Downtown Revitalization Program – Program Year 2022

Description: The DRP program objective is to provide infrastructure improvements to address the conditions that contribute to the deterioration in an area designated as slum or blighted in the applicant community’s downtown or main street area.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible non-entitlement municipalities

Award Amounts: $250,000 to $500,000, with matching funds anticipated based on community size

Application Method: TDA-GO grant management system

Application Deadline: July 8, 2022

Request for Application Guide and other information: TxCDBG webpage.

Colonia Fund: Construction – Program Year 2022

Description: The Colonia Fund – Construction provides eligible applicants with grants to fund water and wastewater improvements, housing rehabilitation for low- to moderate-income households, the payment of assessments levied against properties owned and occupied by persons of low and moderate income to recover the capital cost for a public improvement and other improvements including street paving and drainage.

Eligible Applicants: Eligible non-entitlement county applicants for projects in severely distressed unincorporated areas which meet the TxCDBG definition as a “colonia”.

Award Amounts: $150,000 to $1,000,000, with matching funds anticipated based on community size

Application Method: TDA-GO grant management system

Application Deadline: July 8, 2022

Request for Application Guide and other information: TxCDBG webpage.

Fire Ambulance and Service Truck (FAST) Fund – Program Year 2022

Description: The Fire, Ambulance, & Service Truck (FAST) Fund provides funds for eligible vehicles to provide emergency response and special services to rural communities.Eligible Applicants: Eligible non-entitlement county applicants for projects in severely distressed unincorporated areas which meet the TxCDBG definition as a “colonia”.

Award Amounts: $50,000 to $7500,000, with $7,500 required matching funds

Application Method: TDA-GO grant management system

Application Deadline: July 29, 2022

Request for Application Guide and other information: TxCDBG webpage

To sign up for TxCDBG Announcements or manage your registration: http://lists.state.tx.us/mailman/listinfo/cdbg

TDHCA announces Notice of Funding Availability for Community Resiliency Program

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) released a Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) on October 1, 2021 of $38 million in Community Development Block Grant CARES Act (CDBG-CV) funds for the Community Resiliency Program. The program is designed to help non-entitlement communities address and recover from the social and economic impacts of coronavirus. Community Resiliency Program funds will allow rural and small metro communities to address gaps in their ability to prepare, prevent and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by creating or enhancing public facilities that provide medical care, social services, and/or emergency housing. CDBG-CV funds are eligible to be used for activities which help expand a community’s ability to be more resilient in facing future pandemics.

According to the TDHCA, eligible activities include public facilities such as homeless shelters, domestic violence centers, health clinics, emergency medical stations, senior centers or public services, including mobile food pantries, mobile health clinics and other emergency medical services vehicles. For a full list of eligible activities, or for additional information, click HERE.

All CDBG-CV applications must meet the following requirements:

• meet a CDBG National Objective;
• be an Eligible Activity under CDBG-CV with Coronavirus Tieback, which includes preparation for
  future pandemics;
• be from a non-entitlement unit of general local government. Non-entitlement units are cities
  with populations of less than 50,000 (except cities that are designated principal cities of
  Metropolitan Statistical Areas), and counties with populations of less than 200,000;
• not be suspended or debarred as per General Services Administration (GSA) Excluded Parties List
  System (EPLS) in the System of Award Management (SAM) Program (this includes the non-entitlement entity and its Principals);
• have an active registration in the System of Award Management (SAM) Program;
• comply with the audit requirement of the Federal or Texas Single Audit Act, if applicable;
• meet Citizen Participation requirements;
• pass Previous Participation review; and
• ensure project readiness to proceed upon award.

Applicants may request a minimum of $500,000 per project or up to a maximum amount of $5 million. All CRP applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, November 30.

Applications for each of the following fund categories will be due September 1, 2020 – click the fund name for application materials:

Downtown Revitalization / Main Street Programs

The DRP/MS program objective is to provide infrastructure improvements to address the conditions that contribute to the deterioration in an area designated as slum or blighted in the applicant community’s downtown or main street area.

Fire, Ambulance, and Service Truck (FAST) Fund

The Fire, Ambulance, & Service Truck (FAST) Fund provides funds for eligible vehicles to provide emergency response and special services to rural communities.

Planning & Capacity Building Fund

The Planning and Capacity Building Fund is a competitive grant program for local public facility and housing planning activities. Localities apply for financial assistance to prepare a “comprehensive plan” or any of its components. Typical activities regard topics such as: Base Mapping, Land Use, Housing, Population, Economic Development and/or Tourism, Central Business District, Street Conditions, Thoroughfares, Parks and Recreation, Water Distribution and Supply, Wastewater Collection and Treatment, Drainage (streets & flood hazard areas), Gas or Electric Systems (if owned by the locality), Community Facilities, Capital Improvements Program, Zoning Ordinance, Subdivision Regulation. Section 105(a) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended, outlines all the generally eligible activities.

Colonia Fund – Construction, Secondary Round

The Colonia Fund – Construction provides eligible applicants with grants to fund water and wastewater improvements, housing rehabilitation for low- to moderate-income households, the payment of assessments levied against properties owned and occupied by persons of low and moderate income to recover the capital cost for a public improvement and other improvements including street paving and drainage.

Revised Survey Methodology

As the public health situation continues to evolve, TDA has re-posted the 2020 Survey Methodology Manual with an new Appendix III (PDF) that includes approved procedures for conducting an income survey without face-to-face contact with residents.

• No separate prior approval is needed to use the Appendix III steps, but the application should reference the local social distancing requirements in the Justification of Beneficiary Identification Method.
• Click HERE for the full Survey Methodology Manual.

TxCDBG guidance that has been modified for social distancing has been collected HERE. This document will serve as an FAQ, and we will add topics as needed. As always, consult your local legal counsel to ensure that any modified procedures meet all applicable requirements.

A fundamental component of the Texas CDBG program is the benefit provided to low- and moderate-income persons. For many communities, this means conducting a door-to-door survey of residents in a project area to document eligibility for grant funding. In this season of “social distancing”, it is unknown when this work can be safely completed.

As a result, TDA announces the following:

• Grant Application deadlines for 4 funding programs will be delayed – a new deadline will be announced via listserv and TDA’s website when additional information is available. These funding programs are:
• Downtown Revitalization / Main Street Programs;
• Fire, Ambulance, and Service Truck (FAST) Fund;
• Planning & Capacity Building Fund; and
• Colonia Fund – Construction, Secondary Round.
• Grant Applications for the final round of Texas Capital Fund – Real Estate & Infrastructure Program will continue to be due to TDA no later than May 1, 2020.
• HUD has released new income limits to be used by all TxCDBG grant programs listed above
• TxCDBG staff will update the traditional Income Survey Questionnaires to reflect the 2020 income limits and post the forms to the TDA website. In addition, TDA is evaluating alternative survey methodologies that will not require in-person contact.

We encourage communities to continue to evaluate community needs and work towards completing the grant applications that have been postponed. In particular, procuring/designating a grant writer and holding a virtual public hearing to assess community needs can be completed without gathering in person.