Full Announcement_FR-6700-N-14.pdf

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Public and Indian Housing

FY 2023 Jobs Plus NOFO

FR-6700-N-14

08/21/2023

Table of Contents

OVERVIEW

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Description

B. Authority

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funds

B. Number of Awards

C. Minimum/Maximum Award Information

D. Period of Performance

E. Type of Funding Instrument

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

B. Ineligible Applicants

C. Cost Sharing or Matching

D. Threshold Eligibility Requirements

E. Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility

F. Program-Specific Requirements

G. Criteria for Beneficiaries

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Obtain an Application Package

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

C. System for Award Management (SAM) and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

D. Application Submission Dates and Times

E. Intergovernmental Review

F. Funding Restrictions

G. Other Submission Requirements

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

A. Review Criteria

B. Review and Selection Process

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

A. Award Notices

B. Administrative, National and Departmental Policy Requirements and Terms for HUD Applicants and Recipients of Financial Assistance Awards

C. Reporting

D. Debriefing

VII. AGENCY CONTACT(S)

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

APPENDIX

Program Office:

Public and Indian Housing Funding Opportunity Title:

FY 2023 Jobs Plus NOFO Funding Opportunity Number:

FR-6700-N-14

Assistance Listing Number (formerly CFDA Number):

14.895 Due Date for Applications:

08/21/2023

OVERVIEW

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issues this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to invite applications from eligible applicants for the program and purpose described within this NOFO. You, as a prospective applicant, should carefully read all instructions in all sections to avoid sending an incomplete or ineligible application. HUD funding is highly competitive. Failure to respond accurately to any submission requirement could result in an incomplete or noncompetitive proposal.

In accordance with Title 24 part 4, subpart B of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), during the selection process (which includes HUD’s NOFO development and publication and concludes with the award of assistance), HUD is prohibited from disclosing covered selection information.

Examples of impermissible disclosures include: 1) information regarding any applicant’s relative standing; 2) the amount of assistance requested by any applicant; and 3) any information contained in the application. Prior to the application deadline, HUD may not disclose the identity of any applicant or the number of applicants that have applied for assistance.

For further information regarding this NOFO, direct questions regarding the specific requirements of this NOFO to the agency contact identified in section VII.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement. In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501- 3520) (PRA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved the information collection requirements in this NOFO. HUD may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless the collection displays a valid OMB control number. This NOFO identifies its applicable OMB control number, unless its collection of information is excluded from these requirements under 5 CFR part 1320.

OMB Approval Number(s):

2577-0281; 2501-0017; 2501-0033

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

A. Program Description

1. Purpose

HUD’s Jobs Plus program provides funding to develop locally based, job-driven approaches that increase earnings and advance employment outcomes through work readiness, employer https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-4/subpart-B https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-1320?toc=1 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-III/subchapter-B/part-1320?toc=1 linkages, job placement, educational advancement, technology skills, and financial literacy for residents of public housing. This place-based program addresses poverty among public housing residents by incentivizing and enabling employment through earned income disregards for working residents and a set of services designed to support work, including employer linkages, job placement and counseling, educational advancement, and financial counseling. Ideally, the Jobs Plus Program will “saturate” the target public housing projects (AMPs) with information, services and incentives intended to support resident employment during the program and encourage continued resident employment beyond the end of the program cycle.

The Jobs Plus program model comprises these three core components (further described below):

1. Employment-Related Services

2. Financial/Rent Incentive – Jobs Plus Earned Income Disregard (JPEID)

3. Community Support for Work

Applicants of this NOFO are encouraged to develop key partnerships to connect participants with any other needed services to remove barriers to work. An Individualized Training and Services Plan (ITSP) should be developed for each participant to establish goals and employment strategies, and to track progress.

Background HUD, the Rockefeller Foundation, and MDRC, through a public-private partnership, designed and supported the Jobs Plus program model between 1998 and 2003. HUD has issued two separate evaluation reports on the demonstration, to identify and document the most promising approaches to increasing employment among families in public housing. Each evaluation showed ongoing positive effects for residents when the program was well-implemented and included the three core elements. More information on the findings can be found at http://www.mdrc.org/project/jobs-plus-community-revitalization-initiative-public-housing-families#overview. The Jobs Plus Initiative implements this model but with some changes. The current program differs in several ways, including that it has a start-up period of six months (instead of two years) to provide employment services as early as possible, the financial rent incentive is paid from the grant, and the key/required partner is only the Workforce Development Board/American Job Center.

1. Employment-Related Services Successful applicants must partner with the local Workforce Development Boards (WDB) and American Job Center(s) (AJC, formerly known as One-Stop Center) in their area to offer multiple employment-related services for residents with a range of employment needs.

Program services provided on-site and/or virtually should include, but need not be limited to, the following:

Career exploration/job readiness workshops Job search and job placement assistance Entrepreneurship workshops Work experience including on-the-job training, internships, pre-apprenticeships and

Registered Apprenticeships (HUD encourages opportunities for residents to be paid while training) http://www.mdrc.org/project/jobs-plus-community-revitalization-initiative-public-housing-families#overview http://www.mdrc.org/project/jobs-plus-community-revitalization-initiative-public-housing-families#overview

Facilitated connections to education and training opportunities Rapid re-employment if job loss occurs Proactive post-placement job retention support and career advancement coaching Access to computers, phones, fax, and copy machines and other supplies for participants’ employment-related uses and adequate training on how to use these technologies Childcare

To facilitate these employment services, applicants may consider having dedicated on-site workforce system staff to perform job developer and case manager/coach functions. Job developers work directly with the business community to identify and create employment opportunities and act as liaisons with local employment agencies. Case managers/coaches work one-on-one with participants to guide them through the employment process and help them achieve employment-related goals.

2. Financial/Rent Incentive – Jobs Plus Earned Income Disregard (JPEID) Successful applicants must also implement a financial/rent incentive for residents of the project, known as the Jobs Plus Earned Income Disregard (JPEID). This component will neutralize any rent increase due to rising earned income for Jobs Plus participants, removing a major disincentive to employment.

The rent incentive offered through JPEID will be reimbursed to the PHA via the awarded Jobs Plus grant and should be included in the program budget. Any other compensation to the PHA for lost rent revenues, such as by the standard Earned Income Disregard (EID) calculation in the Operating Fund, will be offset manually to prevent overpayment of HUD funds to grant recipients. Further guidance will be available at the time of the award.

All residents in a Jobs Plus project are eligible to receive the JPEID benefit, even if they do not actively participate in other Jobs Plus activities. But, to access JPEID, residents must sign up for (enroll in) JPEID.

In the case of a RAD conversion, the public housing tenants must enroll in JPEID before the RAD closing (while they are still public housing residents) (see RAD section in this NOFO.

How JPEID Works (order of events):

1) Resident signs up for JPEID with Jobs Plus Program Staff.

2) Resident’s income is verified with property manager (residents must undergo an income verification, setting their baseline earned income for JPEID).

3) Resident’s earned income increases.

4) Resident benefits from JPEID (i.e., resident’s increased earnings DO NOT increase their rent).

Residents may not be automatically enrolled in JPEID. Residents must be able to choose whether they want to enroll in JPEID or enroll/continue in another financial incentive that is available to them (e.g., public housing EID, FSS escrow). Residents may only benefit from one financial incentive at a time (i.e., a resident cannot do both JPEID and FSS escrow at the same time). Residents who previously used up some or all their lifetime EID eligibility are eligible to receive the full JPEID benefit. Residents transitioning from a prior earned income disregard incentive to JPEID may choose to retain their earned income baseline set when they began the prior financial incentive.

Grantees are expected to work closely with residents to ensure they are fully informed of what their choices are and what they mean. As with any government benefit, an increase in earned income may result in the reduction or loss of other benefits that an individual was previously receiving. Grantees, through case management/coaching or other means, must be prepared to help residents understand what the overall financial impact of an increase in earned income and the JPEID will be. In addition to facilitating the JPEID, it is expected that grantees will encourage residents to take advantage of other financial work incentives they may be entitled to such as the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

Disregarded Amount and Duration. The JPEID excludes from the Family Rent calculation 100 percent of a participating resident’s incremental earned income for a period of up to 48 months, beginning on the date on which a public housing resident enrolls in JPEID, and ending in 48 months or at the end of the grant period, whichever is sooner, in accordance with Federal Register 83:61 (March 29, 2018) p. 13506, or successor notice. JPEID is in effect for a continuous period of the Jobs Plus grant (there is no start and stop). At the end of the 48 months or at the end of the grant period, whichever is sooner, all rent will return to regular income-based calculations at the time of the resident's next rent re-certification. Accordingly, grantees must plan for how to prepare JPEID participants for this transition.

Calculation of the JPEID. Once a resident has enrolled in JPEID, their baseline earned income will not change for a period of up to 48 months or for the duration of the grant term, whichever is sooner. Participants who enroll in JPEID early may benefit from the JPEID longer than residents who enroll later. To facilitate reimbursements for rent revenue losses due to the JPEID, grantees must calculate and document each participant’s Family Rent at the time of each rent re-certification, both before and after the inclusion of any participating resident's incremental earned income. The difference between these two rents is the amount to be reimbursed to the PHA through the JPEID (using the awarded Jobs Plus grant funds). These calculations must be provided to HUD when requesting to drawn down from LOCCS Jobs Plus grant funds for

JPEID.

JPEID is Not a Rent Freeze. The term “rent freeze” should not be used in describing JPEID.

Unearned income including child support, benefits, TANF, SSI, disability etc. may cause the residents rent to increase. It is critically important that PHA staff, partners and residents understand and communicate this.

Other. Residents must be on the lease to enroll in JPEID. JPEID/grant funds cannot be used to cover back rent. If a resident is currently working, they may enroll in the JPEID incentive, but they will not benefit from JPEID until their earned income increases.

3. Community Support for Work Community Support for Work (CSW) is a core component of the Jobs Plus program, reflecting the goal of building a caring and cohesive public housing community that is strongly committed to supporting residents’ progress towards economic security.

PHAs are expected to develop a strategy to promote CSW and include that strategy in its workplan. The strategy should include multiple intentional and complementary steps to build CSW falling into two main categories:

Activities that build a caring and cohesive public housing community. For Jobs Plus to be successful, PHA staff members need to trust residents, residents need to trust PHA staff, and ultimately residents need to trust each other. The coaches can serve as important bridges between PHA staff and residents and can be helpful both in identifying the obstacles that residents are encountering as well as encouraging residents to become engaged in helping each other find and keep jobs. Activities to build trust, create a sense of community, build a sense of shared purpose, train resident leaders, build resident self-confidence, and reduce the social isolation of individual residents are all important for achieving this goal. Social activities that focus primarily on getting residents out of their units are helpful but not sufficient to achieve this goal. As resident leaders engaged directly with the Jobs Plus program, community coaches have an important role to play in building CSW. PHAs should not assume that community coaches are solely responsible for community supports for work.

Informal and nontraditional activities that support residents’ progress toward economic security. Through the Jobs Plus program, residents will have access to case management/coaching, job training, employment placement services, and the JPEID.

This component of CSW focuses on steps that go above and beyond these formal Jobs Plus activities. Examples include residents helping other residents prepare their resumes and learn about new job openings, residents driving residents to job interviews and setting up carpooling arrangements, and residents providing residents with motivational support.

CSW is something that engages the entire public housing community and not merely the residents that choose to formally engage with the Jobs Plus program through the case management/coaching processes and job training programs. This includes not only residents but also PHA staff who are not otherwise involved in the Jobs Plus program, such as property management or maintenance staff who can also encourage residents to participate in Jobs Plus, as appropriate.

Successfully executing the formal parts of the Jobs Plus program will not, on its own, enable a PHA to achieve the full transformative potential of CSW. While the successful enrollment of a large share of residents in formal Jobs Plus activities will obviously be helpful in laying the groundwork for a broader sense of shared purpose, it is not enough. Intentional steps to foster community and encourage residents to help other residents are needed.

Program outreach should be directed towards residents at all points along the employment spectrum – from unemployed individuals with no work history to working, underemployed families with substantial work history. The application narrative should include strategies to target this wide range of potential participants and any barriers they might face, as well as strategies for retention.

One key strategy for sustaining program participation should include the use of residents as Community Coaches. Community Coaches should be empowered to help shape program offerings and outreach efforts based on their intimate knowledge of the needs and strengths of the community, create programs and activities related to employment supports, collect feedback about the program and serve as the voice of the residents in governance meetings. Additionally, they can be used to market the various aspects of the Jobs Plus program, disseminate information about job opportunities and programs via resident social networks in the project, and mentor specific individuals or groups who enroll in Jobs Plus.

Partnerships with Local Agencies The comprehensive nature of the Jobs Plus program requires that PHAs establish partnerships with Workforce Development Boards/American Job Centers and other key social service agencies within the community. These partnerships will strengthen program planning and implementation and streamline access to employment-related services for participants. For each partner identified, applicants must describe the role of the partner agency and a description of the employment-related services to be provided by the partner agency, as well as any fees associated with those services. Applicants should demonstrate their ability to build collaboration among all partners, regardless of whether a partner will receive grant funding for their employment-related services or if the services will be provided in-kind.

Partners should include:

Workforce Development Boards/American Job Centers (this partnership is mandatory per statute)

Local employment-related service agencies Employment and training organizations Vocational training providers Community colleges and four-year educational institutions Other supportive service agencies providing either direct employment-related services or referrals to services that are critical for supporting successful employment

Besides employment, training and educational supports, grantees will have the flexibility to provide other supportive services based on resident needs and local capacity. HUD expects that all services that are available to residents of the community will be provided in-kind from partners. Grant funds should only procure services that are not already available (by either service type or amount). Examples of the services that may be provided by grant funds (only in accordance with Eligible Activities and Costs in Section III.F), formal partners or the program’s referral network include but are not limited to:

Child-care services and/or after school programs Transportation assistance Financial literacy workshops Legal services (e.g., expungement) Domestic violence prevention services Services for persons with a criminal history (e.g., formerly incarcerated/returning/reentering citizens and individuals with a record of arrest) Life skills Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) Other applicable local business support

2. HUD and Program-Specific Goals and Objectives

This NOFO supports HUD’s Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2022-2026 to accomplish HUD’s mission and vision. Each of the five goals in the Strategic Plan include what HUD hopes https://www.hud.gov/HUD-FY22-26-Strategic-Plan-Focus-Areas https://www.hud.gov/HUD-FY22-26-Strategic-Plan-Focus-Areas to accomplish, the strategies to accomplish those objectives, and the indicators of success.

However, of the five goals only those applicable to this NOFO are identified below.

You are expected to align your application to the applicable strategic goals and objectives below.

Use the information in this section to describe in your application the specific goals, objectives, and measures that your project is expected to help accomplish. If your project is selected for funding, you are also expected to establish a plan to track progress related to those goals, objectives, and measures. HUD will monitor compliance with the goals, objectives, and measures in your project.

Applicable Goals and Objectives from HUD’s Strategic Plan

1. Strategic Goal 1: Support Underserved Communities Fortify support for underserved communities and support equitable community development for all people.

2. 1C: Invest in the Success of Communities Promote equitable community development that generates wealth-building for underserved communities, particularly for communities of color.

Overall goal – Each grant program is expected to create a community that supports work and provides public housing residents employment readiness assistance to sustain career ladder employment at a living wage for all workforce adults.

Outreach and Saturation – Each grant program is expected to contact 100% of work-able adults in the project, within the first year, to inform them about the Jobs Plus program and encourage them to be assessed for services and supports. Programs should aim for multiple contacts, continually marketing the program through a range of different outreach strategies.

The following are the minimum goals expected of each grant program by the end of the four-year program:

Numeric Goals Minimum goal required by HUD by end of Year 4

1. Number of individuals enrolled in the Jobs Plus Earned Income Disregard

80% of workforce adults in the project

2. Number of Individuals engaged with the Jobs Plus program as measured by the number of individuals completing an assessment at intake

65% of workforce adults in the project

3. Number of individuals provided with one or more post-assessment services

60% of workforce adults in the project

4. Employment rate of workforce adults 110% of baseline employment rate

5. Average yearly earnings of workforce adults 115% of baseline average earnings

6. Share of assessed residents continuously employed for at least 180 days

25%

For context in developing a Jobs Plus program and its long-term goals, applicants should consider the following related to self-sufficiency. “Self-sufficiency” is defined as a household’s ability to maintain financial, housing, and personal/family stability. To achieve self-sufficiency, individuals in a household move along a continuum towards economic independence and stability; such movement is facilitated by the achievement of educational, professional, physical/mental health, and financial empowerment-related goals. For the Jobs Plus program, self-sufficiency is further defined as a resident’s increased confidence in engaging in the local labor market, understanding of how to utilize work supports, and building skills for sustained employment.

3. Changes from Previous NOFO

The 2023 Jobs Plus program NOFO does not modify the fundamental program design described in the 2022 NOFO (the last published Jobs Plus NOFO).

Substantive changes are:

PHAs that received a Jobs Plus program grant for FY 2019, FY 2020-2021, or FY 2022 are not eligible for an award under this NOFO. PHAs that received FY 2014, FY 2015, FY 2016, FY2017, or FY2018 Jobs Plus grants may apply for funding under this NOFO (though for different target public housing projects (AMPs)).

Added language to emphasize the change made in FY22 to Criteria for Eligible Public Housing Projects. This FY22 change had reduced the minimum project size from 200 to 100 households where at least one resident in each of the households is non-elderly (less than age 65). In FY23, we want to ensure potential applicants are aware of this change as it significantly expanded the number of eligible projects.

Changed the term “work-able adult” to “workforce adult” throughout the NOFO and revised the definition to clarify that the term does not preclude individuals with disabilities from participating in the program.

New definitions were added: Equity, Minority-Serving Institutions, Racial Equity, Resilience, and Underserved Communities. And the following definition is removed:

DUNS.

Clarified language to confirm that grantees are expected to contact 100% of all (not just workforce) adults in the project, within the first year, to inform them about the Jobs Plus program and encourage them to be assessed for services and support. However, the program focus, including goal setting, continues to be on workforce adults.

Added requirement that applicants provide an Advancing Racial Equity narrative (see Section III.F).

Added requirement that applicants provide an Affirmative Marketing narrative (see Section III.F).

Added criteria to the Capacity rating factor on whether applicants have past experience promoting racial equity and resources to support underserved communities.

Added criteria to the Soundness of Approach (Program Goals and Design) rating factor about affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) and addressing disparities in access to opportunity for protected groups.

Added the HUD-424B form as a requirement for all applications.

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) is removed as a threshold eligibility requirement. The NOFO supplemental document related to eligibility is also updated and posted on HUD’s Funding Opportunity webpage.

Additional submission guidance was added to section IV.G., for Code of Conduct, and for required forms HUD 424-B and HUD 2880.

Added requirement to complete the Federal Assistance Assurances, which is part of the applicant's sam.gov registration.

Updated section VI.B. to include compliance with: HUD Secretary Fudge April 12, 2022 memorandum; equity requirements; and waste, fraud, and abuse requirements.

Additionally, this section clarifies requirements related to nondiscrimination and equal opportunity. The related NOFO supplemental document is updated and posted on HUD’s Funding Opportunity webpage.

Added the termination policy for awards made under this NOFO.

Federal Relay Service is no longer in use for this HUD NOFO. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing or who have speech disabilities should use Federal Communications Commission (FCC) relay services.

4. Definitions

a. Standard Definitions

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) means taking meaningful actions, in addition to combating discrimination to overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics. Specifically, affirmatively furthering fair housing means taking meaningful actions that, taken together, address significant disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunities, replacing segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living https://www.hud.gov/grants https://www.hud.gov/grants https://www.hud.gov/grants patterns, transforming racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, and fostering and maintaining compliance with civil rights and fair housing laws.

The duty to affirmatively further fair housing extends to all program participant’s activities and programs relating to housing and urban development.

Assistance Listing number refers to the unique number assigned to each Federal assistance program publicly available in the Assistance Listing, which is managed and administered by the General Services Administration. The Assistance Listing number was formerly known as the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number.

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) is a person authorized to legally bind your organization and submit applications via Grants.gov. The AOR is authorized by the E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) in the System for Award Management (see E-Biz POC definition).

An AOR may include an Expanded AOR and/or a Standard AOR.

Expanded Authorized Organization Representative is a user in Grants.gov who is authorized by the E-Biz POC to perform the functions of a Standard AOR, initiate and submit applications on behalf of your organization, and is allowed to modify organization-level settings and certifications in Grants.gov.

Standard Authorized Organization Representative is a user in Grants.gov who is authorized by the E-Biz POC to initiate and submit applications in Grants.gov. A Grants.gov user with the Standard AOR role can only submit applications when they are a Participant for that workspace.

Consolidated Plan is the document submitted to HUD that serves as the comprehensive housing affordability strategy, community development plan, and submission for funding under any of the Community Planning and Development formula grant programs (e.g., CDBG, ESG, HOME, and HOPWA). This Plan is prepared in accordance with the process described in 24 CFR part 91.

This plan is completed by engaging in a participatory process to assess their affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions, and to make data-driven, place-based investment decisions with funding from formula grant programs. (See 24 CFR part 91 for HUD’s requirements regarding the Consolidated Plan and related Action Plan).

Contract means, for the purpose of Federal financial assistance, a legal instrument by which a recipient or subrecipient purchases property or services needed to carry out the project or program under a federal award. For additional information on contractor and subrecipient determinations, see 2 CFR 200.331.

Contractor means an entity that receives a contract as defined above and in 2 CFR 200.1.

Cooperative agreement has the same meaning defined at 2 CFR 200.1.

Deficiency, with respect to the making of an application for funding, is information missing or omitted within a submitted application. Examples of deficiencies include missing documents, missing or incomplete information on a form, or some other type of unsatisfied information requirement. Depending on specific criteria, a deficiency may be either Curable or Non-Curable.

A Curable Deficiency is missing or incomplete application information that may be corrected by the applicant with timely action. To be curable, the deficiency must:

Not be a threshold requirement, except for documentation of applicant eligibility;

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-91 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-91 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR031321e29ac5bbd/section-200.331 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200

Not influence how an applicant is ranked or scored versus other applicants; and Be remedied within the time frame specified in the notice of deficiency.

A Non-Curable Deficiency is missing or incomplete application information that cannot be corrected by an applicant after the submission deadline. A non-curable deficiency is a deficiency that is a threshold requirement, or a deficiency that, if corrected, would change an applicant’s score or rank versus other applicants. If an application includes a non-curable deficiency, the application may receive an ineligible determination, or the non-curable deficiency may otherwise adversely affect the application’s score and final funding determination.

E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) is an organization applicant who is responsible for the administration and management of grant activities for his or her organization. The E-Biz POC is likely to be an organization's chief financial officer or authorizing official. The E-Biz POC authorizes representatives of their organization to apply on behalf of the organization (see Authorized Organization Representative definition). There can only be one E-Biz POC per unique entity identifier (see definition of Unique Entity Identifier below).

Eligibility requirements are mandatory requirements for an application to be eligible for funding.

Environmental Justice means investing in environmental improvements, remedying past environmental inequities, and otherwise developing, implementing, and enforcing laws and policies in a manner that advances environmental equity and provides meaningful involvement for people and communities that have been environmentally underserved or overburdened, such as Black and Brown communities, indigenous groups, and individuals with disabilities. This definition does not alter the requirements under HUD’s regulations at 24 CFR 58.5(j) and 24 CFR 50.4(l) implementing Executive Order 12898. E.O. 12898 requires a consideration of how federally assisted projects may have disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority and/or low-income populations. For additional information on environmental review compliance, refer to:

https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/environment_energy/regulations.

Equity has the meaning given to that term in Section 2(a) of Executive Order 13985 and means the consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.

Federal Award, has the meaning, depending on the context, in either paragraphs (1) or (2) of this definition:

(1)

(a) The Federal financial assistance that a recipient receives directly from a Federal awarding agency or a subrecipient receives indirectly from a pass-through entity, as described in 2 CFR 200.101; or https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-58/subpart-A/section-58.5 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-50/subpart-A/section-50.4 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-24/subtitle-A/part-50/subpart-A/section-50.4 https://www.archives.gov/files/federal-register/executive-orders/pdf/12898.pdf https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/comm_planning/environment_energy/regulations https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government

(b) The cost-reimbursement contract under the Federal Acquisition Regulations that a non- Federal entity receives directly from a federal awarding agency or indirectly from a pass- through entity, as described in 2 CFR 200.101.

(2) The instrument setting forth the terms and conditions. The instrument is the grant agreement, cooperative agreement, other agreement for assistance covered in paragraph (2) of the definitions of Federal financial assistance in 2 CFR 200.1, and this NOFO, or the cost-reimbursement contract awarded under the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

(3) Federal award does not include other contracts that a Federal agency uses to buy goods or services from a contractor or a contract to operate Federal Government owned, contractor operated facilities (GOCOs).

(4) See also definitions of Federal financial assistance, grant agreement, and cooperative agreement in 2 CFR 200.1.

Federal Financial Assistance has the same meaning defined at 2 CFR 200.1.

Grants.gov is the website serving as the Federal government’s central portal for searching and applying for Federal financial assistance throughout the Federal government. Registration on Grants.gov is required for submission of applications to prospective agencies unless otherwise specified in this NOFO.

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are any historically Black college or university that was established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of Black Americans, and that is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association determined by the Secretary of Education to be a reliable authority as to the quality of training offered or is, according to such an agency or association, making reasonable progress toward accreditation. A list of accredited HBCUs can be found at the U.S. Department of Education’s website.

Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) are

(1) a part B institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1061);

(2) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1101(a)(5));

(3) a Tribal College or University (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059c);

(4) an Alaska Native-serving institution or a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059d(b));

(5) a Predominantly Black Institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059e);

(6) an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059g); or

(7) a Native American-serving nontribal institution (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1059f).

Non-Federal Entity (NFE) means a state, local government, Indian tribe, Institution of Higher Education (IHE), or non-profit organization that carries out a federal award as a recipient or subrecipient.

Primary Point of Contact (PPOC) is the person who may be contacted with questions about the application submitted by the AOR. The PPOC is listed in item 8F on the SF-424.

https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200 https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/one-hundred-and-five-historically-black-colleges-and-universities/ https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2020-title20/pdf/USCODE-2020-title20-chap28-subchapIII-partB-sec1061.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2020-title20/pdf/USCODE-2020-title20-chap28-subchapV-partA-sec1101a.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2015-title20/pdf/USCODE-2015-title20-chap28-subchapIII-partA-sec1059c.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2015-title20/pdf/USCODE-2015-title20-chap28-subchapIII-partA-sec1059d.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2020-title20/pdf/USCODE-2020-title20-chap28-subchapIII-partA-sec1059e.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2020-title20/pdf/USCODE-2020-title20-chap28-subchapIII-partA-sec1059g.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2020-title20/pdf/USCODE-2020-title20-chap28-subchapIII-partA-sec1059g.pdf https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2020-title20/pdf/USCODE-2020-title20-chap28-subchapIII-partA-sec1059f.pdf

Racial Equity is the elimination of racial disparities, and is achieved when race can no longer predict opportunities, distribution of resources, or outcomes – particularly for Black and Brown persons, which includes Black, Latino, indigenous, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander, and other persons of color.

Promise Zones (PZs) are high poverty areas in select urban, rural and tribal communities designated from 2014-2016 where the federal government partners with local leaders to increase economic activity, improve educational opportunities, leverage private investment, reduce violent crime, enhance public health and address other priorities identified by the community.

See Promise Zones.

Recipient means an entity, usually but not limited to non-Federal entities, that receives a federal award directly from HUD. The term recipient does not include subrecipients or individuals that are beneficiaries of the award.

Resilience is a community’s ability to minimize damage and recover quickly from extreme events and changing conditions.

Small business is defined as a privately-owned corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship that has fewer employees and less annual revenue than regular-sized business. The definition of “small”—in terms of being able to apply for government support and qualify for preferential tax policy—varies by country and industry. The U.S. Small Business Administration defines a small business according to a set of standards based on specific industries. See 13 CFR Part 121.

Subaward means an award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a federal award received by the pass-through entity. It does not include payments to a contractor or payments to an individual that is a beneficiary of a Federal program. A subaward may be provided through any form of legal agreement, including an agreement that the pass-through entity considers a contract.

Subrecipient means an entity, usually but not limited to non-Federal entities, that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a federal award but does not include an individual that is a beneficiary of such award. A subrecipient may also be a recipient of other federal awards directly from a federal awarding agency.

System for Award Management (SAM) is the Federal Repository into which an entity must provide information required for the conduct of business as a recipient. Registration with SAM is required for submission of applications via Grants.gov. You can access the website at https://www.sam.gov/SAM/. There is no cost to use SAM.

Threshold Requirements are eligibility requirements that must be met for an application to be reviewed, rated, and ranked. Threshold requirements are not curable, except for documentation of applicant eligibility, which are listed in Section III.D., Threshold Eligibility Requirements.

Similarly, there are eligibility requirements under Section III.E., Statutory and Regulatory Requirements Affecting Eligibility.

Underserved Communities has the meaning given to that term in Section 2(b) of Executive Order 13985 and refers to populations sharing a particular characteristic, as well as geographic communities, that have been systematically denied a full opportunity to participate in aspects of economic, social, and civic life, as exemplified by the list in the definition of “equity” above.

https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/field_policy_mgt/fieldpolicymgtpz https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/chapter-I/part-121?toc=1 https://www.sam.gov/SAM/ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/01/25/2021-01753/advancing-racial-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through-the-federal-government

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) means the identifier assigned by SAM to uniquely identify business entities. As of April 4, 2022, the Federal government has transitioned from the use of the DUNS Number to the use of UEI, as the primary means of entity identification for Federal awards government-wide.

b. Program Definitions.

Case Management /Coaching. For purposes of this program and NOFO, case management (or preferably, “case coaching”) is client-centered case coaching for each participant in the program (for purposes of this NOFO, the term “case management/coaching” will be used).

This is different than service coordination. Case management/coaching involves working one-on-one to help residents achieve the goals they identify for themselves. The introduction of the term “case coaching” (vs. “case management”) is because the case coach’s job is to help participants achieve their own goals, rather than manage participants’ progress toward goals determined by the Jobs Plus program. Grantees are expected to implement this approach in their Jobs Plus grants. It includes screening/assessment/risk management, individualized service planning based on resident needs and choices, provision of options and information, linkage/referral to formal and informal services and supports, service coordination at the client-level, crisis intervention, follow-up, advocacy, monitoring/evaluation of resident progress as well as timeliness and effectiveness of service delivery, and maintenance of records. Case management/coaching contributes to and benefits from well-coordinated services at the community level. The intensity and frequency of case management/coaching services should be tailored to the level of an individual’s or family’s needs.

Community Support for Work (CSW) – CSW is a core component of the Jobs Plus program, reflecting the goal of building a caring and cohesive public housing community that is strongly committed to supporting residents’ progress towards economic security. See section I.A.1 on Program Purpose for a description.

Jobs Plus Center – is the primary location where programming will be delivered. The center would be where the Jobs Plus team (e.g., JP Coordinator, JP case managers/coaches) is located and accessible to residents, where members of the target project(s) will gather for group meetings and activities, employment-related services, and other Jobs Plus purposes.

Jobs Plus Earned Income Disregard (JPEID) – JPEID is the term for the financial incentive (rent incentive) provided in the Jobs Plus program. See section I.A.1 on Program Purpose for description.

Jobs Plus Eligible Resident – any public housing resident of the target public housing project is eligible for Jobs Plus. For applicants with RAD, additional program requirements apply as detailed in Section III.F, “Rental Assistance Demonstration.”

Jobs Plus Participant – a public housing resident of the target public housing project who has completed an assessment for the program. For applicants with public housing projects (AMPs) that have undergone or will undergo a RAD conversion, additional program requirements apply as detailed in Section III.F, “Rental Assistance Demonstration.”

JPEID Participant – any public housing resident of the target public housing project that has enrolled in JPEID. All residents in a Jobs Plus project are eligible to receive the JPEID benefit, even if they do not actively participate in other Jobs Plus activities. But, to access JPEID, residents must sign up for (enroll in) JPEID. For applicants with RAD, additional program requirements apply as detailed in Section III.F, “Rental Assistance Demonstration.”

Living Wage - A wage sufficient to enable a family to afford adequate shelter, food and the other necessities of life. See http://livingwage.mit.edu/ to calculate.

RAD Closing - In RAD, closing is the event during which the applicable RAD transaction documents are entered into. "Conversion" does not occur prior to Closing. (See Section 1.13 of the REV-4, PIH-2019-23 (HA)/H-2019-09 for further details on RAD closing.)

Target Public Housing Project – This is the public housing project that the PHA selects to benefit from the Jobs Plus grant. Throughout the NOFO it may also be referred to as the “public housing project” or the “project”. For purposes of this NOFO, "project" means "AMP" (Asset Management Project; PIH Notice 2007-28) and each project is identified by an AMP number as captured in PIH Information Center (PIC). AMP numbers are the identifier HUD uses to check eligibility using data from PIC as described in this NOFO. An AMP number may cover just one public housing development/site, or it may cover multiple public housing development(s)/site(s). Please note that applicants must commit to serve all public housing development(s)/site(s) and residents covered by the AMP number that the applicant indicates it is targeting in the Jobs Plus application. The project(s) must meet all criteria of the NOFO such as those described in Section III.A Criteria for Eligible Public Housing Projects.

Workforce Adults - For the purposes of measuring outcomes of this grant program, a workforce adult is generally an individual between the ages of 18 - 64 who is interested and able to become employed. Resident participation is determined by the individual voluntarily choosing to participate in the program. The term “workforce adult” does not preclude individuals with disabilities from participating in this program. PHAs are not permitted to exclude any residents from this program based on any disability. Reference: Section VI, part B: Administrative, National and Departmental Policy Requirements and Terms for HUD Applicants and Recipients of Financial Assistance Awards; Compliance with the Fair Housing Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

B. Authority

Funding for the Jobs Plus program is provided by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Public Law 117-328, approved December 29, 2022) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103, approved March 15, 2022).

II. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Available Funds http://livingwage.mit.edu/

Funding of approximately $22,500,000 is available through this NOFO. Subject to appropriations, HUD reserves the right to award fiscal year 2024 funds based on this NOFO competition.

Additional funds may become available for award under this NOFO consistent with Section VI.A.2.e., Adjustments to Funding. Use of these funds is subject to statutory constraints. All awards are subject to the funding restrictions contained in this NOFO.

Funding of approximately $22.5 million includes $15 million of FY23 funding and approximately $7.5 million of remaining FY22 funding. For information on the methodology used to make award determinations under this NOFO, please see Section V.B Review and Selection Process.

B. Number of Awards

HUD expects to make approximately 12 awards from the funds available under this NOFO.

C. Minimum/Maximum Award Information

Estimated total funding for the Jobs Plus Program is approximately $22.5 million. Maximum grant amount requests are listed in the table below, and in accordance with the number of non-elderly households in the targeted development.