HOME Front Glossary and Acronyms

Action Plan	The one-year portion of a PJ's Consolidated Plan (see definition of "Consolidated Plan" below). It includes the PJ's annual application for HOME funds.
Adjusted Income	"Adjusted income" is "annual (gross) income" reduced by deductions (or allowances) for dependents, elderly households, medical expenses, disability assistance expenses, and child care. (The HOME Program allows the use of three definitions of "annual income.") Adjusted income is used only under the certain circumstances described in the " Calculating Income Eligibility" module.
Affordability	As used in the HOME Program, affordability refers to the requirements of the HOME Program that relate to the cost of housing both at initial occupancy and over established timeframes, as prescribed in the HOME regulations. Affordability requirements vary depending on the nature of the HOME-assisted activity (i.e., homeownership or rental housing).
Annual Income	The HOME Program allows the use of three income definitions for the purpose of determining applicant eligibility: annual income as defined in 24 CFR 5.609; or annual income as reported under the Census Long Form for the most recent decennial census; or adjusted gross income as defined for purposes of reporting under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 1040 series for individual Federal annual income tax purposes. The definitions are collectively referred to as "annual income" and are also used in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.
Citizen Participation Plan	A plan that must be developed by all PJs to describe and document efforts that will be undertaken to provide for and encourage citizens to participate in the development of the Consolidated Plan, any substantial amendments to the Consolidated Plan, and the performance report. (See definition of "Consolidated Plan" below.)
Commitment	As used in the HOME Program, commitment means one of three things. The participating jurisdiction has: executed a legally binding agreement with a State recipient, subrecipient, or contractor to use a specific amount of HOME funds to produce affordable housing or provide tenant-based rental assistance; or executed a written agreement reserving a specific amount of funds for a Community Housing Development Organization; or met requirements to commit to a specific local project as defined below. For tenant-based rental assistance, commitment means that a rental assistance contract between the participating jurisdiction (or other entity) and the tenant or owner has been executed. HUD recognizes a commitment when the project is set up in the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS).

Commitment to a Specific Local Project	Commitment to a specific local project means that a legally binding agreement was executed meeting one of the following sets of requirements: For rehabilitation or new construction projects, the PJ (or other entity) and the project owner will execute an agreement for an identifiable project under which construction can reasonably be expected to start within 12 months of the agreement date. If the project is owned by the PJ or State recipient, the project must be set up in the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) and construction must be reasonably expected to start within 12 months of the set-up date. For projects consisting of the acquisition of standard housing by the PJ, the agreement must be a binding contract for the sale of an identifiable property and the property title must be transferred to the PJ (or other entity) within six months of the date of the contract. For projects involving the acquisition of standard housing and where the PJ is providing HOME funds to a purchaser under the agreement, the title of the property must be transferred to the purchaser within six months of the agreement date. For projects consisting of tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA), the PJ must enter into a rental assistance contract with the owner or the tenant in accordance with the provisions of 24 CFR Part 92.209.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)	Federal funding that allows communities to create flexible, locally designed comprehensive community development strategies to enable them to develop viable urban communities (Title I, Housing and Community Development Act of 1974).
Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO)	A private, nonprofit organization that meets a series of qualifications prescribed in the HOME regulations at 24 CFR Part 92.2. A participating jurisdiction must award at least 15 percent of its annual HOME allocation to CHDOs. CHDOs may own, develop, or sponsor HOME-financed housing.
Consolidated Plan	A plan of up to five years in length that describes a community's needs, resources, priorities, and proposed activities to be undertaken with certain HUD funding, including funding under the HOME Program. The Consolidated Plan is updated annually.
Consortium	Geographically contiguous units of general local government consolidated to be in a single unit of general local government for HOME Program purposes when certain requirements are met.
Draw-Down	The process of requesting and receiving HOME funds. PJs and authorized State recipients draw down funds from a line of credit established by HUD.
Elder Cottage Housing Opportunity (ECHO) units	Small, free-standing, barrier-free, energy-efficient, and removable units designed to be installed adjacent to existing single-family dwellings.
Final Rule	The Final HOME Rule was published at 24 CFR Part 92 on September 16, 1996, and became effective on October 16, 1996.
Group Home	Housing occupied by two or more single persons or families consisting of common space and/or facilities for group use by the occupants of the unit and (except in the case of shared one-bedroom units) separate private space for each family.
HOME-Assisted Units	Units within a HOME project for which rent, occupancy, and/or long-term affordability restrictions apply. The number of units designated as HOME-assisted affects the maximum HOME subsidies that may be provided to a project.
HOME Funds	All appropriations for the HOME Program, plus all repayments and interest or other return on the investment of these funds.
HOME Investment Trust Fund	The term given to the two accounts -- one at the Federal level and one at the local level -- that "hold" the participating jurisdiction's HOME funds. The Federal HOME Investment Trust Account is the U.S. Treasury account for each participating jurisdiction. The local HOME Investment Trust Fund account includes repayments of HOME funds, matching contributions, and payment of interest or other returns on investment.
HOME Investment Partnerships Act (HOME)	The act that created a formula-based allocation program intended to support State and local affordable-housing programs. The goal of the program is to increase the supply of affordable rental and ownership housing through acquisition, construction, reconstruction, and moderate or substantial rehabilitation activities (Title I, National Affordable Housing Act of 1990).
Household	One or more persons occupying a housing unit.
HUD	The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Insular Areas	Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.
Jurisdiction	A State or unit of general local government.
Low-Income Family	A family whose annual (gross) income does not exceed 80 percent of the median family income for the area (adjusted for family size). HUD may establish, on an exception basis, income ceilings higher or lower than 80 percent of median income for an area.
Match	Match is a PJ's contribution to the HOME Program - the local, non-Federal contribution to the partnership. The PJ's match contribution must equal not less than 25 percent of the HOME funds drawn down for projects in that fiscal year.
National Affordable Housing Act of 1990 (NAHA)	Enacted by Congress to authorize the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, the National Homeownership Trust program, and programs to amend and extend certain laws relating to housing, community, and neighborhood preservation and related programs.
Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy	A comprehensive approach to addressing economic development needs in a neighborhood within a community, submitted as part of (or an amendment to) a PJ's Consolidated Plan.
New Construction	The creation of new dwelling units. Any project that includes the creation of additional dwelling units outside the existing walls of a structure is also considered new construction.
Participating Jurisdiction (PJ)	The term given to any State or local government that HUD has designated to administer a HOME Program. HUD designation as a PJ occurs if a State or local government meets the funding thresholds, notifies HUD that it intends to participate in the program, and obtains approval by HUD of a Consolidated Plan.
Priority Purchaser	A resident council organized to acquire a project in accordance with a resident homeownership program, or any nonprofit organization or State or local agency that agrees to maintain low-income affordability restrictions for the remaining useful life of the project. Organizations or agencies affiliated with a for-profit entity for the purposes of purchasing a property do not qualify as priority purchasers.
Program Income	Gross income received by the PJ, State recipient, or a sub-recipient directly generated from the use of HOME funds or matching contributions.
Project	One or more buildings on a single site or multiple sites that are under common ownership, management, and financing and are to be assisted with HOME funds as a single undertaking.
Project Completion	The stage at which all necessary title transfer requirements and construction work have been performed; the project complies with all HOME requirements; the final draw-down has been disbursed for the project; and the project completion information has been entered in the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) established by HUD. For tenant-based rental assistance (TBRA), project completion means the final draw-down has been disbursed for the project.
Reconstruction (also rehabilitation)	The rebuilding, on the same lot, of housing standing on a site at the time of project commitment (see definition of "commitment" above). The number of housing units on the lot may not be changed as part of the reconstruction project, but the number of rooms per unit may change. Reconstruction also includes replacing an existing substandard unit of manufactured housing with a new or standard unit of manufactured housing.
Section 8 Existing Rental Assistance	A Federal program that provides rental assistance to low-income families who are unable to afford market rents. Assistance may be in the form of vouchers or certificates.
Single-Room Occupancy (SRO)	Housing consisting of single-room dwelling units that are the primary residence of their occupants. Each unit must contain food preparation and/or sanitary facilities if the project involves new construction, conversion of non-residential space, or reconstruction. If the units do not contain sanitary facilities, the building must contain sanitary facilities shared by the tenants.
State Recipient	State PJs can award their HOME funds to units of local governments to run HOME locally. Any unit of local government designated by a State to receive HOME funds is called a "State recipient." The State is responsible for ensuring that HOME funds allocated to State recipients are used in accordance with the HOME regulations and other applicable laws.
Sub-recipient	A public agency or nonprofit organization selected by a participating jurisdiction to administer all or a portion of the participating jurisdiction's HOME Program. A public agency or nonprofit organization that receives HOME funds solely as a developer or owner of housing is not a sub-recipient.
Targeting	Requirements of the HOME Program relating to the income or other characteristics of households that may occupy HOME-assisted units.
Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA)	A form of direct rental assistance in which the recipient tenant may move from a dwelling unit with a right to continued assistance. Includes security and utility deposits associated with the rental of dwelling units.
Total Development Cost (TDC)	The sum of all costs for site acquisition, relocation, demolition, construction and equipment, interest, and carrying charges.
Very Low-Income Family	Family whose "annual income" does not exceed 50 percent of the median income for the area (adjusted for family size). HUD may establish income ceilings higher or lower than 50 percent of median income for an area on an exception basis.