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Department of Housing and Community Development

Legal Notice: National Housing Trust Fund Program

LEGAL NOTICES

NATIONAL HOUSING TRUST FUND PROGRAM

Under the guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), notice is hereby given that the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will hold a series of public hearings on the development and administration of the Housing Trust Fund program, a portion of the Consolidated Plan.

The Consolidated Plan is a five-year planning document required by HUD that sets out overall Statewide goals and priorities for housing, community development, and economic development activities.  Special emphasis is given under the Plan to provide assistance for extremely low-, low, and moderate-income persons.  In addition to being a planning document, the Consolidated Plan also serves as the State’s application to HUD for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG), Housing Opportunity With AIDS (HOPWA) and the Housing Trust Fund (HTF).

The National Housing Trust Fund (HTF) is a new affordable housing production program that will complement existing Federal, State and local efforts to increase and preserve the supply of decent, safe and sanitary affordable housing for extremely low-income (ELI) and very low-income households (VLI). The HTF was established under Title I of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008, Section 1131 (Public law 110-289).  Section 1131 of HERA amended the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.)(Act) to add a new section 1337, entitled “Affordable Housing Allocation” and a new section 1338, entitled “Housing Trust Fund.

HTF is a formula grant program, which is to be administered by States. On January 30, 2015, HUD published an Interim Program Rule (FR-5246-I-03).  The interim rule provided the guidelines for States to implement HTF. The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) is the entity that will administer the HTF for Maryland.  Each year, HUD will allocate the amount made available for the HTF based on the formula established in the interim rule.   On May 6, 2016 HUD announced that Maryland’s allocation for 2016 is $3,000,000 based on HUD’s formula allocation procedures.  Grantees are required to use at least eighty (80) percent of each annual grant for rental housing; up to ten (10) percent for homeownership housing; and up to ten (10) percent for administrative and planning costs.  HTF funds may be used for the production of affordable permanent housing through the acquisition, new construction, reconstruction and/or rehabilitation of housing.  All HTF-assisted rental housing must meet a minimum affordability period of 30 years.  All HTF-assisted homeownership housing must meet the minimum affordability period of 10, 20, or 30 years based on the amount of HTF investment in the unit.

It is to this purpose that we are holding public hearings – to gain input regarding how to develop and administer HTF.   At this point, nothing has been written for the draft HTF program.  These hearings are to gather initial input about what should be in the draft HTF program. It should be noted DHCD has written the Annual Plan, using the new online system using the data that HUD has provided and will submit the HTF as an amendment to the Annual Plan. Once the Housing Trust Fund portion of the Annual Plan is written it will be released for 30 days of public comment (including written comment) in mid-June, 2016.  After the public has had several weeks to review the draft HTF Plan, a second set of hearings will be held in late June and early July.  Additional comments, recommendations, and suggestions will be taken during these hearings (and during the full public comment period), with the final version of the HTF Plan submitted to HUD during the week of August 8, 2016.

The first set of hearings on the development of the draft Housing Trust Fund Plan will be held at the following dates, times, and places:

Tuesday, May 31, 2016, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Maryland Dept. of Housing and Community Development
7800 Harkins Road
Room 201
Lanham, MD 20706

Wednesday, June 1, 2016, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Sollers Point Multipurpose Building
323 Sollers Point Road
Classroom
Dundalk, MD 21222

Thursday, June 2, 2016, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Town of Denton
4 North 2nd Street
2nd Floor
Denton, MD 21629

Friday, June 3, 2016, 2016, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Elgin Station Community Center
40 Elgin Boulevard
Hagerstown, MD 21740

All of the hearing rooms are accessible to persons with disabilities.  Persons requiring a translator should request one at least three days prior to the hearing they plan to attend.  Any questions or comments should be directed to the address, phone numbers, or e-mail listed below:

Mrs. Elaine Cornick, Director
Multifamily Housing
Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development
7800 Harkins Road
Lanham, Maryland 20706
301-429-7777 or Maryland Relay for the Deaf at 1-800-735-2258.
nht.dhcd@maryland.gov