Native American Housing Block Grants

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Corrected the total for the program – from 242,500,000 to $242,250,000.The Native American Housing Block Grant program, authorized by the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (“NAHASDA”) assists tribes in developing, operating, maintaining, and supporting affordable housing for rental and homeownership housing. Funds can be used for acquisition, new construction, rehabilitation of affordable housing, site improvement, development and rehabilitation of utilities and infrastructure, utility services, conversion, demolition, financing, administration and planning, improvement to achieve greater energy efficiency, mold remediation, investments that leverage private sector funding or financing for renovations, and energy conservation retrofit investments.Funds will be obligated through competitive funding by September 30, 2009. Priority will be given to projects that will spur construction and rehabilitation and will create employment opportunities for low-income and unemployed persons. Tribes/tribally designated housing authorities (TDHE) will be required to obligate 100 percent of their funds within 1 year of the date funds are made available, expend at least 50 percent of such funds within 2 years of the date in which funds became available, and expend 100 percent of such funds within 3 years of such date. If a tribe/TDHE fails to comply with the 2 year expenditure requirement, the funds will be recaptured and reallocated by formula to tribes that have complied with this requirement. If a tribe/TDHE fails to comply with the 3 year expenditure requirement, the balance of the funds originally awarded to the tribe/TDHE will be recaptured. Milestones in the award process include the publication of a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), submission of an application by the tribe/TDHE, review of the application by HUD, and execution of a Funding Approval/Agreement by the tribe/TDHE. In compliance with the Recovery Act, the funds will be obligated by September 30, 2009.

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