Austin, Texas — The Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) announces the upcoming availability of $1,695,000 in funding for the Architectural Barrier Removal Program and currently seeks proposals from experienced non-profit organizations to provide repairs that modify or retrofit the living quarters of eligible, low-income elderly and disabled homeowners.

Eligible Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) applicants should be non-profit organizations that have experience with home repair services.  Organizations must have an active Franchise Tax Account Status from the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, and they should not be on the City of Austin’s debarment list.  

Non-profit organizations applying for the funding should have experience in home repair. The contract term is estimated to begin January 1, 2022, and end on September 30, 2023.
 
About the Program
The Architectural Barrier Removal Program assists low-to-moderate-income homeowners with the removal of architectural barriers in the home, increasing mobility and self-sufficiency while allowing people to remain in their homes. The program provides up to $20,000 of assistance per home per fiscal year and is estimated to support repairs of 87 homes throughout the city during the program year.

Services will benefit low- to moderate-income families and individuals whose household income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Family Income (AMFI) as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
 
Application Process
All documents, including complete NOFA describing the application process, Program Guidelines, and Application may be accessed from the project's document library.

Applications received will be reviewed and scored on a competitive basis according to organizational capacity and experience as well as published evaluation criteria for Program participation. To be considered, applications must be complete, contain all the required documentation, and meet the minimum threshold criteria as stated in the Program Guidelines and Scoring Criteria. 

Sealed applications relating to this NOFA are due prior to 3:00 p.m., November 18, 2021, at the office of AHFC, 1000 East 11th Street, 2nd Floor, Austin, TX 78702. Applicants shall submit one (1) original and one (1) electronic copy of the application as described in the NOFA.

A non-mandatory Pre-Submittal meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, via Microsoft TEAMS. To register to attend this meeting, please email your NAME, FIRM, and EMAIL ADDRESS to Alan Fish at alan.fish@austintexas.gov. A meeting invite will be sent directly to your email address. 

Questions regarding the NOFA process or program requirements may be directed to Edward Blake, Program Manager at edward.blake@austintexas.gov or Alan Fish, Procurement Representative at alan.fish@austintexas.gov.
 
About Austin Housing Finance Corporation
The Austin Housing Finance Corporation (AHFC) was created as a public, non-profit corporation and instrumentality of the City of Austin. The mission of the AHFC is to generate and implement strategic housing solutions for the benefit of low- and moderate-income residents of the City of Austin.

About Housing and Planning Department
The Housing and Planning Department provides resources related to planning, zoning, housing, and community development to enhance the quality of life of all Austinites. Equitable, efficient, and comprehensive planning with displacement prevention as a prioritized focus is the Department’s core charge in delivering housing services to the community.

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