§2.Affordable housing resident services grant program
This section establishes an annual competitive grant program, administered by the Director of the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) within HHS as part of the Services Research Demonstration program, to fund service coordinators providing supportive services to residents of qualified affordable housing properties.
Eligible recipients are entities with experience owning, managing, or delivering services in such properties or tribes or tribal organizations, with priority to mission-driven nonprofits; grants are for five years, services are voluntary, at least 25% of funds support service coordinator salaries, benefits, and training, and up to 75% cover activities including increasing access to health and mental health services, education and mentoring, economic self-sufficiency and financial literacy, aging in place for older adults, independent living for residents with disabilities, public benefits assistance, and other activities determined by the Director.
Qualified properties include those assisted under the low-income housing tax credit (section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code), project-based section 8 rental assistance (including project-based vouchers), section 236 or section 221(d)(3) of the National Housing Act, section 515 rural rental housing, permanent supportive housing under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, section 1131 of P.L. 110-289, section 202 elderly housing, section 811 disability housing, HOPWA, certain public housing agency-owned units, or community services block grant-funded properties, or as otherwise determined by the Director.
Grants are awarded based on criteria including the potential to provide new, expanded, or more effective services; likelihood of achieving described outcomes; experience in eligible activities; partnerships with localities, nonprofits, continuums of care, and health providers; property management experience; and grantee diversity (e.g., minority-owned businesses, rural and underserved areas). The Director coordinates with HUD as appropriate and may reserve up to 5% of appropriated funds for technical assistance; grantees may reserve up to 1% per grant for capacity building.