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HUD Announces NOFA Incentive Criteria for Reducing Regulatory Barriers

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Late last month, the U. S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development announced it would award priority
points in the NOFA funding allocation to states and
communities that have demonstrated a tangible commitment
to reducing or eliminating regulatory barriers to the
creation of affordable housing. On November 25, 2003 HUD
published a notice announcing its intention to provide
incentives in HUD's FY 2004 competitive funding process.
The Notice makes available up to two policy priority
points for applicants who respond to a series of
questions in a manner that indicates they have
successfully taken steps to address the issue of
regulatory barriers within the community or communities
where funding is being requested. HUD received 37 public
comments from state and local housing agencies, state and
local community development agencies, and others.

While most commenters supported HUD's proposal, several
offered suggestions to improve or strengthen the effort.
As a result, the Department added questions to enable
more applicants to reach the applicable threshold for
receiving one or two policy priority points in the
application rating process. In addition, the Department
divided several questions into their component parts to
enable applicants to receive credit for each component of
the question. This change enables credit to be provided
even if only some, but not all, of the components listed
in the original question have been addressed.
For local jurisdictions, counties exercising land use and
building regulatory authority, and other applicants
applying for projects in such jurisdictions, applicants
may elect to answer twenty (20) questions. The decision
on whether or not to respond is strictly voluntary.
However, because competition for funding is often closely
contested, an extra point or two in the evaluative
process can prove decisive.

For state agencies and departments or other applicants
applying for projects located in unincorporated areas or
areas otherwise not addressed above, applicants now have
fifteen (15) questions to answer. In establishing the new
incentive criteria, the Department is encouraging
communities to play a more active role in improving
access to affordable housing through regulatory reform.

The programs subject to these criteria include, but are
not necessarily limited to:

o Alaskan Native/Native Hawaiian Institutions Assisting
Communities
o Assisted Living Conversion Program
o Brownfields Economic Development Initiative
o Community Outreach Partnership Centers
o Continuum of Care
o Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant Program
o Early Doctoral Student Research Grant Program
o Fair Housing Initiatives Program
o Health Homes Technical Studies
o Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities
o Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program
o HOPE VI
o Housing Counseling Program
o Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS
o HUD Urban Scholars Fellowship Program
o Lead Action Elimination Program
o Lead Based Paint Hazard Control Program
Lead Hazard Reduction Program
o Lead Outreach Grant Program
o Lead Technical Studies Program
o Resident Opportunities and Self-Sufficiency Program
o Rural Housing and Economic Development
o Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly
Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons With
Disabilities
o Service Coordinators in Multifamily Housing
o Tribal Colleges and Universities
o Youthbuild

To view this notice, which includes the actual questions
being posed, go to http://www.regbarriers.org/ and click
on the "HUD's NOFA Regulatory Barriers Selection
Criteria" link in the upper right corner of the Home
page. Applicants who are interested in reviewing possible
regulatory reform strategies to pursue are encouraged to
visit our searchable database of barriers identified and
solutions proposed at http://www.regbarriers.org/