Notice_of_Availability_of_State_and_Federal_Funds Notice of Availability of State and Federal Funds

4/22/15 N.Y. St. Reg. Notice of Availability of State and Federal Funds

NEW YORK STATE REGISTER

VOLUME XXXVII, ISSUE 16

April 22, 2015

NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDS

 

1220 Washington Ave. State Campus, Bldg. 7A Albany, NY 12242

ELIGIBLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS, VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS AND STATEWIDE ORGANIZATIONS THAT REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS AND/OR VOLUNTEER EMERGENCY SERVICES PERSONNEL

Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Recruitment and Retention Grant Program

Fiscal Year 2015-2016 Recruitment and Retention Grant Program seeks applications for up to $25,000 in state funding made available by the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) for programs designed to promote the development of, or support existing, regional recruitment and retention efforts. All awards are subject to availability of funds, pursuant to the provisions of sections 209-G and 630-b of the New York State Tax Law. This Grant Program is intended to promote the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters and volunteer emergency services personnel through the following primary objectives: 1.) Support organizational leadership development through education and training; and, 2.) Develop and implement recruitment and retention programs and materials. Funds will be awarded competitively based on the submission of applications by eligible volunteer fire departments, volunteer emergency service organizations and statewide organizations that represent the interests of volunteer firefighters and/or volunteer emergency services personnel.

Applications will be accepted from April 14, 2015 through 11:59 p.m. on June 11, 2015 and must be submitted to DHSES’s grants inbox: [e-mail].

For the Request for Applications (RFA) please visit the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) website at http://www.dhses.ny.gov/grants or DHSES’s Grant Hotline at [phone].

1220 Washington Ave. State Campus, Bldg. 7A Albany, NY 12242

ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS LOCATED WITHIN THE NEW YORK CITY URBAN AREA

Federal Fiscal Year 2015 Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP)

Description:

Request for Applications (RFA) for up to $75,000 in federal Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funding made available by the NYS Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency. There is a total of $13 million nationally in funding available under this grant program and funds will be awarded competitively based on the submission of applications by eligible nonprofit organizations located within the New York City Urban Area.

Funding will be awarded to support target hardening activities to nonprofit organizations (as described under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code) that are at high risk of terrorist attack due to their ideology, beliefs, or mission and are located within the New York City Urban Area (includes the Cities of New York and Yonkers and the Counties of Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk). The program seeks to integrate nonprofit preparedness activities with broader state and local preparedness efforts. It is also designed to promote coordination and collaboration in emergency preparedness activities among public and private community representatives, as well as State and local government agencies.

Due to the competitive nature of this program, funding preference will be given to nonprofit organizations that have not received prior years funding.

Applications will be accepted only through May 4, 2014, through New York State’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (NYS-DHSES) electronic grants management system (E-Grants).

Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Attn: Marianne Lindsay, 1220 Washington Ave., State Campus, Bldg. 7A, Albany, NY 12242, or e-mail: [e-mail], 1-866-837-9133

DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL

Housing Finance Agency 641 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10022

DEVELOPMENT TEAMS THAT HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED, OR PLAN TO SUBMIT, AN APPLICATION FOR BOND FINANCING DIRECTLY TO HCR

Mitchell Lama Funds

I. Introduction and General Information

In June of 2013, New York State Homes & Community Renewal (“HCR”) acquired a 44-property portfolio of Mitchell-Lama project loans. The objective of the acquisition was to ensure preservation of affordable housing units through refinancing project loans, as well as generating funds for capital improvements and property upgrades.

As part of the State’s commitment to increase and preserve the number of affordable housing opportunities for its residents, HCR, acting through the Housing Finance Agency (“HFA”), is making available up to $42,000,000 of capital (the “M-L Funds”) for preservation and improvement of these Mitchell Lama properties.

HCR is seeking applications for the use of M-L Funds from development teams that have already submitted, or plan to submit, an application for bond financing directly to HCR. Or, teams that have previously applied for and received funding under the State’s 2014 Unified Funding. Or, teams that plan to rehabilitate the project using State funding obtained through this Notice. HCR may also offer a limited number of Project Based Voucher (PBV) assistance, depending upon availability, through this Notice. Projects that plan to seek 9% credits through the State’s 2015 Unified Funding application process should not apply for M-L Funds through this Notice. M-L Funds will also be made available through the 2015 Unified Funding application process.

HCR reserves the right to award all, a portion of, or none of the M-L Funds, based upon funding availability, readiness, feasibility of the Projects, the Applicant’s ability to meet HCR criteria for funding, and the Applicant’s ability to advance the State’s housing goals. Furthermore, HCR reserves the right to review applications requesting M-L Funds as an application for funding under other programs for which the Project may be eligible through HCR, and to change or disallow aspects of the applications received. HCR reserves the right to make any such changes as an express condition of its award commitment for the Project.

Section II, “Application Submission and Deadline and General Requirements,” provides additional information on application submission methods.

Section III, “Offer of a limited amount of Project Based Voucher (PBV) assistance, depending upon availability, for proposed projects seeking M-L Funds through this Notice.”

Section IV, “Evaluation and Selection Process,” describes the general M-L Funds application review process and explains the evaluation and processing of applications.

Section V, “Contacts for Further Information,” provides contact information for relevant HCR staff for applicants to access technical assistance in preparing applications.

II. M-L Funds Application Deadline and General Requirements

1. Application Deadline

Applications requesting M-L Funds may be submitted at any time between April 7, 2015 and December 1, 2015, or until all allocations of M-L Funds are committed. M-L Funds applications will be reviewed as received and funding determinations will be made throughout the year. Notwithstanding resource availability, applications must be received by HCR by 5:00 pm EST, on December 1, 2015.

Applications seeking consideration for PBV assistance in combination with HWF, MIP and/or SLIHC must submit a complete application by no later than 5:00 PM, September 30, 2015. Complete applications seeking consideration for PBV assistance will be evaluated monthly beginning with complete applications received prior to May 1, 2015 that will be evaluated by June 1, 2015.

2. Application Submissions

Projects applying for HFA bond financing must submit a “short form” Mitchell-Lama application to HFA to supplement materials provided in the HFA application as required to evaluate eligibility for M-L Funds. A request for funding through this Notice may also be submitted to supplement any application previously submitted for funding under the 2014 Unified Funding that meets the criteria of the M-L Funds.

A request for funding through this Notice may also be submitted for projects that meet the criteria of the M-L Funds, seeking a standalone amount of Mitchell-Lama subsidy only. For these subsidy-only requests there is a Mitchell-Lama Subsidy Application, in lieu of the full bond application, that can be downloaded at http://www.nyshcr.org/.

3. Application Fees

Applicants requesting a standalone amount of the M-L Funds must submit an application fee of $5,000 to HFA. Upon receipt of the Mitchell-Lama Subsidy Application for financing, HCR will invoice the Applicant for this fee. No action on the application will be taken until the fee is received.

Applicants requesting HCR tax-exempt bond financing and other financing administered by HFA in conjunction with a request for M-L Funds are not required to pay the $5,000 application fee, but are subject to any HFA application fees set forth in the application instructions.

4. Application Review

For projects seeking tax-exempt bond financing, HFA, in its capacity as HCR’s bond issuer and 4% low income housing tax credit allocating agency, will retain lead role in all facets of project application review, design standards review, construction inspection and post completion compliance monitoring, unless otherwise specified.

For projects previously seeking 9% low income housing tax credits which were awarded under the 2014 Unified Funding application process, DHCR, in its capacity as HCR’s 9% low income housing tax credit allocating agency, will retain lead role in all facets of project application review, design standards review, construction inspection and post completion compliance monitoring, unless otherwise specified.

For projects planning to rehabilitate the project using State funding obtained through this Notice and no other HCR resources, HFA, as lender, will retain lead role in all facets of project application review, design standards review, construction inspection and post completion compliance monitoring, unless otherwise specified.

5. Eligibility Requirements

Projects must meet two requirements to be eligible for funding under this Notice.

1. Development team must have already submitted/plan to submit an application for bond financing to HCR, OR have previously applied for and received funding under the State’s 2014 Unified Funding, OR plan to rehabilitate the project using State funding obtained through this Notice.

2. Projects must be one of the following Mitchell Lama properties:

Broadway East (Springbrook Village) Kingston, NY 12401

Cedars of Chili Rochester, NY 14624

Charlotte Lake River Houses Rochester, NY 14612

Coney Island Site 9 (Scheuer House) Brooklyn, NY 11224

Golden Park Apartments (Liberty Senior Citizen Houses) Liberty, NY 12754

Los Flamboyanes Rochester, NY 14605

Madison Manor Syracuse, NY 13202

Main Street Fallsburg, NY 12779

Maple Court Homes Hornell, NY 14843

Melrose Site D-1 (Michaelangelo) Bronx, NY 10451

Midtown Manor Rochester, NY 14607

Parkedge Estates Utica, NY 13502

Parkside Houses Amherst, NY 14228

Rutland Road Houses, Inc. Brooklyn, NY 11212

Skyline Garden Apartments Albany, NY 12207

Shoreline II (Waterfront) Buffalo, NY 14201

Southeast Towers II Rochester, NY 14607

Ulster Senior Citizens Houses (Seven Greens) Kingston, NY 12401

Valley Vista Syracuse, NY 13205

106th Street (Lakeview Apartments) New York, NY 10029

III. Offer of a limited amount of Project Based Voucher (PBV) assistance, depending upon availability, for proposed projects seeking M-L Funds through this Notice

As authorized by program regulations at 24 CFR 983, HCR may offer a limited amount of Project Based Voucher (PBV) assistance, depending upon availability, for proposed projects seeking M-L Funds through this Notice. Applications seeking consideration for PBV assistance in combination with M-L Funds will be reviewed for eligibility, scored and underwritten at the end of each calendar month. All complete applications requesting PBVs received prior to May 1, 2015 will be competitively selected, based on the results of the review of M-L Funds projects, prior to June 1, 2015.

This competitive review process will be repeated at the end of each calendar month until December 2015.

Applications requesting project based assistance only will not be accepted. Requests for PBV assistance must be accompanied by a request for assistance for M-L Funds. Only applications submitted in response to this Notice will be considered for this PBV assistance.

IV. Evaluation and Selection Process

1. Application Receipt

M-L Funds applications are assigned an identification number and undergo a series of reviews.

2. Eligibility Review

M-L Funds applications will be reviewed to determine if the Project is eligible under the eligibility requirements as listed above.

3. Scoring

Projects will be scored according to developer team experience and capacity, readiness, financial feasibility and efficiency, leverage, regional economic development council plan advancement, as well as priority and overall outcomes.

4. Board Approval

All awards must be approved by the HFA Board. Awards of funds requested through this Notice will be awarded in the manner set forth therein.

5. Award Letter

HCR will issue Award Letters to notify the applicant that the project has been selected for funding, and sets forth the award amount(s) and closing deadline.

V. Contacts for Further Information

Any questions regarding this Notice or the application process under this Notice should be directed to:

Roger Harry, Assistant Vice President, Multifamily Finance [phone], [e-mail]

Leonard Gruenfeld, Assistant Vice President, Multifamily Finance [phone], [e-mail]

This Notice provides a summary description of the M-L Subsidy Program and procedures for applying for assistance thereunder. Additional information about these programs, including a fuller version of this Notice, is available on the HCR website, at: http://www.nyshcr.org

For an application, contact: Leonard Gruenfeld, Assistant Vice President, Multifamily Finance, Homes and Community Renewal, 641 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10022, [phone], or e-mail: [e-mail]

DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL

Housing Finance Agency 641 Lexington Ave. New York, NY 10022

DEVELOPERS SEEKING FINANCING FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION, SUBSTANTIAL REHABILITATION AND MODERATE REHABILITATION OF SITE-SPECIFIC, AFFORDABLE, MULTI-FAMILY RENTAL HOUSING (“PROJECT” OR “PROJECTS”) THAT WILL ALSO HAVE FIRST MORTGAGES FINANCED BY TAX-EXEMPT PRIVATE ACTIVITY BONDS OR ARE RECEIVING 9% TAX CREDITS FROM A HOUSING CREDIT AGENCY (“HCA”) THAT IS NOT AFFILIATED WITH HCR

New York State Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (“SLIHC”) Program; Homes for Working Families (“HWF”) Program; Middle Income Program (“MIP”)

Applications will be accepted through December 1, 2015 for allocations totaling up to $4,000,000 in annual credit allocations under the SLIHC Program, administered through the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (“DHCR”), up to $17,500,000 for loans under the HWF Program, administered through the Housing Trust Fund Corporation (“HTFC”) and $25,000,000 for the MIP Program administered through the New York State Housing Finance Agency (“HFA”). Applications requesting HWF, MIP and/or SLIHC may be submitted at any time between April 7, 2015 and December 1, 2015, or until all allocations of HWF, MIP and SLIHC resources are committed. HCR may offer a limited amount of Project Based Voucher (PBV) assistance, depending upon availability, for proposed projects seeking HWF, MIP and/or SLIHC under this competitive Request for Proposals. HWF, MIP and SLIHC applications will be reviewed as received and funding determinations will be made throughout the year. Notwithstanding resource availability, applications must be received by HCR by 5:00 pm EST, on December 1, 2015. Applications seeking consideration for PBV assistance in combination with HWF, MIP and/or SLIHC must submit a complete application by no later than 5:00 PM, September 30, 2015. The application deadline is firm as to date and hour. Applications received after the specified date and time will be deemed ineligible and will not be considered for funding.

This Notice of Credit and Funding Availability (“Notice”) describes the programmatic and submission requirements for both programs.

Applicants may only apply under this Notice for awards for new construction, substantial rehabilitation and moderate rehabilitation of site-specific multi-family rental housing Projects that (i) will also have first mortgages financed by tax-exempt Private Activity Bonds (“Bonds”) issued by the New York State Housing Finance Agency (“HFA”), the New York City Housing Development Corporation (“HDC”), or another issuer authorized by New York State to issue Bonds to finance the creation or preservation of multi-family rental housing (“Bond Issuer”) or (ii) will receive an award of 9% tax credits from an HCA other than a component of HCR. Any awards made under this Notice will be contingent on the Project receiving an award of Bond volume cap authority sufficient to fund the Project’s first mortgage.

This Notice explains the process by which HCR will accept and evaluate applications requesting HWF, MIP and SLIHC resources. After a determination has been made, unsuccessful Applicants may request an exit conference with HCR staff to review their application. Prospective Applicants may request technical assistance in preparing an application at any time.

HCR reserves the right to award all, a portion of, or none of the HWF or MIP program funds or SLIHC based upon funding availability, readiness, feasibility of the Projects, the Applicant’s ability to meet HCR criteria for funding, and the Applicant’s ability to advance the State’s housing goals. HCR also reserves the right to review applications requesting HWF or MIP funds or SLIHC as applications for funding under other programs for which the Project may be eligible through HCR, and to change or disallow aspects of the applications received. HCR reserves the right to make any such changes as an express condition of its award commitment for the Project.

HCR will seek to award these limited HWF, MIP and SLIHC resources so as to promote a statewide geographic distribution of such financing. Therefore, awards for proposed Projects may be denied in areas of the State that have recently been awarded HCR capital financing, including, but not limited to, financing under HWF or SLIHC. Funding may also be denied to Projects where market studies or other analyses indicate low-income housing saturation.

Applicants requesting HWF or MIP financing must submit an application fee of $5,000 to HTFC or HFA. Upon receipt of the HWF or MIP application, HCR will invoice the Applicant for this fee. No action on the application will be taken until the fee is received.

Applicants requesting HCR tax-exempt bond financing and other financing administered by HFA in conjunction with a request for an HWF or MIP capital subsidy are not required to pay the $5,000 HWF or MIP application fee, but are subject to any fees required by HFA’s application procedures.

Additionally, an Applicant requesting SLIHC financing under this Notice must, upon receipt of an invoice, submit a $3,000 SLIHC application fee. Payment of all application fees is due at the time of initial application submission. Not-for-profit Applicants for SLIHC may request a deferral of payment until the time of construction mortgage closing.

HWF Program

HWF is a housing development program that provides financing assistance for acquisition, capital costs, and related soft costs associated with the new construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing developments. HWF is subject to the statutory requirements of the Low Income Housing Trust Fund Program. Under HWF, more than 50% of Project costs must be financed by Bonds issued by a public authority and allocated from the State’s private activity bond volume cap. Such bond financing provided by a Bond Issuer qualifies the project for allocation of 4% Low-Income Housing Credits (often termed “as-of-right” tax credits). HWF financing may only be utilized to finance the development of residential units affordable to households with incomes at 60% or less of area median income (AMI), adjusted for family size. However, up to a maximum of 30% of the Project’s units may be affordable to tenants with incomes above 60% of AMI, provided that those units are financed by other funding sources, including SLIHC.

HCR anticipates an appropriation of approximately $17,500.000 for State Fiscal Year 2015-16, which will be awarded pursuant to applications submitted under this Notice. The maximum amount of HWF financing that may be requested per Project is $3,000,000.

HCR will allocate resources made available through this Notice using the following three criteria: fundamentals, leverage, and outcomes. This framework accommodates programmatic preferences and housing goals currently utilized by HCR. These priorities include:

Economic Development;

Mitchell-Lama Portfolio Projects;

Supportive Housing Projects;

Community Renewal and Revitalization;

Housing Opportunity Projects;

Rural Preservation Projects;

Workforce Opportunity Goals;

Disaster Relief Projects.

Applications which propose using more than twenty-five percent of the HWF request for acquisition costs will be considered for award only if the Applicant demonstrates that there is a significant risk that the Project will no longer be affordable to low-income persons without receipt of such funding.

HWF Loan Terms and Conditions

Projects funded with HFA bond proceeds may request either HWF construction or permanent loan financing. Only HWF permanent loans are available to Projects obtaining bond financing from other Bond Issuers, including HDC. If the Project receives HDC bond financing, the HWF loan will mirror the terms and conditions of any HPD or HDC subordinate loan financing, and will assume co-equal lien priority status with any HPD and/or HDC subordinate loan. If another Bond Issuer provides bond financing, the HWF loan will be in the form of a 30-year term, 1% fixed interest rate loan payable from Project revenue, along with other approved mortgages.

MIP Program

MIP is a housing development program that provides financing assistance for acquisition, capital costs and related soft costs associated with the new construction or rehabilitation of affordable middle income housing projects to create more income diversity in affordable housing development and reach the underserved middle income residents of New York. MIP provides gap funding to developments that include a component of units that will be occupied by households earning up to 130% of AMI. MIP financing may only be used to finance the development of projects with at least 50% of the residential units affordable to households with incomes at 130% or less of AMI, as adjusted for family size. Projects must also meet the normal tax exempt bond and LIHC low income set aside requirements on 20% of the units affordable to households with incomes at 50% or less of AMI or 40% of the units affordable to households with incomes at 60% or less of AMI.

HCR anticipates an appropriation of approximately $25,000,000 for State Fiscal Year 2015-16, which will be awarded pursuant to applications submitted under this Notice. The maximum amount of HWF financing that may be requested per Project is $5,000,000.

HCR will allocate resources made available through this Notice using the following three criteria: fundamentals, leverage, and outcomes. This framework accommodates programmatic preferences and housing goals currently utilized by HCR as specified above. Specific priorities for MIP include Housing Opportunity Projects, Mixed Income Revitalization Projects, Middle Income Stabilization Projects, and projects where at least 20% 0f the dwelling units contain two or more bedrooms.

MIP Loan Terms and Conditions

Projects funded with HFA bond proceeds may request either MIP construction or permanent loan financing. Only MIP permanent loans are available to Projects obtaining bond financing from other Bond Issuers, including HDC. If the Project receives HDC bond financing, the MIP loan will mirror the terms and conditions of any HPD or HDC subordinate loan financing, and will assume co-equal lien priority status with any HPD and/or HDC subordinate loan. If another Bond Issuer provides bond financing, the MIP loan will be in the form of a 30-year term, 1% fixed interest rate loan payable from Project revenue, along with other approved mortgages.

SLIHC Program

SLIHC provides a dollar-for-dollar reduction in certain New York State taxes to investors in qualified low-income housing which meets the requirements of Article 2-A of the Public Housing Law and which has also received an allocation under the criteria and procedures established in the SLIHC Regulations, 21 NYCRR Part 2040.14. The SLIHC Program is similar to the federal LIHC Program except program parameters assist households earning up to 90% of AMI rather than the 60% limit under federal LIHC program. The SLIHC Program requires at least 40% of the units in the Project to be set aside for households with incomes that do not exceed 90% of AMI. Applications requesting SLIHC will be rated pursuant to the scoring criteria set forth in the SLIHC Regulations. While SLIHC scoring criteria are substantially synchronized with LIHC scoring criteria, SLIHC scoring provides an additional preference for Projects which will serve households with a range of income levels.

MIP, MIP and/or SLIHC Pre-application Requirements

Prospective Applicants will be required to schedule and coordinate a pre-application meeting with development team members, HCR staff, and representatives of the proposed Bond Issuer. The pre-application meeting will enable HCR and the Bond Issuer to jointly assess Project readiness and determine whether it is appropriate for the Applicant to proceed with submission of any MIP, MIP or SLIHC application. Should an Applicant submit an MIP, MIP and/or SLHIC application to HCR without previously conducting such a meeting, HCR reserves the right, in its full discretion, to terminate the application without further review.

This Notice provides a summary description of the HWF, MIP and SLIHC programs and procedures for applying for assistance thereunder. Additional information about these programs, including a fuller version of this Notice, is available on the HCR website, at: http://www.nyshcr.org

For an application, contact: Mark Flescher, Vice President, Special Projects, Homes and Community Renewal, 641 Lexington Ave., New York, NY 10022, [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]

DIVISION OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY RENEWAL

Housing Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC) Hampton Plaza 38-40 State St. Albany, NY 12207

PERSONS/FIRMS THAT SPONSOR THE CONSTRUCTION AND/OR REHABILITATION OF HOUSING FOR LOW- AND MODERATE-INCOME PERSONS/HOUSEHOLDS

Funding for eligible applicants under the Rural & Urban Community Investment Fund (CIF)

DESCRIPTION:

A Request For Proposals (RFP) for Open Window applications for the Rural & Urban Community Investment Fund (CIF) is available on NYS Homes and Community Renewal’s website at: http://www.nyshcr.org/Funding/OpenWindow/2013/. Applications for CIF project funding will be submitted using the Community Development Online (CDOL) Application System, located on HCR’s website at: http://www.nyshcr.org/Apps/CDOnline/. Printable instructions for using the CDOL system are available on NYS Homes and Community Renewal’s website at: http://www.nyshcr.org/Funding/OpenWindow/2013/. Applicants who have already submitted a complete application for tax-exempt bond financing through HCR’s 641 Lexington Avenue Office in New York City may request that previous submissions be used in place of CDOL. Please see RFP for more information on this application alternative.

APPLICATION DEADLINES:

Applications under the Community Investment Fund (CIF) will be accepted on a continuous basis until funds are no longer available. HCR also expects to have funds available as part of its annual competitive Unified Funding application process.

OPEN WINDOW COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUNDS AVAILABLE:

Approximately $17 million in Rural & Urban Community Investment Funds (CIF) are expected to be available, subject to the availability of appropriations.