Second Notice of Public Participation
Request to Apply for Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP2) Funding
Application Due Date : July 17, 2009
Application Submission Date: July 15, 2009

Marc Center, acting as lead applicant, and its consortium members are applying for a grant in the amount of up to $32,000,000 under the NSP2 Notice of Funding, for $1.9 billion by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA), for additional activities under Division B Title III of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) to further address the problem of abandoned and foreclosed homes in the City of Mesa, Arizona.

The NSP2 funds will be used for the following activities:

• Purchase and rehabilitate homes and residential properties that have been abandoned or foreclosed upon, in order to sell, rent, or redevelop such homes and properties
• Redevelop demolished or vacant properties
• Direct homeownership assistance
• Establish land banks for homes and residential properties that have been foreclosed upon

The short-term outcomes of the program are to arrest decline in home values and to reduce or eliminate vacant and abandoned properties in targeted geographic areas. Investment of NSP2 funds is expected to stimulate job creation in the following areas: construction (rehabilitation of foreclosed upon properties); purchase of durable goods (increase sales of energy efficient appliances and equipment); homebuyer related real estate activities (disposition of foreclosed upon properties, appraisals, marketing outreach, homebuyer counseling); financial services (disposition of REO properties, mortgage financing).

Housing Activities: receiving NSP funding must provide and improve permanent residential structures that will be occupied by a household whose income is at or below 120% of area median income (LMMH).

Area Benefit Activities: receiving NSP funding must benefit all the residents of a primarily residential area in which at least 51% of the residents have incomes at or below 120% of the area median income (LMMA).

Limited Clientele Activities: receiving NSP funding must serve a limited clientele whose incomes are at or below 120% of area median income (LMMC).

In addition to the funding noted above, the Collaboration will set asided 25% of the awarded NSP2 funds for specificaly targeted households at 50% or less of AMI as beneficiaries of these funds.

All activities will be governed by federal rules and regulations including environmental, historic property compliance, Davis Bacon wage requirements and uniform relocation, as necessary to be performed within the target areas.

If additional monies become available, marc Center and its consortium members will apply for the maximum available under the NSP2 Allocation to perform the same activities and within designated tartet areas as described above.

Please direct your written comment to: Pat Gilbert, by July 15, 2009 by 5pm. The NSP2 application will be posted on our website, www.marccenter.com. Information may be obtained, or a public file on proposed NSP activities bay be reviewed, at the above address between the hours of 8:00 am and 5:00 pm on weekdays.

Marc Center and its consortium members promote fair housing and make all programs available to low- and moderate-income families regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual preference, marital status, or disability.

Marc Center and Native American Connections invites public comment on the following proposed project to be known as HOME AGAIN-Mesa: A Collaboration Building Better Neighborhoods One Family At A Time.

A consortium of community based nonprofit agencies and a private general contracting firm is applying for at least $5 million dollars in project funding through HUD’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2).  HUD allocated $1.93 billion dollars to be distributed nationwide through a competitive basis to states, local governments and non-profit organizations.  The primary objective of those funds is the redevelopment and stabilization of communities through increased residential sales while providing increased employment.  The immediate objective is to arrest the decline in home values and reduce or eliminate vacant and abandoned properties.  HOME AGAIN’s target area is western and central Mesa.  Applicants must pass two thresholds prior to applying.  The first is the Census Tracts in the targeted region must have foreclosure or vacancy ratings above 18 on HUD’s scale of 1to 20.  Those proposed Census Tracts include 4205.01, 4210.00, 4211.02, 4212.02, 4213.01, 4213.02, 4214.00, 4215.01, 4215.02, 4216.01, 4216.02, 4218.01, 4218.02, 4219.01, 4219.02, 4220.01, 4220.02, 4221.02 and 4221.06.  The individual Census Tracts may be modified over time based on changes to the market conditions at time of acquisition.  The second threshold is the ability and experience in the area of the application.

HOME AGAIN-Mesa: A Collaboration Building Better Neighborhoods One Family At A Time program objectives and eligible uses are but not limited to:  Purchase and renovate residential properties abandoned or foreclosed.  Redevelop demolished or vacant properties. Demolish blighted structures.  Provide homeowner counseling.  Land bank foreclosed properties for future redevelopment.  Funds must be used for households with incomes less than 120% of Area Median Income (AMI) with 25%  of the award used for households with incomes of 50% of AMI or less.

The deadline for the NSP2 application is July 17th, 2009.  All applicants must post their intent to apply for public comment ten days prior to submission.  Public comment made be submitted through the following websites with links to the HOME AGAIN-Mesa: A Collaboration Building Better Neighborhoods One Family At A Time program:
www.marccenter.com
www.nativeconnections.org
or by calling Silent Whistle at 1-877-874-8416
We welcome and encourage your comments.