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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) provides grants to state and local agencies to use with local nonprofit groups to fund a wide range of activities which help create and maintain affordable housing for low income persons. Local agencies have a great deal of flexibility in deciding how to use the funds in ways to best meet their communities affordable housing needs. Eligible projects include the purchase, construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing for rent or homeownership. Direct rental assistance to low income individuals may also be provided through the HOME program.
HOME funds are distributed to state and local governments according to a formula established to reflect the jurisdiction's need for an increased supply of affordable housing for low income families. The City of Carlsbad receives HOME funds as a member of the San Diego County HOME Consortium. The Consortium must provide matching funds of at least 25% of the total HOME grant and a yearly action plan on how the funds will be used must be submitted to HUD for approval.
Eligible Households
The eligibility of households for HOME assistance varies with the nature of the funded activity. For rental housing and rental assistance, at least 90 percent of benefiting families must have incomes that are no more than 60 percent of the HUD-adjusted median family income for the area. In rental projects with five or more assisted units, at least 20% of the units must be occupied by families with incomes that do not exceed 50% of the HUD-adjusted median. The incomes of households receiving HUD assistance must not exceed 80 percent of the area median.
Application and Approval Process
Each year, the City of Carlsbad issues a request for proposals through the local newspaper and letters to community organizations, individuals, and City departments for projects or activities to be funded by the HOME Program. Each eligible proposal is reviewed and evaluated based on the following criteria: 1) Organizational ability/capacity; 2) Financial capacity/stability; 3) Benefits and beneficiaries; and 4) Readiness to implement the proposal. The City's Housing Commission reviews proposals and provides funding recommendations for Council consideration.
The City Council then holds a public hearing to obtain input on the needs of the low and moderate income population and on the project proposals submitted to address those needs. The last step in the proposal selection process is Council approval of funding amounts for the project or projects selected for participation in the HOME Program for that year.
Funding Schedule
November
December |
Requests for Proposals distributed and proposals/applications for funding accepted. |
January
February |
Proposals reviewed by staff and Housing Commission. |
March
April |
Housing Commission submits funding recommendation/City Council reviews recommendation for final approval. |
| May |
Submittal of Funding Plan to HUD for approval. |
| July |
Start of new HOME Program Year. |
| August |
Funds become available after City Council approves agreements with organizations scheduled to receive funding. |
Summary
Although the federal regulations for the program are complex, the primary goal of the HOME Program is fairly simple. The goal is to help provide affordable housing for lower income persons as defined by the federal government.
Please contact Frank Boensch at (760) 434-2818 for more information or to be placed on the City's mailing list for those interested in receiving notices regarding requests for proposals.
06/22/99
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