Recovery.gov - Track the Money

Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages may use block grants to improve housing stock, provide community facilities, make infrastructure improvements, and expand job opportunities by supporting the economic development of their communities. Activities which are eligible for funding include housing construction, rehabilitation, acquisition of land for housing, direct assistance to facilitate homeownership among low- and moderate-income persons, construction of tribal and other facilities for single or multi-use, streets and other public facilities, and economic development projects.

Project/Activity: Improve or add to housing stock, provide community facilities, improve infrastructure, and expand job opportunities by supporting economic development of the communities, especially by nonprofit tribal organizations or local development corporations.
Description: Activities support new housing construction (if carried out by a community-based development organization), rehabilitation of existing housing, land acquisition to support new housing and public facilities, assistance to households to become homeowners, community buildings and other public facilities (including energy conservation activities), economic development activities, microenterprise development and neighborhood revitalization
Funding: $10,000.000.00

Project/Activity: Deliver training, technical assistance, monitoring, enforcement, research and evaluation activities.
Description: HUD will hire staff, build systems and capacity and work with grantees to ensure effective and efficient implementation.
Funding: $477,950.00

(1) Data Collection and Reporting
a. Spend Plans: An eligible applicant must submit an application in response to a Notice of Funding Available. The applications contain information on their proposed project including timeframes for project implementation. The Area Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) will rate and rank the application. If funded, but before gaining access to funds, the grantees must execute a grant agreement with special conditions related to the Recovery Act.
b. Financial Reports: HUD has two financial reports that will be generated and analyzed on a weekly basis. These include a Summary Financial Report that indicates the amount of funds for each program, and a Funding Notification Report, which shows the amount of funding by program for every jurisdiction, including local governments and some states.
c. Quarterly Recipient Reports: The cornerstone of HUD’s monitoring and evaluation system is the project and contract data collected from grantees. The Recovery Act specifically requires data collection fields for grantees and contractors. In addition to these data, HUD will also collect program-specific measures from grantees (e.g., number of units rehabilitated, etc.).
d. Sample Survey of Outcomes: There is no planned survey of outcomes for this program.

(2) Ongoing Grantee Management:
HUD categorizes grantees by risk, then monitors and works with grantees to resolve performance issues, including providing training, technical assistance, and, if warranted, enforcement actions. Findings of non-compliance will trigger the remedial process. High-risk grantees are those that are in the process of having remedies imposed. Both remote and on-site monitoring are available options, pursuant to regulations. To ensure timely expenditure of funds, ONAP tracks disbursements through its systems. To ensure quality expenditure of funds, ONAP regularly monitors activities at the project level through the review of data and information submitted. Follow-up will occur on issues or matters of concern that are discovered. To ensure budget and cost compliance grantees submit to regular audits. Quarterly reports will be reviewed to verify expenditure and obligation rates. To ensure legal compliance and prevent fraud, all activities under this grant will be tracked for compliance with statutory, regulatory, and administrative requirements by the ONAP Headquarters Grants Evaluation staff through the use of regular risk assessment tools, such as the use of the Annual Status and Evaluation Report, Form SF-272-Federal Cash Transaction Report, and OMB Circular A-133 audits. If necessary, enforcement actions will occur and categorical training and technical assistance will be offered to resolve specific problems. Enforcement actions for non-compliance include shutting down access to funds, letters of warning, notices of intent to impose remedies, and imposition of sanctions pursuant to 24 CFR § 1003.701, 1003.702, 1003.703. Remedies can be triggered if HUD determines that the grantee has not complied with the statute or regulations, has not carried out the activities as described in its applications, has not made substantial progress on the funded project, or has not shown the continuing capacity to carry out its approved activities. Grants will not be awarded to tribes with remedies currently imposed.

(3) Longer Term Evaluation and Research: There is no planned long-term evaluation of this program.

With respect to reporting, OMB has issued detailed guidance on the requirements for recipients of the Recovery Act funds. Specifically, each prime and first tier recipient is required to report specified information to HUD 10 days after the end of each calendar quarter. This includes but is not limited to a detailed list of all projects and activities for which Recovery Act funds were obligated or expended, an evaluation of the completion status of the project or activity, and an estimate of the number of jobs created or retained. In addition to the overarching requirements of the Recovery Act, HUD has also identified a number of program-specific measures that will be collected through this reporting process.

HUD expects that the transparency requirements of the Recovery Act, specifically the requirement to publish both spending and recipient performance reports, will create accountability amongst its managers and grantees. That said, HUD will establish additional internal management controls to create a greater level of accountability for performance. The HUD Recovery Act program management team will work with the leads of the program and cross-cutting teams to prepare a bi-weekly program snapshot report for the steering committee to review with the Deputy Secretary and Secretary. Drawing from the program and risk management plans, the reports will include summary-level quantitative financial and programmatic performance measures and targets, key milestones, and issues or risks. Interim spending and performance targets will be set to ensure that annual objectives from the program plans are met. Performance data will be summarized by grantee risk category, as defined in the agency’s risk management plan. Performance measure targets and milestones that are missed, or that are in jeopardy of being missed, will be accompanied by an explanation of the reasons why, including any issues affecting progress and the specific plan for their resolution or mitigation. The report will also identify specific grantees with performance issues, and summarize the actions being taken to address them. In addition to the bi-weekly reporting, each program team will meet with the Secretary, Deputy Secretary and Steering Committee on a monthly basis to review a more detailed set of Recovery Act performance measures. On a quarterly basis, these monthly meetings will include updated grant recipient data described above.

This program does not invest in Federal infrastructure. However, for HUD’s programs that include construction or rehabilitation or are Federal investments in privately owned housing: New buildings and major renovations financed through formula grants are required to meet local energy codes. New construction and major renovations financed through some competitive grant programs will, in the case of single family homes, be built to the standard for Energy Star for New Homes (15 percent more efficient than the 2004 International Residential Code); or in the case of multifamily buildings to exceed ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-conditioning Engineers) Code 90.1 2007, Appendix G, by 20 percent. HUD’s competitive program requirements also ensure that new construction and major renovations follow sustainable design and green construction principles to (1) optimize energy efficiency and performance; (2) employ integrated design principles (and controls); (3) protect and conserve water; (4) enhance indoor air quality; and (5) reduce environmental impact of materials used.