§ 10-298. Loans and Grants - Application, Requirements and Approval.

(a)

Application. An applicant for loans or grants shall apply on an application form required by the Director of the Department of Housing and Community Development, or his designee.

(b)

Application Information Required. The loan or grant application form shall require an applicant to supply information necessary to evaluate the requested financial assistance including:

(1)

a full description of the program, including staffing, outreach, budget, goals and past history of experience and performance;

(2)

financial ability of the applicant to successfully operate a program to meet the goals of this Division;

(3)

any County, State or Federal certifications and authorizations; and

(4)

any other information that may be appropriate or useful in evaluating the application.

(c)

Process. The Director shall utilize a public and competitive bidding process for grants to not-for-profit organizations.

(d)

Approval criteria. The criteria for approval of loan or grant from the Fund shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1)

the expected benefit to, or impact on, the County's housing conditions;

(2)

the estimated number of County residents to be served;

(3)

the ability to serve designated target areas established under this Division:

(4)

previous performance of the applicant; and

(5)

the ability of the prospective applicant to leverage financial assistance with other funds.

(e)

Review and approval by the Director. The Director or his designee shall review loan or grant applications for completeness, need, financial ability of the applicant to meet established underwriting guidelines and goals of this Division.

(f)

Notifications, awards and contracts. The Director shall:

(1)

provide written notice to all applicants upon a determination on the application;

(2)

provide written notice to an applicant approved for a loan and grant; and

(3)

enter into a written contract or agreement with an approved applicant for a grant or

(4)

enter into a written contract or agreement with an approved applicant for a loan, with terms and conditions for repayment of the loan into the Fund.

(CB-21-2012; CB-57-2017)