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HCR Releases 2014 Unified Funding Round RFP

Categories: Funding

08.21.2014

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has released its annual Unified Funding Round Request for Proposals (RFP) for its Multifamily Capital and Credit Programs.

NYS Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) has released its annual Unified Funding Round Request for Proposals (RFP) for its Multifamily Capital and Credit Programs. Those seeking funding must submit early round applications by October 7th and regular round applications by December 4th.

Funds available this year include:

The Network commends the State for once again committing a minimum of $4 million in federal Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) funding for supportive housing.

WHAT’S NEW THIS YEAR?

There are several important changes to the UFR RFP 2014. Below is a list of the most significant changes.

EARLY ROUND PRIORITIES

Early round applications must meet one of several New York State housing goals. These include priority projects that meet the state’s revitalization and economic goals; workforce opportunity project goals; affordable housing preservation goals and supportive housing goals.

Supportive Housing goals include projects that serve Veterans with Special Needs and Medicaid Redesign/New York New York III Projects:

SUPPORTIVE HOUSING SET-ASIDE

$4 million is available for the Supportive Housing Set-Aside projects that set-aside at least 25% of the units for tenants with Special Needs (this has changed from previous years when it was set at 30%).  To be considered a supportive housing project under this set-aside, an application must:

NOTE: Any applicant considering a project that would give preference in tenant selection to persons with special needs for 50% or more of a project’s bedrooms are required to schedule a pre-application conference with HCR, and the State, federal or local agency that is providing the funding for appropriate services. The purpose of this conference is to explore whether the contemplated project is consistent with the Olmstead decision.

MEDICAID REDESIGN TEAM (MRT) HOUSING CAPITAL PROGRAM

HCR, acting through the Housing Trust Fund Corporation, is making available up to an additional $25,000,000 of capital to expand supportive housing for high cost Medicaid populations emphasized by the MRT. For purposes of this RFP, supportive housing must meet the definition of “supportive housing” set forth in Section 2040.2(u) of the DHCR QAP for 9% Low-Income Housing Credits. Eligible applicants may apply for up to $125,000 in MRT funds per supportive unit serving an eligible population.

HCR is seeking proposals from development teams that include service providers who have service, operating, and capital awards funded through the MRT Supportive Housing Allocation Plan, the NY/NY III Agreement, or from other federal, state and municipal funding streams for high need and high cost Medicaid recipients, to develop multifamily supportive rental housing projects either through new construction, or the gut rehabilitation of vacant buildings.

This RFP seeks to increase the number of integrated supportive housing developments in which a portion of the units are occupied by tenants who are receiving services, and a portion of the units are available to tenants of affordable or market rate units who are not in need of services. Evidence of the service, operating, and capital funding is required as part of the application submission. Successful applicants and their service providers will be required to collect and submit relevant Medicaid patient data to the State Department of Health or another State agency to track Medicaid cost savings resulting from the investment of MRT funds. Applications requesting MRT funding need not demonstrate a capital funding commitment if the proposed project relies on a NY/NYIII services only commitment from a New York State agency participating agency under the NY/NYIII agreement. Applicants requesting MRT funds under this RFP may not also request Mitchell-Lama (ML) or CDBG-DR/AHF funds.

Populations that are eligible for funding under the MRT Capital program include:

a) Those populations that receive funding through the MRT Supportive Housing Allocation Plan,

b) Populations covered under NY/NY III, and

c) Populations covered by other federal, State and/or municipal funding streams which provide social service funding for high need and high cost Medicaid recipients.

To demonstrate compliance with this application requirement, MRT applicants must provide a letter from the city, State or federal agency that will be providing the service subsidy to the project substantiating that the targeted population has historically had high cost Medicaid usage.

Funding Priorities/Rating Criteria- Applications in which MRT funding provides the greatest financial benefit to a project out of all HCR-requested resources will be rated based on the following criteria:

APPLICATION WORKSHOPS

There will be three application workshops held throughout the state.  The workshops will include a presentation and discussion of project application requirements and the Unified Funding process.  Workshops will be conducted at the following times and locations:

New York City
Friday, September 5th, 10:30am
25 Beaver Street, Room 510

Albany
Tuesday, September 9th, 10:00am
Hampton Plaza Ballroom, 30-40 State Street

Rochester
Wednesday, September 10th, 10:00am
Rochester City Council Chambers, City Hall, Room 302, 30 Church Street

Applications for capital project funding will be submitted using the Community Development Online Application System.  Printable instructions and screen shots of the CDOL Exhibits for the 2014 UFR CDOL application will be available on the HCR website.

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