A Guide to Good Applications

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1 A Guide to Good Applications February 11 th, 2019 Instructor Terence McMullen, Deputy Director

FUNDING CYCLE 2019-20 CDBG Allocation for Montgomery County: (approx.)$1.

2 FUNDING CYCLE CDBG Allocation for Montgomery County: (approx.)$1.3m available Proposals encouraged for ELIGIBLE and FUNDABLE municipal activities.

3 HUD CDBG PROGRAM Primary Objective: The purpose of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is to support the development of viable urban communities by providing decent housing and a suitable living environment, and by expanding economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.

4 Public Facilities and Improvements Acquisition/Disposition of Real Property Housing Rehabilitation Homeownership Assistance Public Services Blight Removal / Site Clearance Code Enforcement Economic Development

facilities/improvements NO General government expenses including

5 NO Political activities NO Construction of housing units by a unit of local government NO Operation and maintenance of public facilities/improvements NO General government expenses including construction of general government buildings NO Purchase of equipment NO Direct income payments

6 Each activity must meet one of the Three National Objectives 1. Benefit Low & Moderate Income Persons 2. Prevent or Eliminate Blight 3. Meet urgent needs when health and welfare are threatened

7 FUNDABLE ACTIVITIES Meeting National Objectives National Objectives can be met in multiple ways...

8 LOW & MODERATE INCOME BENEFIT Types of Low/Mod Benefit 1. Area Benefit Must serve a primarily residential geographic area which is at least 38.10% low/moderate income persons, or a survey of area residents demonstrates that 51% or more are low/mod income

9 Types of Low/Mod Benefit 2. Limited Clientele Clientele presumed to be low/mod: Abused children Battered spouses Elderly person Homeless persons Illiterate adults Migrant farm workers Adults meeting definition of severely disabled Persons living with AIDS OR Clientele document family income </= 80% of AMI OR Eligibility requirements limit clientele to low/mod income persons OR Nature and location of the service predominantly used by low/mod income persons OR Activity removes material or architectural barriers to accessibility for elderly persons or severely disabled adults

10 LOW & MODERATE INCOME BENEFIT 2018 HUD Income Limits Family/Household Size Moderate Income (80%) Low Income (50%) Extremely Low Income (30%) 1 person $48, $30, $18, person $55, $35, $21, person $62, $39, $23, person $69, $43, $26, person $75, $47, $29, person $81, $50, $33, person $86, $54, $38, person $92, $57, $42,380.00

Start Here MONTGOMERY COUNTY CONSOLIDATED PLAN 2015-2019 Review the Montgomery County Five-Year Consolidated Plan.

11 Start Here MONTGOMERY COUNTY CONSOLIDATED PLAN Review the Montgomery County Five-Year Consolidated Plan. Does your project fall within the Priorities listed in pp of: Montgomery County Consolidated Plan.pdf

12 Part 1a Project Description Describe facilities to be provided or improved. Focus on the project and current phase Tie-in to eligible and fundable activity (Sect IV) Describe existing buildings, improvements, and permitted land use Identify whether new construction or rehab Indicate if expansion is >20% Rehab should extend life by at least 10 years Identify major components of the proposed work and indicate estimated quantities.

13 Part 1b Project Description Indicate primary function(s) of the improvement / facilities to be provided or improved. Discuss any programs or services provided from the facility. If the facility is part of a multi-use building, discuss how the proposed project will assist with improvements to a designated and discrete area within the larger facility that is eligible for CDBG.

14 Project Description Part 1c Provide responses for special program concerns, e.g. status of construction, permits, engineering services, prevailing wages, special assessments, etc. Discuss any master plan for neighborhood facilities or infrastructure Discuss financing plan for supporting all costs of these comprehensive improvements.

15 Part 2a Project Location Identify project s geographic location property address nearest intersecting street, or indicate limits of proposed work (e.g. Main St. between 1st Ave. and 3rd Ave., north side or south side, etc.) Provide a map(s) indicating the exact location of the project and the limits of work. (USGS Quad) Congressional District Municipality Census tract, and census block group

16 Part 2b Project Location Sensitive Areas? (i) National Register Historic District, (ii) 100 Year Floodplain, (iii) Designated Wetlands Area Municipalities opting out of County CDBG: Abington Township Conshohocken Borough Limerick Township Lower Merion Township Marlborough Township Norristown Municipality NOTE: If the location of the public facilities or improvements is in one of these municipalities you must demonstrate that a majority of beneficiaries reside in the Urban County.

17 Part 3a Project Benefit - Service Area Define the geographic area that is served by the facilities by identifying the physical features that delineate the boundaries of this area Streets and roads Railroad lines Creeks, etc. Document that the area is primarily residential; Land Use maps Zoning maps NOTE: Service Area = the area where all persons, who will primarily benefit from the project, reside. You must delineate this area by identifying the boundaries. It is not sufficient to refer merely to a particular census tract or block group.

18 Part 3b PROJECT BENEFIT Describe the existing physical problems or conditions to be corrected. Discuss how the residents are directly impacted by these conditions. Discuss how the proposed activity will correct these existing problems and benefit the residents.

19 Project Benefit Part 3d Discuss, as applicable, how the project relates to and contributes to the feasibility of the development of affordable housing, particularly outside areas of racial, ethnic, and low/moderate income concentration (e.g. the construction of a sewer line or an access road).

20 Service Area Determinations Factors to determine the area served by a public facility or improvement are: The nature of the activity; The location of the activity; Accessibility issues, and The availability of comparable activities.

21 Service Area Determinations NATURE OF THE ACTIVITY EXAMPLE: A park that is expected to serve an entire neighborhood cannot be so small or have so little equipment (number of swings, slides, etc.) that it would only be able to serve a handful of persons at any one time.

22 Service Area Determinations NATURE OF THE ACTIVITY Conversely, a park which contains two ball fields and four tennis courts, or a ball field with grandstands that can accommodate hundreds of spectators is not designed to serve a single neighborhood.

23 Service Area Determinations NATURE OF THE ACTIVITY Assisting an arterial four-lane street that may pass through the neighborhood but is clearly used primarily by persons passing through from other areas. versus Assisting a small, two-lane street in a residential neighborhood

When a facility is located near the boundary of a particular neighborhood, its service area would

24 Service Area Determinations LOCATION OF THE ACTIVITY EXAMPLE: A library, for example, cannot reasonably be claimed to benefit an area that does not include the area in which it is located. When a facility is located near the boundary of a particular neighborhood, its service area would be expected to include portions of the adjacent neighborhood as well as the one in which it is located.

25 Service Area Determinations ACCESSIBILITY The accessibility of the activity also needs to be considered in defining the area served. Geographic barriers Fees to be charged Access to transportation and parking Distance to be traveled Time or duration that an activity is available Language barriers

26 Service Area Determinations COMPARABLE ACTIVITIES In most cases, the service area for one activity should not overlap with that of a comparable activity (e.g., two community centers, two clinics, or two neighborhood housing counseling services).

27 Sample Public Improvements Application Link for LMISD Data Link for Census Block Group Mapping Sample Area LMI Calculation

28 Projected Clients Served Projected Clients served by this project. # Total Total Number of Moderate Income clients (80% Median) Total Low Income Clients: (50% Median) Total Extremely Low Income Clients: (30% Median) Total Other Clients (above 80% Median) TOTALS

29 Projected Clients Served Race/Ethnicity # Total # Hispanic White Black/African American Asian American Indian/Alaskan Native Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaskan Native & White Asian & White Race and Ethnicity i.e. Hispanic are separate questions Black/African American & White American Indian/Alaskan Native & Black/African American Other/Multi-racial Totals Number of Single Head of Household Female Male Totals

30 Other Program Requirements Section (c) Special Assessments Restricted under CDBG regulations; avoid when implementing a project. Section Labor Standards All construction work is subject to federal labor standards and prevailing wages; avoid combining CDBG funded work and other construction work into one construction contract. Section Displacement & Relocation Acquisition of real property for an assisted activity is subject to Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act; includes rights-of-way and easements.

31 Don t Forget to Include... Be sure to include a Cover Sheet: Legal name of agency Your Fed Employer I.D. # Your DUNS # Brief project description Required Certification (must be properly executed) Resolution or meeting minutes of your Board or Council (must clearly identify the project.)

32 Don t Forget to Include... Clear picture of the objectives of the project; existing conditions; how the project will be implemented; and how the goals and benefits of the project will be measured. Accurate location / service area boundary information. Budget should cover the Scope of Work. Dates and signatures included. Matching funds commitment letters. Furthering of Fair Housing discussion, if applicable.

33 Project Budget Utilize the DETAILED PROJECT COST FORM to outline the entire project budget. Include Engineering costs. Indicate which line items are to be supported by CDBG funds. Utilize SOURCES AND USES FORM to identify all potential revenue that will be used to support the project. Indicate whether funds are secured or pending and the date when the funds will be available.

34 Submission Requirements Typewritten on 8 ½ by 11 paper An original and one photocopy Contain page numbers Contain Table of Contents All pages to be three-hole punched at left margin Clipped into manila folder Include agency name at top right hand corner of each page Received by 4:15pm, March 29, 2019

35 SCORING APPLICATIONS Our Criteria National Objectives Consolidated Plan Complete and accurate application Presentation of project: what, where, when, why, how, by whom, etc. Past CDBG funding allocation Past CDBG active projects Secured matching funds Furthering of Fair Housing discussion, if applicable

36 Based on HUD s stringent Timeliness requirements, if your organization has an outstanding project with unspent funding, your application score could be more heavily impacted, depending on the circumstances of your existing project(s).

37 March 29, 2019 Applications are due April 2019 Office of Housing staff review and score applications April 2019 HHS Director review of applications May 2019 Eligible project recommendations are sent to the County Commissioners June/July 2019 Preliminary award notification sent to applicants and public announcement of Annual Action Plan is advertised 30-day public comment period July 2019 Public Comments incorporated into Annual Action Plan July / August 2019 Commissioners adopt Resolution for Action Plan September / October 2019 HUD Environment Reviews for Approved projects & Release of Funds November/December 2019 Grant Agreements sent to Awardees

38 Thank you for your attendance!

Acquisition. 3. Acquiring newly-constructed housing or acquiring an interest in the construction of new housing.

Acquisition. 3. Acquiring newly-constructed housing or acquiring an interest in the construction of new housing. Section IV ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES Acquisition Acquisition in whole or in part by the subrecipient, or other public or private nonprofit entity, by purchase, long-term lease, donation, or otherwise, of real