Overview

Main Street area revitalization efforts seek to rejuvenate older, downtown business districts while retaining the area's traditional and Historic character. The purpose of the HOPE VI Main Street Program is to provide assistance to smaller communities in the development of affordable housing that is undertaken in connection with a Main Street revitalization effort. Obsolete commercial offices or buildings can be reconfigured into rent producing affordable housing.

In December, 2003, the American Dream Downpayment Act became law. This Act amended the statute that controls the HOPE VI program. Part of the Act set aside a portion of all future HOPE VI funds for grants to small communities that have Main Street rejuvenation projects. The Act limited the size of communities that are eligible for these grants to a population of 50,000, and 100 or less physical public housing units. Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers do not affect the number of public housing units.

Main Street Grants Notice of Funding Availability

The FY 2011-2012 HOPE VI Main Street Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) was issued by HUD on June 22, 2011, with a Technical Correction issued on July 6, 2011, and announced approximately $500,000 available for award. The deadline date for application submission was August 22, 2011. Congress funded Main Street for FY 2012. Per the FY2011-12 NOFA, funds from this appropriation were awarded to eligible applicants that applied under the above FY2011 NOFA. Applicants to the NOFA are listed at this link FY 2011 Main Street Grant Applicants.

Only units of general local government, as defined in the NOFA, are eligible to apply.  The primary eligibility requirements are that the applicant:

1. Be a local government (subdivision of a State or Territory);
2. Have a population of 50,000 or less within its jurisdiction; and
3. Have 100 or fewer physical public housing units within its jurisdiction.

In general, the grant funds can be used to reconfigure obsolete or surplus commercial space (or extremely substandard, vacant housing) into, or build new, Main Street affordable housing units.  The grant funds cannot be used on general infrastructure or commercial development. The funds in the NOFA must be used to assist Units of Local Government that have existing Main Street area rejuvenation projects and have the population and public housing unit limits stated above. Main Street housing units must be affordable to the initial residents that occupy the Main Street housing project.

Note that the NOFA includes, HUD's General Section NOFA by reference.  The General Section includes application instructions and HUD-wide requirements. There are some very important requirements in the General Section that, if not addressed in an application, may cause the application to be rejected without being rated or ranked. If the Main Street NOFA and the General Section contain conflicting information, this Main Street NOFA prevails. The General Section can be downloaded from Grants.Gov.  During the application period, the General Section is part of the Grants.gov downloadable Application Instructions, which will be available on the Grants.Gov website.

Applications have to be submitted electronically to Grants.gov, and applicants have to register or renew their registration before the application deadline. Registration may take up to three weeks. Detailed registration instructions are included in HUD's General Section.

To see the most recent HOPE VI Main Street NOFA, click HERE.  The program portion of the NOFA is available in MS Word format through links on this website to allow interested parties to cut and paste parts of the NOFA.  Regardless of the program NOFA published through links on this website, the only official version of the NOFA was available on Grants.gov during the application period.

Main Street Program Summaries

	Overview of Main Street Statute (MS-PowerPoint, 79 KB)
	For Presentation to Property Owners and Possible Applicant Team Members (MS-PowerPoint, 78 KB)

Most Recent NOFA

	Standard Federal NOFA Format (OMB Directed)
	FY 2011 HOPE VI Funding Information

General Guidance

	HOPE VI Main Street Development Proposal (MS-Word, 89 KB)
	Mixed-Finance Responsibility Checklist
	Form HUD-52861 including FY 2012 Unit Mix, S&U and TDC (MS-Excel 2007)

Financial Guidance

	HOPE VI Budget Guidance
	Guidebook 7510.1: Public and Indian Housing Low-Rent Technical Accounting Guide
	HOPE VI Budget, Form HUD-52825-A (MS-Excel)
	Excel Workbook to Complete HOPE VI Budget (MS-Excel)

Cost Guidelines

	TDC Rule (under 24 CFR 941) - Public Housing Total Development Cost Final Rule
	HOPE VI TDC Policy
	Total Development Costs - Notice 2011-38 (no change for FY2012)
	Total Development Cost (TDC) Limits (FY2012)
	TDC Caluculator (MS Excel 2007)
	Cost Control and Safe Harbor Standards
	OMB Circular A-87 - Cost Principles for State, Local and Indian Tribal Governments

Financial Instructions

	Grantee Financial Instructions
	eLOCCS Guide for Main Street
	Form HUD-27054: LOCCS Voice Response System Access Authorization
	Direct Deposit Sign-up Form (SF -1199 A)
	LOCCS/VRS HOPE VI Program Payment Voucher (HUD - 50080 - URP)

Main Street Grant Closeout Procedures

	Main Street Closeout Procedure (MS-Word)
	Sample Termination of Disbursements Letter (MS-Word)
	Sample Preliminary Approval Letter (MS-Word)
	Sample Final Funding Approval Letter (MS-Word)
	Sample Final Grant Plan Closeout Letter (MS-Word)

Relevant Statutes, Regulations and Notices

	The American Dream Downpayment Act
	Section 24 of the US Housing Act of 1937, as amended
	Section 504 Accessibility Notice PIH 2006-13 (HA)
	Section 106 Regulations, "Protection of Historic Properties"
	24 CFR 903.7, Examples of Public Housing Tenant Rights
	24 CFR Part 50, HUD Environmental Requirements
	OMB Circular A-87