for any eligible property until you receive written notification from the appropriate HUD official that completed its environmental review and the property has been approved. The results of the environmental reviews may require that proposed activities be modified or proposed sites rejected. For assistance, contact Karen Choi, the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Environmental Officer at (213) 894-8000, extension 3015 (this is not a toll-free number) or the HUD Environmental Review Officer in the HUD field office serving your area. If you are a hearing- or speech-impaired person, you may reach the telephone number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Recipients of a grant under this funded program will be given additional guidance in these responsibilities.
2.
HUD Reform Act.
Applicants must comply with the requirements for funding competitions established by the HUD Reform Act of 1989 (42 U.S.C. 3531
et seq.
) as defined in the General Section of the SuperNOFA.
3.
Other Requirements.
Please review the General Section of the SuperNOFA for information on Statutory and Regulatory Requirements, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing, Economic Opportunities for Low- and Very Low-Income Persons (Section 3), ensuring the Participation of Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, and Woman-Owned Businesses, OMB Circulars and Governmentwide Regulations Applicable to Financial Assistance Programs, Conflicts of Interest, Prohibition Against Lobbying Activities, Accessible Technology, Improving Access to Services for Persons with Limited English Proficiency, Compliance with Fair Housing and Civil Rights Laws, and Executive Orders pertaining to this NOFA.
a. Participation in HUD-Sponsored Program Evaluation. As a condition of the receipt of financial assistance under this NOFA all successful applicants will be required to cooperate with all HUD staff or contractors performing HUD funded research and evaluation studies.
C. Reporting
Successful applicants will be required to submit quarterly, annual, and final program and financial reports according to the requirements of the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control. Specific guidance and additional details will be provided to successful applicants.
VII. Agency Contact(s)
1.
For Further Information and Technical Assistance:
You may contact Linda J. Ciancio, Acting Director, Program Management and Assurance Division, Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control; 451 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410. Or by telephone, fax, or email: telephone (202) 755-1785, extension 112 (this is not a toll-free number); if you are a hearing- or speech-impaired person, you may reach the above telephone number via TTY by calling the toll-free Federal
Information Relay Service at 800-877-8339; fax: (202) 755-1000; or e-mail:
Linda_J._Ciancio@hud.gov.
VIII. Other Information
Refer to the General Section of the SuperNOFA for details regarding other information on submitting application that meets HUD requirements.
A. Paperwork Reduction Act
The information collection requirements contained in this document have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520) and assigned OMB control number 2539-0015. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless the collection displays a currently valid OMB control number. Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 80 hours per application and 16 hours per grant award. This includes the time for collecting, reviewing, and reporting the data. The information will be used for grantee selection & monitoring the administration of funds. Response to this request for information is required in order to receive the benefits to be derived.
B. Other Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control Information
For additional general, technical, and grant program information pertaining to the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control, visit:
http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead.
BILLING CODE 4210-32-P
EN14MY04.151
EN14MY04.152
Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI)
Overview Information
A.
Federal Agency Name:
Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Community Planning and Development.
B.
Funding Opportunity Title:
Brownfields Economic Development Initiative.
C.
Announcement Type:
Initial announcement.
D.
Funding Opportunity Number:
The
Federal Register
number is FR-4900-N-07. The OMB approval number is 2506-0153.
E.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):
Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI), 14.246.
F.
Dates:
The application due date is July 15, 2004.
G.
Optional, Additional Overview Content Information:
BEDI funds are used to enhance the security of a loan guaranteed by HUD under section 108 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, for the same brownfields economic development project, or to improve the viability of a brownfields economic development project financed with the section 108-guaranteed loan, in order to stimulate economic development by local governments and private sector parties at brownfields sites and to return those sites to productive, economic reuse. All BEDI grants must be used in conjunction with a new section 108-guaranteed loan commitment.
HUD encourages brownfields economic development projects that propose the redevelopment of a brownfields site through new investments by identified private sector parties and that will directly result in new business or job creation, increases in the local tax base or other near-term, measurable economic benefits.
Those interested in applying for funding under this program should review carefully the General Section of the SuperNOFA and the following additional information.
Full Text of Announcement
I. Funding Opportunity Description
A. Authority
BEDI is authorized pursuant to section 108(q), Title I, Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 5301); 24 CFR part 570.
B. Program Description
BEDI is designed to help local governments redevelop brownfields, defined in this NOFA as abandoned, idled, or underutilized real property, including industrial and commercial facilities, where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by the presence or potential presence of environmental contamination. A BEDI grant award will be conditioned upon, and must be used in conjunction with, a new (
i.e.,
not previously approved) section 108-guaranteed loan commitment. Both section 108 loan guarantee proceeds and BEDI grant funds are initially made available by HUD to units of general local government eligible for assistance under HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program (specifically, the Entitlement and State programs and for certain jurisdictions in the state of Hawaii, the Small Cities program). A local government may re-loan the section 108 loan proceeds and provide BEDI funds to a business or other public entity eligible to carry out a specific approved brownfields economic development project, or the public entity may carry out the eligible project itself, as provided in the approved application. In either case, BEDI grant funds and the 108 proceeds must be used to support the same eligible BEDI project.
Under this program, communities (and states, as applicable) pledge their continuing CDBG allocations as security for the section 108 loans guaranteed by HUD. BEDI grant funds are intended to reduce grantees' potential loss of future CDBG allocations by:
1. Strengthening the economic feasibility of a project financed with section 108 funds (and thereby increasing the probability that the project will generate enough cash to repay the guaranteed loan);
2. Directly enhancing the security of the section 108-guaranteed loan; or
3. Employing a combination of these or other risk mitigation techniques. BEDI funds are to be used as the stimulus for local governments and private sector parties to commence redevelopment or continue phased redevelopment efforts of brownfields sites where contamination is present or potentially present and a redevelopment plan exists. HUD desires to see BEDI and section 108 funds used to finance projects and activities that involve investment in the brownfields site by an identified private sector party and that will provide near-term results and measurable economic benefits, such as job creation and increases in the local tax base.
C. Program Definitions
Unless otherwise defined herein, terms defined in this NOFA shall have the same respective meanings as provided for in 24 CFR part 570.
Act
means Title I, Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301
et seq.
).
Application
means a single set of documents, including a request for Section 108 loan guarantee assistance, submitted by an eligible applicant for BEDI grant funds, in accordance with the provisions of this NOFA to finance a brownfields economic development project. Section IV.B.1(e) of this NOFA provides additional information on the nature and forms of section 108 loan guarantee requests that must accompany each BEDI application.
Brownfields
means abandoned, idled, or under-used real property (including industrial and commercial facilities) where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by the presence or potential presence of contamination.
Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (
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