Planning Academy 102: Housing Grants

rant Planning and Grant dministration: Housing

nd Community Development January 25, 2024

LANNING ACADEMY 102

Agenda • Introduction • Types of Grants • The Grant Process • Grantor vs Grantee • Grant Administration • Resources

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Introduction: Planners and Grants Why do Planners need to be familiar with grants?

A) Grants can help fund projects and programs B) A project/program may be funded by a grant C) Plans are required to receive grants D) All of the Above

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Don’t leave money on the table!

Aligning projects with grants can help better leverage strained resources to provide more robust services to your community!

Examples: vision plans, affordable housing, street paving, infrastructure needs, community farms, parks, etc.

The Grant Process Grants vary, sometimes there is an annual solicitation and sometimes it is project/program specific. Before applying, consider the following: • Preparation – What are the outstanding needs of the community?

• Alignment – Look at current plans and programs, depending on the needs, is there something you can build on or already have done a lot of the preliminary work?

• Existing Resources – Can you leverage funding with the grant funding, or in-kind commitments/contributions?

• Capacity – If awarded, do you have adequate staff to execute the grant within a reasonable time?

• On-going Compliance – Are there any requirements during or after project completion? Do you have capacity and resources to comply long-term?

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The Grant Process There are a lot of different types of grants. Although the process may vary, the process is generally linear, meaning moving from one step to the next until grant close out. The process includes if you’re applying or if you are the one creating the opportunity. So, are you the Grantor or Grantee?

Pre-Award

Planning Opportunity

Announcing an Opportunity Applying

Award Notifying Winners Winning

Citation: https://www.grants.gov/learn-grants/grants-101/the-grant-lifecycle

Post-Award Providing TA

Reporting Progress Award Close-out 6

Grantor Vs. Grantee Grantor • Grant Administration • The passthrough agency/solicitor to administer funding for a purpose • Provides grant oversight and Technical Assistance • Generally, has deadlines and obligations from funding source.

Grantee • Applied and was awarded funding • Executes the purpose of the funding • Responsible for completing and complying with funding objectives.

• Needs to complete project by a certain deadline. May have ongoing obligations.

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Question: Would you prefer to be a Grantor or Grantee?

A. Grantor B. Grantee

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Grant Administration Administering grants requires oversight. To do that the administrator needs to understand the requirements of the funding source.

Typical funding sources: Governments, Philanthropic, Banks, Large Organizations 9

Many grant sources have rules tied to them. It is important when administering a grant that rules are understood and reflective in the application.

When reviewing applications, it is critical to evaluate the potential grantees to verify they can complete the objective. In Grant Admin you may be the Grantee and Grantor.

NO ONE WANTS THE MONEY BACK! It may lead to repayments or loss in future allocations!

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Housing and Community Development Entitlement Grants

• CDBG • SHIP • HOME • ESG

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CDBG supports community development activities to build stronger and more resilient communities.

Community Development Block Grant or CDBG

Projects must meet one of the three National Objectives: • Benefit to low-and moderate-income (LMI) persons • Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight; and • Meet a need having a particular urgency (referred to as urgent need) *LMI can be the specific project or the area it is in has at least 51% LMI population.

15% of the grant can be used for Public Services; all recipients are required to be a nonprofit Remainder can be used for Infrastructure and Facilities: • Housing Rehabilitation • Acquisition • Parks in a LMI area • Public Facilities (not government buildings) • Demolition • Infrastructure such as crosswalks, ADA accessibility, sewer connections, etc.

This program and other Federal Programs are guided by the community’s Consolidated Plan which is a 5-year plan and then each year an Annual Action Plan is created to show how we are implementing the goals and needs outlined in the Consolidated Plan. Each year a Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report or CAPER is provided to HUD outlining the beneficiary data of those served by funded projects and programs.

HOME Investment Partnerships Program or HOME

HOME is a grant program used for the creation and preservation of Affordable Housing for low-income Households. HOME funds are provided to each Participating Jurisdiction or PJ. Each PJ then administers grant funds to subrecipients.

15% of the HOME allocation is dedicated to Community Housing Development Organization or CHDO. These are local development organizations with a mission to develop and preserve affordable housing. There is a required application process to become a CHDO.

Allowable Activities:

Ownership or Rental New Construction Tenant-Based Rental Assistance Housing Rehabilitation

HOME requires underwriting, essentially meaning that a project is financially vetted and that the funding coming into the project is needed.

Like CDBG, this program is federal and guided by the Consolidated Plan.

Emergency Solutions Grant or ESG

ESG is the funding used to assist those experiencing homelessness.

65% of the program funds can be used for shelters.

The remaining uses include: - Homelessness prevention - Street Outreach - Rapid Rehousing - Housing Management Information System or HMIS Like CDBG, this program is federal and guided by the Consolidated Plan.

Reporting is a little different than the CAPER

State Housing Initiative Partnership or SHIP Through the Sadowski Act of 1992, SHIP funds are allocated by the State of Florida to entitlement cities. Found in State Statute 420 Part VII, the SHIP program provides local governments with funding to run important programs such as Down Payment Assistance Program and Owner-Occupied Repair and Rehabilitation. The program requires certain set-asides: • • • • •

A minimum of 30% of the allocation must serve those at or below 50% AMI (or Very Low Income) A minimum of 30% of the allocation must serve those at or below 80% AMI (or Low Income) At least 65% of the allocation must be used for Home Ownership A minimum of 75% must be used in construction/rehabilitation/or emergency repair A minimum of 20% of the funds are reserved for special needs populations with a priority given to those with developmental disabilities.

A Government’s SHIP allocation is guided by the Local Housing Assistance Plan or LHAP. Additionally, entitlement communities must have an Affordable Housing Advisory Board and provide a report annually discussing 11 development incentives as outlined in State Statute.

Question: Which entitlement grants can be used for new Affordable Housing?

A. HOME B. SHIP C. CDBG D. ESG E. Both A and B F. Both A and C

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Question: What could your community use a grant for?(Open Ended) Word display of answer?

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Resources: • https://www.grants.gov/ • https://www.hud.gov/program_off ices/cfo/gmomgmt/grantsinfo • https://www.hudexchange.info/ • https://www.dosgrants.com/Progr am • https://www.floridahousing.org/ • https://flhousing.org/ (Nonprofit arm to FHFC)

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THANK YOU!

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LANNING ACADEMY 102