The purpose of a Housing Assistance (HA) Grant is to provide financing to address acute housing needs of low and moderate income persons residing in the State of Maine. These needs must be part of a community development strategy which will lead to future public and private investments.
The housing assistance grant program will have two competitions: one for multi-jurisdictional applications and one for single community applications. Applicant communities may submit one only application and must select either of the two competition categories. OCD reserves the right to transfer funds between these two budget categories if acceptable applications (score of 85 or higher) are not received in either of the categories.
The purpose of a Public Facilities/Infrastructure Grant (PFIG) is to provide financing for local infrastructure and public facility activities which are part of a community development strategy and will lead to future public and private investments.
The purpose of a Public Service Grant (PSG) is to address human resource needs in a community by providing funding for operating expenses, equipment and program materials for public service programs.
Unemployment - Absolute Numbers (1.5 points): communities will be ranked from. highest to lowest based upon the numbers of unemployed persons. The ranking will be divided into three equal segments and assigned points accordingly (high, 1.5; middle 1.0; and low .5). Unequal divisions will be rounded up.
LMI - Absolute Numbers (1.5 points): communities will be ranked from highest to lowest based upon the numbers of low and moderate income households. This ranking will be divided into three equal segments and assigned points accordingly (high 1.5; middle 1.0; low .5). Unequal divisions will be rounded up.
The purpose of the Urgent Need Grant (UNG) Program is to provide financing that enables a community to address community development needs having a particular urgency.
Urgent Need Grants will be made on a first come basis. Prior to consideration of a grant award, all UNG proposals must meet the four Threshold Criteria in l(c) above plus the Special Program requirements in 2 above. Grant proposals that meet these requirements may be awarded grants from the UNG Program, until the amount of funds available in the program have been committed. Having committed all funds in the program, the State reserves the right not to accept any additional applications.
The purpose of a Reserved Grant is to provide funding for the second year of a Housing Assistance (HA) or Public Facilities/Infrastructure (PFIG) grant award that was initially determined eligible in the previous grant year.
Calais | $400,000 |
Enfield | $400,000 |
Fort Fairfield | $400,000 |
Fort Kent | $400,000 |
Mars Hill | $110,000 |
Washburn | $290,000 |
The purpose of the Development Fund (DF) is to provide financial resources to local governments which in turn assist businesses to create jobs for low and moderate income people.
If, while nearing the end of the quarter, available funds are not sufficient to finance credit-worthy proposals, the review process will incorporate ark objective needs factor (the distress factor described In Section 2.A.3.(v). Those proposals with the highest score in the needs factor will receive assistance first.
The purpose of the Regional Assistance Fund (RAF) is to provide financial resources to local governments or regional Organizations which can use the RAF assistance as leverage to obtain funds under the Economic Development Administration (EDA) Economic Adjustment Assistance Program (Title IX) and the EDA Public Works Program (Title I) or the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) Rural Business Enterprise (RHE) Grant and the Intermediary Relending Program (IRP) and/or other Federal, State, and private programs. The purpose of the RAF is to bring additional money into the State and therefore RAF cannot be used as match with the State's Small Cities CDBG program or conventional lending institutions.
Long-term economic deterioration (LTED): The LTED Program assists eligible applicants to develop and/or implement strategies designed to halt and reverse the long-term decline of their economies. The most common type of activity funded under the LTED Program is Revolving Loan Funds (RLFs) , although other types of eligible Title IX activity may be funded.
Sudden and severe economic dislocation (SSED) : The SSED Program assists eligible applicants to respond to actual or threatened job losses (dislocation) and other severe economic adjustment problems. It is designed to help communities prevent a sudden, major job loss; to reestablish employment opportunities and facilitate community adjustment as quickly as possible after one occurs; or to meet special needs resulting from severe changes in economic conditions. SSED assistance is intended to respond to permanent rather than temporary job losses. Assistance may be in the form of a grant to develop a strategy to respond to the dislocation (Strategy Grant) or a grant to implement an EDA approved strategy (Implementation Grant).
In light of the current high level of economic distress in rural areas, EDA is particularly interested in Title IX projects designed to mitigate serious rural economic adjustment problems.
LTED: To receive funding under We LTED/RLF Program, an area must be experiencing at least one of three economic problems:
SSED: To receive priority consideration for funding under the SSED Program, an area must show actual or threatened permanent job losses that exceed the following threshold criteria. 1) If the unemployment rate at the Labor Market Area exceeds the national average, the dislocation must be the lesser of four (4) percent of the employed population, or 500 direct jobs.
The purpose of the Micro-loan Program is to provide Maine communities with funds to assist existing and new businesses create or retain jobs for low and moderate income individuals. These needs must be part of a community development strategy which will lead to future public and private investments.
Communities are encouraged to enter into partnerships to request Micro-Loan assistance when demand is sufficient on a multi-jurisdictional basis and communities would be better served through a regionally administered loan program.
Unemployment - Absolute numbers (1.5 points): applicants communities will be ranked from highest to lowest in terms of numbers of unemployed persons. The ranking will be divided into three equal segments and assigned points accordingly (high, 1.5; middle 1.0; and low .5). Unequal divisions will be rounded up.
LMI - Absolute Numbers (1.5 points): applicants will be ranked from highest to lowest in terms of numbers of low and moderate income households. The ranking will be divided into three equal segments and assigned points accordingly (high, 1.5; middle 1.0; and low Unequal divisions will be rounded up.
The purpose of the Economic Development Infrastructure (EDI) Program is to provide Maine communities with funds in which to develop or rehabilitate public infrastructure so that existing and new non-retail businesses can create or retain jobs for low and moderate income individuals.
Applications for the EDI Program will be accepted three times during the grant year. The application deadlines are November 18, 1994. March 29, 1995 and June 1, 1995. A total of $500,000 will be made available for each application period. These applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria. A minimum score of 85 points will be required for an application to be further considered for funding.
The purpose of the Interim Finance Program (IFP) is to utilize funds not disbursed in the State's Letter of Credit for grants to communities to assist businesses or developers create housing and job opportunities for low and moderate income people through short-term loans.
19- 498 C.M.R. ch. 14, § 2