Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO)

Fulton County, Georgia's Department of Community Development issued Request for Proposal 23RFP05152023B-EC on May 24, 2023, seeking qualified nonprofit housing development organizations and Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) to develop affordable housing projects serving low and moderate-income households at or below 80% of area median income in compliance with HUD HOME Program regulations. The procurement encompasses HOME-eligible activities including new construction, acquisition and rehabilitation of single-family and multi-family housing, and direct financial assistance for homebuyers within Fulton County cities outside Atlanta and South Fulton. Eligible applicants must meet 24 CFR Part 92 requirements, demonstrate capacity to develop housing projects, maintain one year of service history in the community, and satisfy specific organizational and governance standards outlined in the CHDO Checklist, with staff possessing minimum three years of affordable housing experience. The RFP evaluation utilizes a 100-point scale assessing CHDO qualification checklist (0-25%), application components (0-20%), project team qualifications (0-35%), relevant project experience (0-13%), service-disabled veteran preference (2%), and cost proposal (0-5%). Key dates included a pre-proposal conference scheduled for June 8, 2023, with sessions at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM via Zoom, proposals due June 30, 2023, at 11:00 AM with public opening at 11:05 AM via web conference, and anticipated Board of Commissioners award decision on August 2, 2023. Notably, this original RFP was cancelled on September 19, 2023, with all submitted proposals rejected; the county indicated that new solicitation documents would be made available for future competition.

This procurement is restricted to nonprofit housing development organizations and entities certifiable as Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) in accordance with HUD HOME Program Final Rule requirements, with a service-disabled veteran preference available for qualifying organizations. Applicants were required to submit comprehensive documentation including financial statements, staff qualifications, relevant project experience references, insurance certificates, Georgia Security and Immigration Contractor Affidavits, and compliance forms. The original solicitation made available up to $699,003.10 in HOME CHDO funding, comprising $82,641.50 for CHDO operating expenses and $616,361.60 for CHDO set-aside activities, structured as deferred payment forgivable loans at zero interest secured by first or second lien positions on properties. Upon award, the contract would have commenced in 2023 with potential renewal for two additional one-year terms (2024 and 2025) contingent upon Fulton County Board of Commissioners approval and annual appropriations. Affordability periods for projects range from 5 to 15 years depending on per-unit HOME investment amounts. Interested organizations should contact Elsa D. Castro at (404) 612-4216 or Elsa.Castro@fultoncountyga.gov for information regarding the reissued solicitation.