Public and Indian Housing HOPE in Youth Program: Notice of Demonstration

SUMMARY: This Notice announces the Department's intention to contribute

up to $1 million from the Youth Development Initiative under the Family

Investment Centers Program for a HOPE in Youth Demonstration to be

administered by the Housing Authorities of the City and County of Los

Angeles. The Demonstration is designed to leverage funds, bringing

together combined investments through an alliance among the Housing

Authorities of the City and County of Los Angeles, the Industrial Areas

Foundation, church-related social service providers, and leaders of

several major religious denominations. A Coordinating Council of this

alliance will develop greater avenues for educational opportunities and

supportive services for public housing youth in these communities. In

addition, the housing authorities will be working with private sector

institutions to provide a variety of services that enhance the

supportive services already available to public housing youth. This

demonstration will particularly emphasize the provision of educational

opportunities and supportive services to attempt to break the cycle of

poverty that often leads to crime and violence among youth. A component

of the demonstration will be the development of replicable models with

wider applicability. This notice provides guidelines for the use of the

demonstration funds and invites comments on the proposed demonstration.

DATES: Comment due date: August 21, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding

this notice to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of General Counsel, Room

10276, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 Seventh Street,

SW, Washington, DC 20410-0500. Communications should refer to the above

docket number and title. Facsimile (FAX) comments are not acceptable. A

copy of each communication submitted will be available for public

inspection and copying between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays at the

above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bertha Jones, Office of Community

Relations and Involvement, Department of Housing and Urban Development,

451 Seventh Street SW, Room 4112, Washington, DC 20410, Telephone

Number (202) 708-4214 (This is not a toll-free number). Hearing- or

speech-impaired persons may use the Telecommunications Devices for the

Deaf (TDD) by contacting the Federal Information Relay Service, on 1-

800-877-8339, for information on the program.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Authority

Section 22 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.

1437t) provides for the establishment of Family Investment Centers

(FIC). The final rule implementing the FIC Program for public housing

was published on August 24, 1994 (59 FR 43622), as part 964, subpart D.

In the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban

Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1995 (Pub. L.

103-327, approved September 28, 1994), Congress appropriated

$26,342,000 for Family Investment Centers. The Department's intention

to use the total of $10 million for Youth Development Initiative

activities was announced in the NOFA for Public and Indian Housing

Family Investment Centers, published on February 15, 1995 (60 FR 8900).

On May 30, 1995 (60 FR 28304), the Department published a NOFA for

Youth Development Initiative Under Public and Indian Housing Family

Investment Centers (Youth Development Initiative), which announced that

$10 million was being made available for the Youth Development

Initiative. The Youth Development Initiative was amended on July 6,

1995 (60 FR 35215), to clarify that $1 million of the funds was being

set aside for a HOPE In Youth Demonstration Program, reducing the

amount to be awarded under the Youth Development Initiative from $10

million to $9 million.

In accordance with the requirements of section 470(a) of the

Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 (42 U.S.C. 3542), this

notice describes the proposed demonstration and invites public comment.

Any changes made in this demonstration as a result of the Department's

consideration of public comments, and any extension of time for the

commitment of funds that may be necessary because of these changes,

also will be published in the Federal Register.

The Department will not commit funds for the proposed demonstration

until after the latest of: (1) The date the Department has considered

any comments received in response to this notice; (2) September 18,

1995, which is 60 days after today's publication date; and (3) the date

the Department has received and approved an application that meets the

requirements set forth in this notice and any subsequent notice

announcing changes in the demonstration.

Background of Demonstration

The Los Angeles public housing community has a particular need to

address a lack of educational opportunities, supportive services and

lifestyle choices for its youth. The City of Los Angeles is living with

a crisis, a generation of young people doomed to school failure and

lack of jobs with no future. Los Angeles County has the distinction of

being the gang capital of the world, because of the magnitude of gang-

related crimes and the sheer number (over 100,000) of gang members

within its borders as a result of the lack of proper educational and

training opportunities to provide alternatives to crime. Based on 1991

statistics, gang activity has accounted for 771 homicides, more than

two each day. This demonstration will bring into the public housing

communities unique experiences that have proven to be successful in

other communities outside of public housing, together with a

coordinated team approach for reducing gang membership and preventing

new recruitment into gang activity and crime.

For purposes of this demonstration, the Department will make up to

$1 million available to the Housing Authorities (HAs) of the City and

County of Los Angeles for use in establishing a HOPE in Youth

Demonstration to be administered in accordance with the requirements of

the Youth Development Initiative under the Family Investment Centers

Program. This demonstration will bring together the skills needed for

the successful operation of a program that will build a critical mass

of people to develop educational and employment opportunities, provide

alternatives to crime and violence and empower public housing youth to

become economically self-sufficient. It is designed to empower parents

in public housing to positively influence these at-risk youth to

continue

[[Page 37553]]

their education and to build coalitions of principled people and train

them to rebuild the social fabric of public housing neighborhoods.

Under the HOPE in Youth Demonstration Program, HUD will make

available up to $500,000 each to the Housing Authorities of the City

and County of Los Angeles, after the HA meets applicable programmatic

and application requirements. The HOPE In Youth Demonstration is unique

in a number of ways. It involves an innovative collaboration between

two housing authorities whose combined jurisdictions cover a large

metropolitan area. In addition, the housing authorities will be working

with private sector institutions to provide a variety of services to

enhance the supportive services available to public housing residents.

The demonstration will also focus on education and supportive services

aimed at strengthening families through parenting classes, mentoring,

helping parents understand their role in supporting schools and helping

parents to know how to communicate with their children.

Applicable Requirements

In order to receive the funding proposed in this notice, the

Housing Authorities of the City and County of Los Angeles will be

required to meet the applicable programmatic and submission

requirements set forth in the NOFA for the Youth Development Initiative

under Family Investment Centers Program published on May 30, 1995 (60

FR 28304), as well as any subsequent notice that is published after the

comment period for this demonstration notice has closed. If either of

these HAs cannot fulfill its obligation, the Secretary reserves the

right to award the entire grant to the remaining HA in accordance with

the programmatic and application requirements.

When applicable, the certifications, findings, determinations, and

requirements listed by the Department under the ``Other Matters''

section of that NOFA also apply to this notice.

Authority: 42 U.S.C. 1437t and 3535(d).

Dated: July 11, 1995.

Michael B. Janis,

General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing.

[FR Doc. 95-17812 Filed 7-19-95; 8:45 am]

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