$2.3 billion in HUD grants now available

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson unveiled Friday HUD’s simplified “SuperNOFA,” a notice that makes available $2.3 billion in funding opportunities to help produce more affordable housing, assist homeless individuals and families, and promote community development.

The fiscal year 2004 Notice of Funding Availability includes 49 separate funding opportunities that will help states, local governments and nonprofit grassroots organizations to house and serve lower income families living in their communities.

This notice continues HUD’s efforts to further improve the grant application process, promoting greater access for faith-based and other community organizations, and reducing excessive regulations that inhibit the creation of affordable housing. It is HUD’s intent to have all of its applications in fiscal year 2005 available on www.Grants.gov for electronic submission.

This year, HUD is placing the highest priority on funding local communities and organizations that are working toward removing excessive and burdensome regulations that restrict the development of affordable housing at the local level.

HUD will begin awarding priority points to certain applicants in communities that have successfully demonstrated efforts to reduce regulatory barriers that prevent many families from living in the communities where they work. HUD’s policy on removal of Regulatory Barriers to Affordable housing can be found at www.hud.gov/initiative/affordablecom.cfm

In addition, the department is continuing to level the playing field for faith-based and other grassroots community organizations applying for federal funding. Applicants will be asked to fill out a questionnaire that will help HUD determine if it is meeting the goal of increasing the participation of these organizations in the Department’s program. Meanwhile, HUD is seeking to remove unnecessary federal regulations that prevent faith-based and community groups from competing on an equal footing with other applicants seeking grants.

To ensure that HUD programs are accessible to small, disadvantaged or women-owned businesses, the Department continues to require grantees make every effort to contract with these business partners in their HUD-funded programs. Too often, these businesses still experience difficulty accessing information and successfully bidding on federal contracts. Currently, HUD leads all other federal agencies in contracting with these businesses.

The grant opportunities announced today are in addition to the $31.5 billion HUD allocates to States and local communities, Public Housing Agencies, and Native-American Tribes in the form of block grants, housing choice vouchers and other formula-based funding.

HUD is the nation’s housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supportive for the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS.