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CDBG RFP 2023-2024 City of Northampton - Annual Action Plan CDBG Program Year 2023-2024 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS For Public Services, Housing, Economic Development, Public Infrastructure, and Public Facilities Application Release Date: Tuesday, Nov. 22nd, 2022 Deadline for All Applications: Friday Jan. 13, 2023 - 4:59 PM Introduction The City of Northampton is in the process of developing its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan for the 2023 federal fiscal year from July 1st, 2023 to June 30th, 2024. In accordance with the requirements of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the plan will incorporate the statutory requirements for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). Funds may be used to support Northampton residents and facilities only. The City is requesting proposals for: public services, housing, economic development, public infrastructure, and public facilities. HUD National Objectives CDBG program requires that each activity funded must meet one of three national objectives and an eligible activity under 24 CFR 570 . The three national objectives are: 1. Benefit to low- and moderate- income (LMI) persons 2. Aid in the prevention or elimination of slums or blight 3. Urgent Need: Meet a need having a particular urgency An activity that does not meet a national objective is not compliant with CDBG and will not be authorized by the City for CDBG funding. Furthermore, the “primary national objective” is that 70% of all activities must service low- and moderate-income persons. Low- and moderate income persons have household incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income limit or presumably low-income such as those with serious disabilities or experiencing homelessness. Ineligible Activities ● Activities that do not benefit low- and moderate-income persons, nor address slum and blight ● Improvements to buildings or portions thereof used for the general conduct of government, except for removal of architectural barriers to improve accessibility or historic preservation ● General government expenses, including operation and maintenance ● Political activities ● Income payments to individuals with some exceptions. Rental assistance is eligible under the following conditions: the payments do not exceed three consecutive months of current and future rent and the payments are made directly to the provider of such services on behalf of an individual or family. Income payments that are provided as a loan are permissible within the public services cap. Schedule for Review and Development of Annual Action Plan: WHAT WHEN WHERE NOTES Request for Proposals (RFP) Released Tuesday Nov. 22nd 2022 https://www.northamptonma.gov/2384/Apply-for-CDBG-Funding Availability of RFP - applications for the FY 2023 HUD Annual Action Plan Public Services, Housing, Community & Economic Development Priorities / RFP Public Hearing Thursday, Dec. 1st, 2022 at 6:00 PM City Hall Hearing Room & Zoom conference call: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/814697220 34 Obtain input on housing and community development needs from the public and provide technical assistance for public service agencies on submissions to the RFP. Technical Assistance for Applications Friday, Dec. 2nd, 2022 at 2:00 PM https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81469722034 Optional technical assistance for CDBG applicants. Please RSVP using info at the end. Technical Assistance for Applications - Backup Session Friday, Dec. 9th 2022 at 2:00 PM https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81469722034 Optional technical assistance for CDBG applicants. Please RSVP using info at the end. All Applications Due Friday, January 13th, 2023 at 4:59 PM https://www.northamptonma.gov/2384/ Apply-for-CDBG-Funding Deadline for all RFP submissions / CDBG applications Public Services Advisory Committee (PSAC) reviews Public Services applications and makes recommendation to the Mayor January – February 2023 Draft Annual Action Plan Public Hearing Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 6:00 PM City Hall Hearing Room & Zoom conference call: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81469722034 Opportunity for all applicants to present their proposals. Draft Annual Action Plan Released Public comment period Begins (30 days) Wednesday, March 15, 2023 at 6:00 PM https://www.northamptonma.gov/2386 /CDBG-Planning-Performance-Evaluation The Draft Annual Action Plan will be released online. The public may submit written comments to be included in the final plan. Public comment period ends April 17, 2023 at 4:49 PM End of the public comment period. Submit Action Plan to HUD May 12th, 2023 Planning & Sustainability will submit Action Plan to HUD. Award letters sent electronically May – June 2023 Award letters will be sent to applicants accepted for funding. Funding authorized by HUD June – July 2023 HUD will review final plan and comments. Contracts Signed July 2023 Planning & Sustainability will send out contracts for signature. Aligning Projects with Priority Needs Identified in the City’s Consolidated Plan Each applicant must identify the Goals and associated Priority Needs created in Northampton’s Consolidated Plan (ConPlan) that the project addresses. The Goals are summarized below: Preserve Affordable Housing, Tenancy Help, & Rehab Activities in this category include the creation and rehabilitation of affordable housing – for renters and homeowners. Specific needs addressed are homelessness prevention, support for emergency shelters, and housing for at-risk & special needs populations. The review committee will look favorably on housing creation and rehabilitation activities that will further the City’s climate change and sustainability goals. Examples include passive solar arrays, high performance windows & insulation, energy efficient appliances, removing fossil fuels from the cooking & heating system, and installing electric car charging ports. Improve Public Facilities & Infrastructure Improvements to public facilities and infrastructure. Applicant should carefully consider the project timeline when applying for CDBG funds. The City will require that projects funded with FY 2023 CDBG funding to have a start date no later than August 1st, 2023. Failure to meet this deadline may result in the recapture of funds. Project budget and scope of work should be fully developed at the time of application. Economic Development Including non-housing community development and the creation or retention of jobs. Examples of activities include technical assistance and counseling for income eligible residents to create business startups. Removal of Slums & Blight The focus of activities under this goals is a change in the physical environment of a deteriorating area. The removal of slums and blight helps alleviate potentially hazardous and dangerous properties. These can detract from the character of the neighborhood or attract other unwanted outcomes like trash dumping and break-ins. Once the blighted property has been removed, the property could be used to have affordable housing, houses for first-time homebuyers, or a public facility located on them. Public Services ● Activities that benefit low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents with household incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income limit as defined by HUD. ● Activities include, but are not limited to: ○ Increasing access to food, nutrition, and other basic needs. ○ Emergency food distribution and community kitchens ○ Economic self-sufficiency ○ Youth services and development ○ Literacy and language attainment ○ Support services for people experiencing homelessness ○ Housing stabilization supports for individuals and families (e.g., financial coaching and literacy, mental and physical health services) Population groups primarily presumed to be LMI by HUD and do not require income verification are: abused children, battered spouses, severely disabled adults, homeless persons, illiterate adults, persons with aids, migrant farm workers, and the elderly. If a public service program is applying for CDBG for the first time and has been receiving other sources of funding from the City of Northampton, the program must provide either a new service or a quantifiable increase in the level of an existing service to receive the new CDBG funding. Basically, public service cannot use CDBG funds to fund existing programs already being funded by City funds or City-Administered state funds per federal law. The City of Northampton is expected to award a total of about $100,000 in CDBG funding for public services for the 2023 Program Year. The City seeks to award fewer public service agencies this year than the previous year with a larger award amount per agency. It has set a minimum funding threshold of $15,000 and a maximum of $20,000. For public service applicants, asking for a higher amount does not lessen the chance of being funded. City staff and the PSAC will review proposals on the merits of the program, not how much is being requested. However, final award amounts and budgets may still have to be readjusted once the City’s actual grant amount is announced by HUD. Additional Favorable Conditions that the PSAC Will Consider for Public Services The Public Services Advisory Committee (PSAC) will use this competitive application process and additional considerations to fund public services that are improving the lives of low- and moderate-income Northampton residents in a way that reflect the City’s values. These considerations are: ● Prioritizing the funding of smaller organizations that have more limited funding and staff ● Livable wages paid for staff funded through CDBG ● Board and staff demographics that reflect their program participants’ demographics (e.g. lived experiences) ● Program participants are involved in the PSAC interview process. Application Process The following information will be required during the Neighborly online application process at https://bit.ly/northampton-ma- cdbg. Applicants will need to register at the above hyperlink using an email address and password to login. Once the applicant registers and logs in, the application will be available. First-time and returning applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the public hearing session on Thursday December 1st, 2022. This is an opportunity to ask questions and get answers. Your questions will help other applicants who will likely have similar questions and concerns. Please RSVP by contacting the Community Development Planner or Grants Administrator in the Office of Planning & Sustainability. I. General Description: a. Project Scope: Provide a detailed scope of project and how the funds will be spent and the community needs addressed by the proposed activity. Limit of 1,500 characters. Examples include: • Poor: Funds will be used give public services to clients. • Good: Funds will be used to give financial literacy and budgeting skills to 12 LMI clients from Northampton through one-on-one counseling online or at the Northampton office. • Poor: House will be made accessible. • Good: One concrete ADA ramp will be installed to the front entrance of the house at ‘address’ to make it ADA accessible for two people with disabilities. b. Consolidated Plan Goals and Priority Needs: Identify the goals and priority needs from the list above that best match the proposed project. c. Geographic Distribution of Activities: Will the proposed project benefit Northampton residents citywide? If not, indicate the Census Tract(s) that will be served by the proposed project. Your census tract can be identified here: https://www.northamptonma.gov/928/Public-Files-Maps d. Budget Description: Select the appropriate budget type for the proposed project and complete the form. Applicants must include both CDBG funds and other funding sources. For agencies expecting additional sources of funds, space is provided to identify the source type and whether these funds are committed or pending. The budget should only include expenses related to the project for which you are seeking funds. Federal wage rates and compliance with Section 3 may apply to construction projects. Applicants are strongly encouraged to speak with Planning & Sustainability staff before submitting an application for any physical improvements. HUD has limited the amount of funding allowed towards public services to 15% of the total annual allocation. This averages about to $100,000 a year, to be divided among all of the public services. Award amounts for public services have been set by the City at a minimum award of $15,000. This should be considered before developing your budget. e. Measuring Accomplishments Table: Applicants should identify and describe the most significant outcome(s) the proposed project is expected to accomplish in fiscal year 2023. Be very specific e.g. “This program will serve 1,800 meals….” Or “This development will create 22 homes for LMI families”. II. UEI Number: The federal government requires subrecipients receiving federal funds to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number. The UEI has replaced the DUNS as of April, 2022. All CDBG applicants will be required to provide their UEI in their application. Completing this registration process is free, but the federal government may take several days to weeks to complete UEI requests due to a backlog. By law, the City cannot award federal funds to organizations without the UEI. If you are applying for CDBG, please apply to get the UEI as soon as possible. If you have the UEI already, please check your status and renew if inactive. You can get a UEI at: https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration. Other Required Attachments (will be uploaded in Neighborly) • Agency’s most recent financial audit • Memorandum of Agreement (for collaborating agencies if applicable) • For New Applicants Only: 501(c)(3) Letter of Tax Determination Status from the IRS Do Not Submit: Resumes, Brochures, newspaper articles, marketing materials, or any paper based application materials Submission Deadline The City of Northampton, will accept proposals through Neighborly from qualified firms until 4:59 P.M. on Friday, January 13th, 2023: https://portal.neighborlysoftware.com/northamptonma/Participant Proposal Selection and Contract Award Process All proposals will be reviewed and evaluated using the following process: • The Public Services Advisory Committee will review all CDBG Public Service proposals based on the evaluation criteria, with technical assistance from the City of Northampton’s Planning & Sustainability staff. The review committee will interview the strongest applicants and recommend to the Mayor the selected organizations and respective funding allocations. The review committee is comprised of a City Councilor(s), a member of the Northampton Housing Partnership, a member of the Human Rights Commission, and others knowledgeable about community needs. • Public hearing for the Draft Action Plan with proposed projects and budgets. Organizations requesting funding may discuss their projects informally. The public is encouraged to attend and give feedback. • A draft list of recommended proposals will be available for public comments for a period of 30 days online at the Planning & Sustainability. Notice of the Draft Plan will also be published in the Daily Hampshire Gazette. • If the agency received an award the prior year, it is asked to report on program success from the prior year. Programs that help address basic needs such as food and shelter receive priority. • Community collaborations are encouraged and leveraging of other funds are another important part of the review criteria. Criteria also include number of people served and whether the program addresses a gap in the service delivery system. • Proposed CDBG capital improvement projects such as infrastructure and public facilities will be reviewed and evaluated by the Office of Planning & Sustainability. • During the 30-day public comment period, the City will accept and evaluate written public comments regarding the initial selection of projects. • Selected applicants will be notified in writing following the Mayor’s approval of the Plan. Applicants should not assume that their proposal has been accepted for funding until they have received written notification from the Office of Planning & Sustainability. • Each grant awarded is subject to the execution of an agreement between the City and the applicant. The grant amount and the project description are subject to modification by the City. Northampton CDBG is a reimbursement grant program where agencies receive reimbursement funding from the City after they submit invoices of expenditures. No expenditure of funds can be incurred until an agreement has been fully executed and the City has issued an approved contract or agreement. The City will not be able to issue agreements until after HUD has approved the Annual Action Plan, usually in July or August. Evaluation Criteria Planning & Sustainability staff will use the following criteria to evaluate proposals and make recommendations to the Mayor. 1) Proposed project is eligible for funding according to HUD’s regulations and meets at least one of HUD’s National Objectives 2) Proposed activity addresses at least one goal of the City of Northampton Consolidated Plan Application, including Budget Description and Scope, is complete 3) Public Services will have additional considerations (see: Public Services section above) For Further Information, Questions, or to RSVP to the Technical Assistance Session Please Contact: Keith Benoit, Community Development Planner (413) 587-1288, kbenoit@northamptonma.gov or Nathan Chung, Grants Administrator (413) 587-1262, nchung@northamptonma.gov