PHFA issues RFP for use of 2013 PHARE and Marcellus Shale funding to improve housing in areas impacted by natural gas drilling
Deadline for proposals is June 7, 2013
HARRISBURG – March 19, 2013 – (RealEstateRama) — The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) today for projects to improve the availability and affordability of housing in the Marcellus Shale region of the state.
The funding is being made available through the 2013 Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) Fund and the Marcellus Shale Impact Fees. This year’s funding includes $5 million received in 2013 for wells drilled in 2012, as well as Marcellus Shale Impact Fee funds provided to municipalities that exceeded a certain percentage or dollar amount set by law.
Eligible applicants for the 2013 RFP include Pennsylvania counties that have adopted ordinances authorizing the imposition of an impact fee and that have unconventional gas wells. Also eligible are municipalities that have excess (or spillover) funds deposited into the PHARE Fund, as noted above.
“We had tremendous success last year getting this funding out to communities with solid proposals for how they could expand or enhance affordable housing available to their residents,” said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Brian A. Hudson Sr. “We want to build on that initial effort so that these Marcellus Shale funds can make a real, lasting and positive difference in people’s quality of life in communities that have been impacted by natural gas drilling.”
The RFP stresses the agency’s desire to fund projects that will leverage other funds and partnerships to improve housing in a community. Proposals must ensure that at least 30 percent of any funds awarded will be used to help people or families with incomes below 50 percent of the median area income. Also, proposals cannot serve people or families with incomes above 200 percent of the median area income. Additional requirements are described in detail in the RFP.
PHFA will host two public information sessions during which potential applicants can ask questions and get clarification on the requirements of the RFP. These will be held April 10 via webinar and May 2 as part of the Commonwealth Housing Forum. More information about these sessions will be posted on the PHFA website.
The RFP is available by clicking here. The deadline for proposal submission is June 7, 2013.
About PHFA
The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency works to provide affordable homeownership and rental housing options for older adults, low- and moderate-income families, and people with special housing needs. Through its carefully managed mortgage programs and investments in multifamily housing developments, PHFA also promotes economic development across the state. Since its creation by the legislature in 1972, it has generated $10.8 billion of funding for more than 150,200 single-family home mortgage loans, helped fund the construction of 127,374 rental units, and saved the homes of more than 45,900 families from foreclosure. PHFA programs and operations are funded primarily by the sale of securities, not by public tax dollars. PHFA is governed by a 14-member board.
Contact:
Scott Elliott
717-780-3916 (office)
717-649-6522 (cell)
