Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program Juvenile Reentry Assistance Program (JRAP)

This program will fund initiatives to provide legal services to youth with former contact with the juvenile justice system to successfully transition into the community through the expungement and sealing of juvenile records. This would make it easier for youth who are residents of PHAs and its surrounding communities to gain access to public housing and/or employment opportunities and obtain driver's licenses.

Eligible applicants are Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) that have established a partnership with a legal aid organizations, university legal centers, and legal service organizations that have experience providing legal services to juveniles.

This grant program is to benefit youth (24 years or younger) who have had contact with the juvenile justice system.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by both the PHA and their partner, must be included in the application.

Grant funding must be used to pay for staff salaries and materials to provide legal services to residents such as: -Expunging, sealing, or correcting inaccurate criminal records or securing certificates of rehabilitation, dependent on state jurisdiction; -Developing a collateral consequences checklist; -Disseminating information to youth, their parents and guardians, schools, and other stakeholders regarding collateral consequences for juveniles who have been in the juvenile justice system; -Monitoring and tracking the ongoing provision of services; -Keeping HUD up-to-date regarding the progress of individual participants, notwithstanding attorney-client privileges; -Monitoring the provision of services where appropriate; -Tracking and reporting to HUD on the progress of residents enrolled in the program; -Evaluating the overall success of the program. Other services may include: -Modifying or resolving conflicting financial obligations from the criminal justice system; -Helping with improper eviction proceedings and fair housing complaints; -Creating and/or modifying child support orders and other family law services that help stabilize individuals and families; -Litigating violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act; -Providing guidance regarding readmission to school, and college applications; -Providing advocacy to occupational licensing agencies; -Counseling regarding legal rights and obligations in searching for employment, and the most effective way to talk to prospective employers about criminal justice involvement; -Helping families understand education laws and school discipline policies and support readmitting school-age youth in school when appropriate;

Estimated Project Start Date: 09/21/2015 Estimated Project End Date: 03/20/2017 There is an 18-month project and budget period

The criteria will be based on the budget the applicant supplies, the detailed, capacity and experience of the applicant, the soundness of approach in executing the goals of the program, whether the applicant has put performance measures in place to capture their progress, whether the applicant is a Jobs Plus grantee.

Threshold Requirements: 1) At least 25% of the requested grant amount is required as a match; 2) each PHA applicant must partner with a university legal center, legal aid organization, or legal services organizations prior to the submitting an application. Once an applicant clears the threshold requirements, the applicant will be rated based on the following factors: 1) the comprehensiveness of the applicant's budget; 2) the capacity and experience of the applicant and the applicant's ability to successfully implement the reentry programs designed for the successful reentry of at-risk youth and their families into society; 3) The soundness of the applicant's described approach; 4) description of performance measures; and 5) Whether or not the applicant was awarded FY2014 Jobs Plus grant funds.

HUD will make announcements of grants awards after the review process is completed. Grantees will be notified by letter and will receive instructions on what steps they must take in order to access funding and begin implementing grant activities. Applicants who are not funded will also receive a letter via U.S. postal mail.

Debriefings. All applicants may request a debriefing related to their individual application. Applicants requesting to be debriefed must send a written request to Cedric Brown, Director, Grants Management Center, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street, S.W., B-133 Potomac Center, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20410.