On April 4, HUD released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for fiscal year 2023 Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants. The grants are meant to assist communities with severely distressed housing to develop transformation plans that may revitalize the area. Applications are due June 6, 2023.

The Department has allocated up to $10 million for Planning Grants in total with up to $500,000 available for each grantee. Planning Grants for the program last two years.

Eligibilty

Those who qualify as a public housing agency, local government, tribal entity, or 501(c)(3) nonprofit are eligible to apply. Applications from communities of all sizes are welcome, as there is no restriction or capacity limit on how large or small a community is. In addition, applicants must target an eligible housing project and be located in an eligible neighborhood (15 percent of residents estimated to be in poverty or have extremely low incomes based on U.S. Census Bureau data).

For more information on program requirements and eligible activities please see the next edition of the NAHRO Monitor April 17.

For the full NOFO please see here.

Allocation Plans for the HOME-American Rescue Plan (ARP) program are due March 31, 2023. The Plans are a requirement for participating jurisdictions who were appropriated funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to provide homelessness assistance and supportive services. Failure to submit an Allocation Plan by the deadline will result in the automatic loss of the HOME-ARP allocation.

Participating jurisdictions must show how they will use HOME-ARP funds and their Plan must include the following:

• A summary of the consultation process and results of upfront consultation;
• An assessment of gaps in housing and shelter inventory, homeless assistance and services, and homelessness prevention service delivery system;
• A summary of comments received through the public participation process and a summary of any comments or recommendations not accepted and the reasons why;
• A description of HOME-ARP qualifying populations within the jurisdiction;
• An assessment of unmet needs of each qualifying population;
• A summary of the planned use of HOME-ARP funds for eligible activities based on the unmet needs of the qualifying populations;
• An estimate of the number of housing units for qualifying populations the PJ will produce or preserve with its HOME-ARP allocation; and
• A description of any preferences for individuals and families in a particular qualifying population or a segment of a qualifying population.

For the full notice of Allocation Plan deadline requirements please see here.

On Thursday, March 16 at 2 p.m. ET, NAHRO will be hosting an eBrieifing on Cybersecurity titled “Protecting Your Agency From Cybersecurity Threats.” This free virtual webinar will feature speakers Brandon White from the Oakland Housing Authority and Ed Malaspina from HAI Group,  a member-owned insurance carrier founded by and dedicated to the public and affordable housing communities.

Presenters will bring advanced knowledge and experience in cybersecurity training for housing organizations. These experts will provide resources and tips for housing related agencies in protecting their data and resources from cyber threats.

To register, please see here.

In Feb. 2023, HUD released Notice CPD-23-01, which provides guidance on the submission process of Consolidated Plans and Action Plans for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Housing Trust Fund (HTF), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) formula grantees and participating jurisdictions (PJs). The latest submission deadline for each applicable Plan is Aug. 16, 2023.

The notice for FY 2023 Consolidated Plans and Action Plans includes instructions on:

• applications of waivers
• participation requirements
• costs incurred prior to execution of a grant agreement
• information of waivers for pre-award costs of Entitlement CDBG grantees and HOME PJs
• specific provisions

Consolidated Plans and Action Plans may have different submission deadlines and procedures depending on the program and start date–the notice outlines these differences.

CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA

Funding allocations, which were announced on Feb. 27 for CDBG, HOME, ESG, and HOPWA grantees, amount to nearly $5.6 billion in formula funds. As allocation letters are expected to be sent to grantees by HUD shortly, grantees must ensure that the actual FY 2023 allocation amounts are reflected in form SF-424 prior to submission.

Each jurisdiction should submit its Consolidated Plan at least 45 days before the start of its program year. Submissions may be delayed by grantees and PJs 60 days after the FY 2023 allocation announcement date for those whose normal Consolidated Plan/Action Plan submission deadline is no later than the 60 day timeline.

Submission deadlines cannot be waived under these programs as the requirement is established by statute.

HTF

For HTF grantees, allocations are expected to be announced in April 2023 at the earliest. These allocation dates differ from the other programs due to source of funding, which are mandatory set-aside amounts that come from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac instead of federal appropriations.

In cases where States would like to submit Plans before HTF allocations are released, they may submit their Plans for other Community Planning and Development (CPD) programs and then submit their HTF allocation plan as a substantial amendment to its annual Action Plan after HTF allocations are released.

While HTF formula grants are not subject to the same Aug. 16 deadline, grantees that receive CDBG funding are required to follow deadline requirements under the program for the submission of Action Plans.

For more information on the notice and the instructions provided, please see our next edition of the NAHRO Monitor on March 15.

For the original notice please see here.

On Feb. 27, HUD announced that $5.6 billion in funding will go to support programs with the Office of Community Planning and Development. Among the programs to receive funding is the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), Housing Opportunities for Persons With HIV/AIDS (HOPWA) program, Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), and the Recovery Housing Program (RHP). It is estimated that the awards will amount to 2,400 grants among 1,200 communities. Funding will be provided to thousands of local programs in all 50 states, including all five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

Please see the outlined funding chart from HUD below:

STATE	CDBG	HOME	(RHP)	ESG	HOPWA	Total
Alaska	$4,572,219	$3,773,536	$0	$400,619	$0	$8,746,374
Alabama	$43,839,880	$19,117,250	$0	$3,855,996	$6,011,584	$72,824,710
Arkansas	$26,218,309	$13,064,797	$0	$2,315,051	$2,449,533	$44,047,690
Arizona	$55,260,926	$25,089,495	$1,174,274	$4,854,885	$7,099,685	$93,479,265
California	$378,216,242	$196,812,685	$0	$33,477,830	$60,904,916	$669,411,673
Colorado	$36,523,810	$19,515,852	$0	$3,236,152	$5,263,500	$64,539,314
Connecticut	$39,757,317	$18,601,516	$1,209,615	$3,518,311	$4,134,046	$67,220,805
District of Columbia	$15,404,214	$6,056,624	$1,634,036	$1,341,848	$12,770,434	$37,207,156
Delaware	$7,588,841	$4,850,255	$1,382,343	$668,495	$1,351,226	$15,841,160
Florida	$153,536,526	$77,300,378	$1,140,440	$13,371,446	$49,348,464	$294,697,254
Georgia	$82,514,264	$42,633,745	$0	$7,233,310	$22,152,985	$154,534,304
Hawaii	$13,060,786	$6,239,258	$0	$1,155,029	$1,054,910	$21,509,983
Iowa	$37,817,535	$13,266,012	$0	$3,310,266	$982,437	$55,376,250
Idaho	$12,734,945	$6,863,013	$0	$1,117,066	$0	$20,715,024
Illinois	$159,585,479	$60,442,889	$0	$14,142,988	$15,052,936	$249,224,292
Indiana	$66,513,227	$29,412,332	$1,145,278	$5,871,168	$4,523,548	$107,465,553
Kansas	$25,889,396	$12,055,056	$0	$2,270,244	$793,084	$41,007,780
Kentucky	$43,830,588	$21,042,651	$1,461,639	$3,856,804	$2,968,215	$73,159,897
Louisiana	$50,505,738	$21,008,030	$1,321,548	$4,411,370	$9,678,698	$86,925,384
Massachusetts	$99,225,630	$38,476,026	$1,067,194	$8,746,106	$8,197,097	$155,712,053
Maryland	$51,861,368	$21,074,486	$1,295,266	$4,531,660	$9,694,400	$88,457,180
Maine	$17,737,841	$6,077,911	$1,192,137	$1,556,542	$0	$26,564,431
Michigan	$120,803,875	$45,188,261	$1,016,651	$10,669,723	$7,462,486	$185,140,996
Minnesota	$52,595,485	$20,101,815	$0	$4,576,877	$3,462,229	$80,736,406
Missouri	$63,958,131	$27,078,852	$1,041,339	$5,621,647	$6,484,569	$104,184,538
Mississippi	$28,067,151	$13,053,821	$0	$2,495,370	$4,238,448	$47,854,790
Montana	$8,502,640	$4,525,542	$0	$741,200	$0	$13,769,382
North Carolina	$77,823,733	$41,847,605	$1,054,616	$6,836,325	$13,401,347	$140,963,626
North Dakota	$5,527,134	$3,549,768	$0	$486,494	$0	$9,563,396
Nebraska	$17,437,574	$8,255,221	$0	$1,546,062	$848,459	$28,087,316
New Hampshire	$12,594,035	$5,509,613	$930,886	$1,104,523	$0	$20,139,057
New Jersey	$87,566,959	$40,497,391	$1,072,304	$7,707,811	$15,951,114	$152,795,579
New Mexico	$18,132,257	$8,851,305	$1,268,811	$1,590,684	$1,423,600	$31,266,657
Nevada	$23,158,196	$12,843,420	$0	$1,995,196	$4,075,748	$42,072,560
New York	$318,043,716	$140,182,508	$0	$27,743,018	$55,283,456	$541,252,698
Ohio	$150,823,351	$61,451,090	$1,387,641	$13,233,870	$9,734,776	$236,630,728
Oklahoma	$27,809,353	$16,446,422	$0	$2,420,644	$2,731,025	$49,407,444
Oregon	$34,753,244	$20,260,511	$0	$3,052,927	$2,851,520	$60,918,202
Pennsylvania	$186,593,032	$63,946,894	$1,288,739	$16,400,364	$14,664,143	$282,893,172
Puerto Rico	$54,443,639	$26,082,936	$0	$4,777,743	$9,056,831	$94,361,149
Rhode Island	$16,149,217	$6,729,938	$1,213,710	$1,421,391	$1,477,595	$26,991,851
South Carolina	$38,514,758	$19,135,117	$1,150,177	$3,327,876	$6,908,690	$69,036,618
South Dakota	$7,400,994	$3,585,073	$0	$639,874	$0	$11,625,941
Tennessee	$50,082,668	$28,265,235	$1,368,779	$4,388,155	$8,124,652	$92,229,489
Texas	$243,728,678.95	$107,032,059	$0	$21,113,921	$39,867,348	$411,742,006.95
Utah	$21,611,943	$8,718,088	$0	$1,890,387	$1,285,470	$33,505,888
Virginia	$57,521,570	$29,049,908	$0	$5,073,657	$6,700,312	$98,345,447
Vermont	$8,068,410	$3,446,307	$991,106	$697,788	$0	$13,203,611
Washington	$57,309,462	$29,627,400	$0	$5,009,949	$5,293,081	$97,239,892
Wisconsin	$62,038,170	$26,726,388	$0	$5,428,731	$2,534,044	$96,727,333
West Virginia	$20,971,245	$8,740,015	$2,191,471	$1,834,845	$807,359	$34,544,935
Wyoming	$3,984,362	$3,500,000	$0	$349,762	$0	$7,834,124
Subtotal	$3,298,210,063.95	$1,497,002,300	$30,000,000	$289,420,000	$449,100,000	$5,563,732,364
Insular Areas	$7,000,000	$3,000,000	$0	$580,000	$0	$10,580,000
Grand Total	$3,305,210,063.95	$1,500,002,300.00	$30,000,000.00	$290,000,000.00	$449,100,000.00	$5,574,312,363.95

On Feb. 2, HUD released a Special Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), which awarded $315 million in grants to Continuums of Care (CoC) to address unsheltered and rural homelessness. The grants will support 46 cities that span across 30 states. Among the total funding, over $54.3 million is allocated to support rural housing with over $260.3 million going to support unsheltered homelessness.

Grantees are encouraged to coordinate their planning efforts collaboratively with partners that may include healthcare providers, PHAs, other HUD-assisted housing providers, and people with lived experience. Additionally, more of these grants are expected to be announced in the coming weeks for other communities.

For the list of CoCs awarded see here.

On Jan. 27, HUD announced $116 million in new and renewed funding to support FSS Service Coordinators. This funding is vital to support communities and assist individuals in improving their lives. From educational to professional and financial guidance to HUD-assisted residents, Service Coordinators play a huge factor in the success of the FSS program.

Of the total amount allocated, nearly $109.5 million will go towards renewed funding–supporting 682 PHAs and a total of 1,312 Service Coordinator positions.

Additionally, $6 million of the total amount will go to support 70 new coordinator positions from 32 PHAs and 38 Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA) owners across the United States.

On Jan. 25, HUD released Notice 2023-01354, which notifies Demonstration participants within HUD’s Multifamily Housing program that they will be subject to an inspection through the NSPIRE demonstration. Multifamily Housing participants who do not want to receive a score through NSPIRE before October 1, 2023 are allowed to opt-out and receive an inspection of record through the Uniform Physical Condition Standards (UPCS). Those interested in opting-out should submit a request via email to NSPIRE-Demo-Opt-Out@hud.gov no later than March 1, 2023.

The notice also revises the demonstration so that it ends on the effective date of the NSPIRE final rule.

Demonstration end dates:

• Public Housing: Demonstration ends June 30, 2023
• Multifamily Housing: Demonstration ends September 30, 2023

Should these dates change, HUD will provide an additional notice through the Federal Register.

For the full notice please see here.

On Jan. 18, HUD published Notice 2023-00721, which addresses requirements for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grants. This applies to funds for disasters that occurred in 2020 and 2021 allocated by the Disaster Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022. Very significantly, many requirements address amendments to the Consolidated Notice, which focus on waivers and alternative requirements for CDBG-DR grantees.

This notice applies to grantees starting January 23, 2023.

Sections that are primarily covered in the notice include:

• Allocations
• Use of Funds
• Overview of the Grant Process
• Applicable Rules, Statues, Waivers, and Alternative Requirements
• Duration of Funding

To get a complete detailed analysis of the notice, please see our Jan 31 edition of The NAHRO Monitor.

For the original version of the notice within the Federal Register please see here.

On December 8, HUD issued Notice CPD-22-15, requiring Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) grantees and project sponsors to ensure that all dwelling units under the program have carbon monoxide (CO) alarms or detectors installed. The notice goes into effect on December 27, 2022.

Types of units included

• new construction
• project or tenant-based rental assistance
• short-term rent, mortgage, and utility payments (not subject to HOPWA HQS requirements)
• permanent housing placement (not subject to HOPWA HQS requirements)
• acquisition, rehabilitation, conversion, lease, and repair of facilities
• operating costs

Implementation

For units that are subject to the HOPWA Housing Quality Standards (HQS), grantees and project sponsors should assess for CO alarms or detectors when completing an HQS inspection. Grantees/project sponsors should add a question on their HQS inspection forms as to the presence of functioning CO alarms or detectors and document compliance to be kept in the household’s file.

Units not subject to HOPWA HQS may rely on self-certification by the tenant or owner. Grantees/project sponsors should develop materials or trainings to make sure whomever is conducting a self-certification understands and applies the applicable criteria of all properly installed CO detectors or alarms.

In addition, the notice provides ways to prevent intrusion of the devices and examples of sources that create or emit CO. Resources about CO alarms and information are also provided in the notice.

For more guidance and information in the notice please see here.