RIHousing is pleased to announce the opening of a competitive funding round for the Home Investment Partnership Program (HOME) and the Housing Trust Fund (HTF) assistance program of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). We anticipate being able to award approximately $ 7 million in combined HOME and HTF funds for the development of affordable rental housing for low, very low, and anstremely low-income households.
NOTE: THE CURRENT RIHOUSING PROFORMA MODEL, V11.4, IS POSTED ON OUR WEBSITE IN THE DEVELOPER'S HANDBOOK, ANY APPLICATION SUBMITTED ON A PREVIOUS VERSION OF THE MODEL WILL BE REJECTED.
Nonprofit housing developers, for-profit developers, public housing authorities, cities, towns, faith-based organizations and community housing development organizations are eligible to apply.
Note to HOME fund applicants only: Applicants from communities entitled to receive formula-based HOME funding allocations are eligible to apply, provided that their communities do not have HOME funds available for the specific housing activites proposed.
Threshold criteria will be utilized to determine which applications will conform to the requirements of the funding round. Any application determined to be non-complaint with the stated threshold criteria will be eliminated from consideration:
Distribution Plans for each program, including funding priorities and scoring criteria, are attached.
Proposals awarded HOME or HTF funds are subject to environmental reviews. Please click on the relevant program hyperlink for each program to review applicable environmental provisions and to ensure project eligibility prior to applying.
Applications must be completed electronically at https://osa.rihousing.com/. No applications will be accepted after 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 14, 2022.
If you have questions about the HOME or HTF programs, please contact either Brittany Toomey at 401-429-1455 or btoomey@rihousing.com, or Lauren Farley at 401-429-1412 or lfarley@rihousing.com
The State's HOME program awards funding for the purpose of acquisition, rehabilitation and new construction of rental affordable housing. There is a cap of 10% of the HOME award to use on administration of the program. Annually, 15% of program funds may be allocated to an eligible Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) and RIHousing may provide HOME assistance, in the form of operating funds, to those eligible organizations upon award of project funds.
Homeownership development, direct homeownership assistance, down payment and closing cost assistance, which do not include housing development, are not among the priorities of the HOME Program.
The Housing Trust Fund (HTF) is an affordable housing production program that will complement existing federal, state and local efforts to increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe, and sanitary affordable housing for families and other households in Rhode Island, including homeless families1. One hundred percent (100%) of the HTF funds awarded in 2022 must benefit extremely low-income families or families with incomes at or below the poverty line (whichever is greater).
RIHousing has determined that direct homeownership assistance, down payment and closing cost assistance, which do not include housing development, are not among priorities of the HTF Program.
1 To learn more about the HTF program, visit the HUD Exchange at: https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/HTF/.
Scoring Factor
| Total Possible Points
|
| Meeting Program Priorities: The extent to which the proposal addresses one or more of the HOME Program Priorities outlined below (Tier 1 priorities = 30 points; Tier 2 priorities = 25 points; Tier 3 priorities = 20 points) | 30 |
| Applicant Ability to Obligate and Undertake Eligible Activities: Capacity of the applicant to undertake the proposed activity (past project performance- up to 7 points, development and management team- up to 7 points, financial feasibility- up to 6 points, deduction of up to 9 points for HOME fundings: if in monitoring- 3 points, if past compliance concerns- 3 points, and/or if there was a lack of responsiveness to past requests for required information- 3 points) | 20 |
| Leverage and Match: Commitment of and amount of leveraged resources and available match (non-federal match will be scored more highly) | 15 |
| Demonstrated demand: Market study or waitlist (full points allocated if waiting lists are provided, 5 points for demonstration of need but no demand) | 10 |
| Financial feasibility of Project: Committed or projected operating subsidy = up to 5 points; Pro forma performance through affordability period = up to 5 points | 10 |
| Design and Construction Standard: Meets or exceeds RIHousing Design and Construction Standards | 10 |
| Community Participation: Evidence of community engagement, public solicitation of feedback, and/or resident participation in project planning or execution | 5 |
| Geographic Diversity: HOME funding is available to all communities in the State, with the general exception of Providence, Pawtucket and Woonsocket (entitlement communities), which receive HOME allocations directly from HUD. Entitlement communities may be eligible for State HOME funding if the entitlement entities do not have funds available for a specific activity. Priority will be given to non-entitlement communities who have yet to meet or exceed State requirements that at least 10% of housing stock is affordable (1 point).
Additional points will be given for each of the following:
| 5 |
| Duration of Affordability: Term of Affordability exceeds minimum requirements for type unit and amount of funding requested. HOME affordability varies dependent on project type and level of HOME investment. (meets affordability - 2 points, +1-10 years - 3 points, +11-20 years - 4 points, +21 years or more - 5 points) | 5 |
| Priority Housing Needs of the State: Connectedness to State Consolidated Plan priority needs | 5 |
| Additional Merits: Preference for underserved segments of the population as defined in the State's Consolidated Plan | 5 |
| Additional Merits: Project provides access to resident services and supports (maximum point allocation to those applications which include executed MOUs with service partners) | 5 |
| Additional Merits: Project integrates green design elements, universal design, energy and water conservation, etc. technologies above and beyond the Design & Construction standards. | 5 |
| TOTAL: | 130 |
| Scoring Factor
| Total Possible Points |
| Meeting Program Priorities: The extent to which the proposal addresses one or more of the HTF Program Priorities outlined below (Tier 1 priorities = 30 points; Tier 2 priorities = 25 points; Tier 3 priorities = 20 points) | 30 |
| Applicant Ability to Obligate and Undertake Eligible Activities: Capacity of the applicant to undertake the proposed activity (past project performance- up to 7 points, development and management team- up to 7 points, financial feasibility- up to 6 points, deduction of up to 9 points for HTF fundings: if in monitoring- 3 points, if past compliance concerns- 3 points, and/or if there was a lack of responsiveness to past requests for required information- 3 points) | 20 |
| Leverage and Match: Commitment of and amount of leveraged resources and available match (non-federal match will be scored more highly) | 15 |
| Demonstrated demand: Market study or waitlist (full points allocated if waiting lists are provided, 5 points for demonstration of need but no demand) | 10 |
| Financial feasibility of Project: Committed or projected operating subsidy = up to 5 points; Pro forma performance through affordability period = up to 5 points | 10 |
| Design and Construction Standard: Meets or exceeds RIHousing Design and Construction Standards | 10 |
| Community Participation: Evidence of community engagement, public solicitation of feedback, and/or resident participation in project planning or execution | 5 |
Geographic Diversity: HTF funding is available to all communities in the State. Priority will be given to communities that have yet to meet or exceed State goal that at least 10% of housing stock is affordable (1 point).
Additional points will be given for each of the following:
| 5 |
| Duration of Affordability: Term of Affordability exceeds minimum requirements for type unit and amount of funding requested. HTF affordability is 30 years. (meets affordability - 2 points, +1-10 years - 3 points, +11-20 years - 4 points, +21 years or more - 5 points) | 5 |
| Priority Housing Needs of the State: Connectedness to State Consolidated Plan priority needs | 5 |
| Additional Merits: Preference for underserved segments of the extremely low-income population as defined in the State's Consolidated Plan | 5 |
| Additional Merits: Project provides access to resident services and supports (maximum point allocation to those applications which include executed MOUs with service partners) | 5 |
| Additional Merits: Project integrates green design elements, universal design, energy and water conservation, etc. technologies above and beyond the Design & Construction standards. | 5 |
| TOTAL: | 130 |