Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Department's Fiscal Year 2017 Supplemental Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program

The purpose of HUD’s Housing Counseling Grant Program is to provide funds that shall be used for providing counseling and advice to tenants and homeowners, both current and prospective, with respect to property maintenance, financial management/ literacy, and such other matters as may be appropriate to assist them in improving their housing conditions, meeting their financial needs, and fulfilling the responsibilities of tenancy or homeownership. Funding provided by this NOFA is intended to support HUD-approved housing counseling agencies to respond flexibly to the needs of residents and neighborhoods,...

1. All housing counseling agencies (including LHCAs, Intermediaries and MSOs) that are directly approved by HUD to participate in the HUD Housing Counseling Program prior to the NOFA issue date and were not awarded FY 2016 comprehensive housing counseling funds through the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA as a direct grant from HUD or as a sub-grant from an SHFA or Intermediary are eligible for this NOFA. SHFAs that were not awarded FY 2016 funds through the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA as a direct grant from HUD or as a sub-grant from an Intermediary are also eligible. Agencies that were awarded FY 2016 funds through the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA as a direct grant from HUD or as a sub-grant from an SHFA or Intermediary are not eligible for this NOFA, unless the agency was awarded FY 2016 funds as an LHCA or as a sub-grantee of an SHFA or Intermediary and the LHCA or sub-grantee received HUD approval as a newly-approved MSO or Intermediary on or after February 18, 2016 and prior to the publication of this NOFA. Agencies meeting these criteria are eligible to apply for this NOFA using the MSO or Intermediary designation. Agencies that choose to apply under this exception will not be eligible to receive additional FY 2017 funds through the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA as either a direct grantee from HUD or as a sub-grantee from an SHFA or Intermediary. All other agencies that were awarded FY 2016 funds through the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA as a direct grant from HUD or as a sub-grant from an SHFA or Intermediary are not eligible for a direct grant from HUD under this NOFA. Instead, agencies that were awarded FY 2016 funds as a direct grant from HUD will be eligible to receive FY 2017 funds using the applications HUD received under the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA and the corresponding scores and funding methodology as described in the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA if the agency remains interested in and eligible for such funds. Alternatively, LHCAs that were awarded FY 2016 funds as a direct grant from HUD under the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA may affiliate with an Intermediary or SHFA and access FY 2017 funding through that affiliation. LHCAs that choose to affiliate and access FY 2017 funding through that affiliation will not be eligible to also receive additional FY 2017 funds as a direct grantee under the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA. Agencies that were awarded FY 2016 funds as a sub-grant from an SHFA or Intermediary will be eligible to receive FY 2017 funds as a sub-grantee from an SHFA or Intermediary if the agency remains interested in and eligible for such funds. Agencies that received FY 2016 funds as a sub-grantee from an SHFA or Intermediary that leave or are removed from that SHFA or Intermediary network for FY 2017 may be able to affiliate with a different Intermediary or SHFA and access FY 2017 funding through that affiliation. However, if the FY 2017 Intermediary or SHFA received an award through the FY 2016 - 2017 NOFA, HUD will not change the award amount the Intermediary or SHFA receives in FY 2017 based on the new affiliation except under rare, extenuating circumstances (e.g. the FY 2016 Intermediary or SHFA withdraws from the program). Housing Counseling agencies that have not received HUD approval but meet the Housing Counseling Program approval criteria at 24 C.F.R. § 214.103 are encouraged to affiliate with a HUD-approved Intermediary or SHFA. Individuals, foreign entities, and sole proprietorship organizations are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement.

David Valdez david.l.valdez@hud.gov