§ 91.220 - Action plan.

§ 91.220 Action plan.

Cross Reference

Link to an amendment published at 85 FR 47909, Aug. 7, 2020.

The action plan must include the following:

(a) Standard Form 424;

(b) A concise executive summary that includes the objectives and outcomes identified in the plan as well as an evaluation of past performance, a summary of the citizen participation and consultation process (including efforts to broaden public participation) (24 CFR 91.200 (b)), a summary of comments or views, and a summary of comments or views not accepted and the reasons therefore (24 CFR 91.105 (b)(5)).

(c) Resources and objectives -

(1) Federal resources. The consolidated plan must provide a concise summary of the federal resources (including grant funds and program income) expected to be made available. Federal resources should include Section 8 funds made available to jurisdictions, Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, and competitive McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act funds, expected to be available to address priority needs and specific objectives identified in the strategic plan.

(2) Other resources. The consolidated plan must indicate resources from private and state and local sources that are reasonably expected to be made available to address the needs identified in the plan. The plan must explain how federal funds will leverage those additional resources, including a description of how matching requirements of the HUD programs will be satisfied. Where the jurisdiction deems it appropriate, the jurisdiction may indicate publicly owned land or property located within the jurisdiction that may be used to address the needs identified in the plan;

(3) Annual objectives. The consolidated plan must contain a summary of the annual objectives the jurisdiction expects to achieve during the forthcoming program year.

(d) Activities to be undertaken. The action plan must provide a description of the activities the jurisdiction will undertake during the next year to address priority needs and objectives. This description of activities shall estimate the number and type of families that will benefit from the proposed activities, the specific local objectives and priority needs (identified in accordance with § 91.215) that will be addressed by the activities using formula grant funds and program income the jurisdiction expects to receive during the program year, proposed accomplishments, and a target date for completion of the activity. This information is to be presented in the form of a table prescribed by HUD. The plan must also describe the reasons for the allocation priorities and identify any obstacles to addressing underserved needs;

(e) Outcome measures. Each jurisdiction must provide outcome measures for activities included in its action plan in accordance with guidance to be issued by HUD.

(f) Geographic distribution. A description of the geographic areas of the jurisdiction (including areas of low-income and minority concentration) in which it will direct assistance during the ensuing program year, giving the rationale for the priorities for allocating investment geographically. When appropriate, jurisdictions should estimate the percentage of funds they plan to dedicate to target areas.

(g) Affordable housing. The jurisdiction must specify one-year goals for the number of homeless, non-homeless, and special-needs households to be provided affordable housing using funds made available to the jurisdiction and one-year goals for the number of households to be provided affordable housing through activities that provide rental assistance, production of new units, rehabilitation of existing units, or acquisition of existing units using funds made available to the jurisdiction. The term affordable housing shall be as defined in 24 CFR 92.252 for rental housing and 24 CFR 92.254 for homeownership.

(h) Public housing. Actions it plans to take during the next year to address the needs of public housing and actions to encourage public housing residents to become more involved in management and participate in homeownership. If the public housing agency is designated as “troubled” by HUD under part 902 of this title, the jurisdiction must describe the manner in which it will provide financial or other assistance to improve its operations and remove the “troubled” designation.

(i) Homeless and other special needs activities.

(1) The jurisdiction must describe its one-year goals and specific actions steps for reducing and ending homelessness through:

(i) Reaching out to homeless persons (especially unsheltered persons) and assessing their individual needs;

(ii) Addressing the emergency shelter and transitional housing needs of homeless persons; and

(iii) Helping homeless persons (especially chronically homeless individuals and families, families with children, veterans and their families, and unaccompanied youth) make the transition to permanent housing and independent living, including shortening the period of time that individuals and families experience homelessness, facilitating access for homeless individuals and families to affordable housing units, and preventing individuals and families who were recently homeless from becoming homeless again; and

(iv) Helping low-income individuals and families avoid becoming homeless, especially extremely low-income individuals and families who are:

(A) Being discharged from publicly funded institutions and systems of care, such as health-care facilities, mental health facilities, foster care and other youth facilities, and corrections programs and institutions; or

(B) Receiving assistance from public and private agencies that address housing, health, social services, employment, education, or youth needs.

(2) The jurisdiction must specify the activities that it plans to undertake during the next year to address the housing and supportive service needs identified in accordance with § 91.215(e) with respect to persons who are not homeless but have other special needs.

(j) Barriers to affordable housing. Actions it plans to take during the next year to remove or ameliorate the negative effects of public policies that serve as barriers to affordable housing. Such policies, procedures and processes include, but are not limited to, land use controls, tax policies affecting land, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limitations, and policies affecting the return on residential investment.

(2)

(k)

(1) Affirmatively furthering fair housing. Actions it plans to take during the next year that address fair housing goals identified in the AFH.

Other actions. Actions it plans to take during the next year to address obstacles to meeting underserved needs, foster and maintain affordable housing, evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards, reduce the number of poverty-level families, develop institutional structure, and enhance coordination between public and private housing and social service agencies (see § 91.215(a), (b), (i), (j), (k), and (l)).

(l) Program-specific requirements -

(1) CDBG.

(i) A jurisdiction must describe activities planned with respect to all CDBG funds expected to be available during the program year, except that an amount generally not to exceed 10 percent of such total available CDBG funds may be excluded from the funds for which eligible activities are described if it has been identified for the contingency of cost overruns.

(ii) “CDBG funds expected to be available during the program year” includes all of the following:

(A) The CDBG origin year grant.

(B) Any program income expected to be received during the program year.

(C) Any program income amounts not included in a prior action plan.

(D) Any program income previously generated under a lump sum drawdown agreement for which a new agreement will be executed during the program year pursuant to 24 CFR 570.513(b).

(E) Proceeds from Section 108 loan guarantees that will be used during the year to address the priority needs and specific objectives identified in its strategic plan.

(F) Surplus from urban renewal settlements.

(G) Reimbursements, other than program income, made to a local account.

(H) Income from float-funded activities: The full amount of income expected to be generated by a float-funded activity must be shown, whether or not some or all of the income is expected to be received in a future program year. To assure that citizens understand the risks inherent in undertaking float-funded activities, the recipient must specify the total amount of program income expected to be received and the month(s) and year(s) that it expects the float-funded activity to generate such program income.

(iii) An “urgent needs” activity (one that is expected to qualify under § 570.208(c) of this title) may be included only if the jurisdiction identifies the activity in the action plan and certifies that the activity is designed to meet other community development needs having a particular urgency because existing conditions pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community and because other financial resources are not available.

(iv) The plan shall identify the estimated amount of CDBG funds that will be used for activities that benefit persons of low- and moderate-income. The information about activities shall be in sufficient detail, including location, to allow citizens to determine the degree to which they are affected.

(2) HOME.

(i) The HOME program resources that the participating jurisdiction must describe in the action plan are the fiscal year HOME allocation plus the amount of program income, repayments, and recaptured funds in the participating jurisdiction's HOME Investment Trust Fund local account (see 24 CFR 92.500(c)(1)) at the beginning of the participating jurisdiction's program year. The jurisdiction may choose to include program income, repayments, and recaptured funds that are expected to be received during the program year if the jurisdiction plans to commit these funds during the program year.

(ii) For HOME funds, a participating jurisdiction shall describe other forms of investment that are not described in 24 CFR 92.205(b). HUD's specific written approval to the jurisdiction is required for other forms of investment, as provided in § 92.205(b). Approval of the consolidated plan or action plan under § 91.500 or the failure to disapprove the consolidated plan or action plan does not satisfy the requirement for specific HUD approval for other forms of investment.

(iii) If the participating jurisdiction intends to use HOME funds for homebuyers, it must set forth the guidelines for resale or recapture, and obtain HUD's specific, written approval, as required in 24 CFR 92.254. Approval of the consolidated plan or action plan under § 91.500 or the failure to disapprove the consolidated plan or action does not satisfy the requirement for specific HUD approval for resale or recapture guidelines.

(iv) If the participating jurisdiction intends to use HOME funds to refinance existing debt secured by multifamily housing that is being rehabilitated with HOME funds, it must state its refinancing guidelines required under 24 CFR 92.206(b). The guidelines shall describe the conditions under which the participating jurisdictions will refinance existing debt. At minimum, the guidelines must:

(A) Demonstrate that rehabilitation is the primary eligible activity and ensure that this requirement is met by establishing a minimum level of rehabilitation per unit or a required ratio between rehabilitation and refinancing.

(B) Require a review of management practices to demonstrate that disinvestment in the property has not occurred; that the long-term needs of the project can be met; and that the feasibility of serving the targeted population over an extended affordability period can be demonstrated.

(C) State whether the new investment is being made to maintain current affordable units, create additional affordable units, or both.

(D) Specify the required period of affordability, whether it is the minimum 15 years or longer.

(E) Specify whether the investment of HOME funds may be jurisdiction-wide or limited to a specific geographic area, such as a neighborhood identified in a neighborhood revitalization strategy under 24 CFR 91.215(g) or a federally designated Empowerment Zone or Enterprise Community.

(F) State that HOME funds cannot be used to refinance multifamily loans made or insured by any federal program, including CDBG.

(v) If the participating jurisdiction intends to use HOME funds for homebuyer assistance or for rehabilitation of owner-occupied single family housing and does not use the HOME affordable homeownership limits for the area provided by HUD, it must determine 95 percent of the median area purchase price and set forth the information in accordance with 24 CFR 92.254(a)(2)(iii).

(vi) The jurisdiction must describe eligible applicants (e.g., categories of eligible applicants), describe its process for soliciting and funding applications or proposals (e.g., competition, first-come first-serve) and state where detailed information may be obtained (e.g., application packages are available at the office of the jurisdiction or on the jurisdiction's Web site).

(vii) The participating jurisdiction may limit the beneficiaries or give preferences to a particular segment of the low-income population only if described in the action plan.

(A) Any limitation or preference must not violate nondiscrimination requirements in 24 CFR 92.350, and the participating jurisdiction must not limit or give preferences to students.

(B) A limitation or preference may include, in addition to targeting tenant- based rental assistance to persons with special needs, as provided in 24 CFR 92.209(c)(2), limiting beneficiaries or giving preferences to such professions as police officers, teachers, or artists.

(C) The participating jurisdiction must not limit beneficiaries or give a preference to all employees of the jurisdiction.

(D) The participating jurisdiction may permit rental housing owners to limit tenants or give a preference in accordance with 24 CFR 92.253(d) only if such limitation or preference is described in the action plan.

(viii) If the participating jurisdiction will receive funding under the American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI) (see 24 CFR part 92, subpart M), it must include:

(A) A description of the planned use of the ADDI funds;

(B) A plan for conducting targeted outreach to residents and tenants of public and manufactured housing and to other families assisted by public housing agencies, for the purposes of ensuring that the ADDI funds are used to provide downpayment assistance for such residents, tenants, and families; and

(C) A description of the actions to be taken to ensure the suitability of families receiving ADDI funds to undertake and maintain homeownership.

(3) HOPWA. For HOPWA funds, the jurisdiction must specify one-year goals for the number of households to be provided housing through the use of HOPWA activities for: short-term rent, mortgage, and utility assistance payments to prevent homelessness of the individual or family; tenant-based rental assistance; and units provided in housing facilities that are being developed, leased, or operated with HOPWA funds and shall identify the method of selecting project sponsors (including providing full access to grassroots faith-based and other community organizations).

(4) ESG.

(i) The jurisdiction must include its written standards for providing ESG assistance. The minimum requirements regarding these standards are set forth in 24 CFR 576.400(e)(1) and (e)(3).

(ii) If the Continuum of Care for the jurisdiction's area has established a centralized or coordinated assessment system that meets HUD requirements, the jurisdiction must describe that centralized or coordinated assessment system. The requirements for using a centralized or coordinated assessment system, including the exception for victim service providers, are set forth under 24 CFR 576.400(d).

(iii) The jurisdiction must identify its process for making subawards and a description of how the jurisdiction intends to make its allocation available to private nonprofit organizations (including community and faith-based organizations), and in the case of urban counties, funding to participating units of local government.

(iv) If the jurisdiction is unable to meet the homeless participation requirement in 24 CFR 576.405(a), the jurisdiction must specify its plan for reaching out to and consulting with homeless or formerly homeless individuals in considering and making policies and decisions regarding any facilities or services that receive funding under ESG.

(v) The jurisdiction must describe the performance standards for evaluating ESG activities.

(vi) The jurisdiction must describe its consultation with each Continuum of Care that serves the jurisdiction in determining how to allocate ESG funds each program year; developing the performance standards for, and evaluating the outcomes of, projects and activities assisted by ESG funds; and developing funding, policies, and procedures for the administration and operation of the HMIS.

(5) Housing Trust Fund.

(i) If the jurisdiction receives HTF funds from the State under 24 CFR 93.105, the action plan must include the HTF allocation plan (consistent with the State's HTF requirements) that describes the distribution of the HTF funds, and establishes the application requirements and the criteria for selection of applications submitted by eligible recipients that meet the jurisdiction's priority housing needs. The plan must include the following:

(A) The plan must identify priority factors for funding that shall include the following: geographic distribution which is a description of the geographic areas of the State (including areas of low-income and minority concentration) in which it will direct assistance during the ensuing program year; the applicant's ability to obligate HTF funds and undertake eligible activities in a timely manner; in the case of rental housing projects, the extent to which rents for units in the project are affordable to extremely low-income families; in the case of rental housing projects, the duration of the units' affordability period; the merits of the application in meeting the priority housing needs of the jurisdiction (such as housing that is accessible to transit or employment centers, housing that includes green building and sustainable development features, and housing that serves special needs populations); the location of existing affordable housing, and the extent to which the application makes use of non-federal funding sources.

(B) The plan must include the requirement that the application contain a description of the eligible activities to be conducted with the HTF funds (as provided in 24 CFR 93.200) and contain a certification by each eligible recipient that housing units assisted with the HTF will comply with HTF requirements. The plan must also describe eligibility requirements for recipients (as defined in 24 CFR 93.2).

(C) The plan must provide for performance goals, consistent with the jurisdiction's goals established under 24 CFR 91.215(b)(2).

(D) The plan must provide the jurisdiction's rehabilitation standards, as required by 24 CFR 93.301(b).

(E) If the jurisdiction intends to use HTF funds for first-time homebuyers, it must set forth the guidelines for resale or recapture, and obtain HUD's specific, written approval, as required in § 93.304(f). Approval of the consolidated plan or action plan under § 91.500 or the failure to disapprove the consolidated plan or action plan does not satisfy the requirement for specific HUD approval for resale or recapture guidelines.

(F) If the jurisdiction intends to use HTF funds for homebuyer assistance and does not use the HTF affordable homeownership limits for the area provided by HUD, it must determine 95 percent of the median area purchase price and set forth the information in accordance with § 93.305.

(G) The jurisdiction may limit the beneficiaries or give preferences to a particular segment of the extremely low- or very low-income population only if described in the action plan.

(1) Any limitation or preference must not violate nondiscrimination requirements in 24 CFR 93.350, and the jurisdiction must not limit or give preferences to students.

(2) The jurisdiction may permit rental housing owners to limit tenants or give a preference in accordance with 24 CFR 93.303 only if such limitation or preference is described in the action plan.

(H) The plan must describe the conditions under which the jurisdiction will refinance existing rental housing project debt.

(ii) [Reserved].

[71 FR 6965, Feb. 9, 2006, as amended at 76 FR 75970, Dec. 5, 2011; 78 FR 44663, July 24, 2013; 80 FR 5219, Jan. 30, 2015; 80 FR 42364, July 16, 2015; 80 FR 69869, Nov. 12, 2015; 81 FR 86951, Dec. 2, 2016; 85 FR 47909, Aug. 7, 2020]