The purpose of this section is to establish a demonstration program to test the effectiveness of combining housing certificates and vouchers with supportive services to assist frail elderly persons to continue to live independently. The demonstration program under this section shall terminate upon the expiration of the 5-year period determined by the Secretary.
In connection with this demonstration, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may enter into contracts with public housing agencies to provide not more than 1,500 incremental vouchers and certificates under sections 1437f(b) and 1437f(o) of this title. A public housing agency may not require that a frail elderly person live in a particular structure or unit, but the agency may restrict the program under this section to a geographic area, where necessary to ensure that the provision of supportive services is feasible. At the end of the demonstration period, the public housing agency shall give each frail elderly person the option to continue to receive assistance under the housing certificate or voucher program of the agency. In the demonstration, the Secretary may also provide for supportive services in connection with existing contracts for housing assistance under sections 1437f(b) and 1437f(o) of this title.
The amount estimated by the public housing agency and approved by the Secretary as necessary to provide the supportive services for the demonstration period shall be funded as follows:
Each public housing agency shall ensure that supportive services appropriate to the needs of the frail elderly persons to be served under this demonstration are provided throughout the demonstration period. Expenditures for supportive services need not be made in equal amounts for each year, but may vary depending on the needs of the frail elderly persons assisted under this section. A public housing agency may use up to 20 percent of the Federal assistance provided for supportive services in each year of this demonstration and any amounts from any prior year in which the public housing agency did not use 20 percent of the available Federal assistance.
In determining compliance with paragraph (1)(B), an agency may include the value of such items as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, which may include the salary paid to staff to provide supportive services, if such items have a readily discernible market value.
An application under this section shall be submitted by a public housing agency in such form and in accordance with such procedures as the Secretary shall establish. The Secretary shall require that an application contain at a minimum-
The Secretary shall establish selection criteria for a national competition for assistance under this section, which shall include-
In reviewing the applications, the Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services with respect to the supportive services aspects.
No more than 10 percent of the assistance made available under this section may be used for programs located within any one unit of general local government.
The Secretary may not approve any assistance for any program under this section unless the public housing agency agrees-
For purposes of this section:
In addition to the demonstration program authorized by the preceding provisions of this section, the Secretary shall conduct a demonstration in one Federal region, subject to the terms and conditions of this subsection, to determine the feasibility of using housing assistance under section 1437f of this title to assist elderly persons who may become frail to live independently in housing specifically designed for occupancy by such persons in sufficient proportion to achieve economies of scale in the provision of services and facilities.
From amounts provided pursuant to subsection (j) and subject to availability in appropriation Acts, the Secretary shall enter into a contract with a public housing agency to provide housing assistance under section 1437f(b) of this title to assist elderly persons in at least 75 percent of the units in a single housing project with more than 100 units.
The assistance payment contract under section 1437f of this title shall be attached to the structure and shall be in an initial term of 5 years. The contract shall (at the option of the public housing agency and subject to availability of amounts approved in appropriations Acts) be renewable for 3 additional 5-year terms. Rents for units in the project assisted pursuant to this subsection shall be subject to the rent limitations in effect for the area under section 1437f of this title for projects for the elderly receiving loans under section 1701q of title 12.
The Secretary shall allocate, for the project assisted pursuant to this subsection, a reasonable portion of the amounts appropriated pursuant to the authorization for funds for supportive services in subsection (k), based on the estimated number of project residents who will be frail elderly individuals during the 5-year period beginning on the date of initial occupancy of the project. Grants for supportive services may be used to assist any occupant in the demonstration project who is a frail elderly individual. Grants for supportive services under this subsection shall be subject to the other terms and conditions specified in this section.
An application for assistance under this subsection may be submitted by any unit of general local government with a population under 50,000 and shall contain such information as the Secretary deems appropriate.
The Secretary shall select one application for funding under this subsection based on the following criteria:
The Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual report evaluating the effectiveness of the demonstrations under this section. The report shall include a statement of the number of persons served, the types of services provided, the cost of providing such services, and any other information the Secretary considers appropriate in evaluating the demonstration.
The budget authority available under section 1437c(c) of this title for assistance under sections 1437f(b) and 1437f(o) of this title is authorized to be increased by $38,288,000 on or after October 1, 1992, and by $39,896,096 on or after October 1, 1993. The amounts made available under this subsection shall be used only in connection with the demonstration under this section.
There are authorized to be appropriated for the Secretary to carry out the responsibilities for supportive services under the demonstrations under this section $10,000,000 to become available in fiscal year 1993, and $10,420,000 to become available in fiscal year 1994. Any such amounts appropriated under this subsection shall remain available until expended.
Not later than the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the date that funds authorized for the demonstrations under this section first become available for obligation, the Secretary shall by notice establish such requirements as may be necessary to carry out the demonstration programs authorized under this section.
1So in original. The comma probably should precede "and".
2See References in Text note below.
42 U.S.C. § 8012
EDITORIAL NOTES
REFERENCES IN TEXTThe Older Americans Act of 1965, referred to in subsec. (d)(12), is Pub. L. 89-73, July 14, 1965, 79 Stat. 218. Title III of the Act is classified generally to subchapter III (§3021 et seq.) of chapter 35 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 3001 of this title and Tables.Section 1437a(b)(11) of this title, referred to in subsec. (g)(5), was repealed by Pub. L. 104-330, title V, §501(b)(1)(D), Oct. 26, 1996, 110 Stat. 4041, and a new section 1437a(b)(11), defining "public housing agency plan", was enacted by Pub. L. 105-276, title V, §506(4), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2524.
CODIFICATIONSection was enacted as part of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act, and not as part of the Congregate Housing Services Act of 1978 which comprises this chapter.
AMENDMENTS1992-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102-550, §605(c)(1), substituted "determined by the Secretary" for "beginning on November 28, 1990".Subsec. (g)(1). Pub. L. 102-550, §605(c)(2), added par. (1) and struck out former par. (1) which read as follows: "The term 'demonstration period' means the period beginning on November 28, 1990, and ending upon the termination date under subsection (a)." Subsec. (j). Pub. L. 102-550, §605(a), amended subsec. (j) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (j) read as follows: "The Secretary may provide assistance under sections 1437f(b) and 1437f(o) of this title in connection with the demonstrations under this section, in an amount not to exceed $34,000,000 for fiscal year 1991, and $35,500,000 for fiscal year 1992, subject to the approval of sufficient amounts in appropriations Acts under section 1437c of this title." Subsec. (k). Pub. L. 102-550, §605(b), amended subsec. (k) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (k) read as follows: "There are authorized to be appropriated for the Secretary to carry out the responsibilities for supportive services under the demonstrations under this section, $10,000,000 to become available in fiscal year 1991, and $10,400,000 to become available in fiscal year 1992, and remain available until expended."
- Secretary
- The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.1See References in Text note below.
- housing assistance
- The term "housing assistance" means, with respect to federally assisted housing, the grant, contribution, capital advance, loan, mortgage insurance, or other assistance provided for the housing under the provisions of law referred to in paragraph (2). The term also includes any related assistance provided for the housing by the Secretary, including any rental assistance for low-income occupants.
- project
- The terms "federally assisted housing" and "project" mean-(A) a public housing project (as such term is defined in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)] );(B) housing for which project-based assistance is provided under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437f] ;(C) housing that is assisted under section 1701q of title 12;(D) housing that is assisted under section 1701q of title 12, as such section existed before November 28, 1990;(E) housing financed by a loan or mortgage insured under section 1715l(d)(3) of title 12 that bears interest at a rate determined under the proviso of section 1715l(d)(5) of title 12;(F) housing insured, assisted, or held by the Secretary or a State or State agency under section 1715z-1 of title 12;(G) housing constructed or substantially rehabilitated pursuant to assistance provided under section 8(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437f(b)(2)], as in effect before October 1, 1983, that is assisted under a contract for assistance under such section; and(H) housing that is assisted under section 80131 of this title.