EXPIRED
Attachment 1
LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Program (REACH)
Policy and Guidance
FY 2007 REACH PROGRAM
“A Plan to Promote Health and Safety”
Application – Must be postmarked no later than May 18, 2007
- To be considered, REACH plans must focus on health and safety initiatives for vulnerable households. The LIHEAP statute refers to “vulnerable populations” as including “very young children, individuals with disabilities, and frail older individuals.” Vulnerable households can face serious health and safety risks if their homes are too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer. Health risks can include life threatening illness or death from hypothermia or hyperthermia and increased susceptibility to other health conditions, including strokes and heart attacks. Safety risks can include the use of makeshift heating sources or inoperative/faulty heating or cooling equipment that can cause indoor fires or asphyxiation.
- REACH Plans must be innovative – proposed programs that show a reprise of past projects or that simply provide additional LIHEAP benefits (e.g., weatherizing more homes) will almost certainly not be approved.
- The following information is required and must be provided to qualify for REACH funding (See SF-424 form and instructions for more details).
1. SF-424, Item 21: Signature to the REACH Assurances by Governor or Tribal Chair.
2. SF-424, Item 15 – Attach the following information:
Part I – Descriptions for REACH Assurances – No more than two paragraphs for each of the identified REACH assurances requiring descriptions, with the following exceptions:
*Assurances C & F – 2 pages or less
*Assurances I & J – 1 page or less
Part II – Funding Level Requested – Basic REACH Grant: maximum $300,000 for States; $50,000 for Tribes/Tribal Organizations and Insular Areas. For grantees opting to do Energy Efficiency Education Services (EEES): maximum $35,000 for States; $10,000 for Tribes/Tribal Organizations and Insular Areas. More detail on award limits is provided later in this attachment.
Part III – Description of EEES – this portion is only required for those choosing to implement EEES plans. EEES plans must focus on health and safety. Limited to one page for each of the three requirements to explain project, evaluation, and contact information.
Please ensure that your responses do not exceed the limits identified above, or your application may not be considered. All applications must be written in 12-point, Times New Roman font.
FY 2007 REACH Awards Policy
- REACH funding will be granted for one fiscal year program. There are no longer three-year project periods.
- REACH funds are subject to the same obligation rules governing the Leveraging Incentive Program. REACH funds may be obligated in the year of award and/or the following fiscal year. Therefore, Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 REACH funds must be fully obligated prior to September 30, 2008.
- As with leveraging, REACH funds are not subject to the 10 percent carryover rule that governs regular LIHEAP block grant funds.
- Evaluation Reports: FY 2007 REACH grantees must complete an evaluation of their programs and submit a report to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) no later than six months following the end of the grant period (September 30, 2008.) Evaluation reports are due no later than March 30, 2009. If a grantee does not submit the evaluation by this date, they will not be eligible for future REACH grants until it is submitted. An independent evaluator is not required. However, the grantee should provide a professional report that is objective, balanced and discusses the successes as well as the shortfalls of their completed REACH program.
Important Information for Current REACH Grantees – FY 2004, 2005 and 2006 -- States, Tribes/Tribal Organizations and Insular Areas
- Current three-year REACH projects will be operated according to prior year rules governing REACH. HHS will issue sufficient funds – for States that request them – to cover administrative costs for REACH awards received by States in FY 2005 and FY 2006 (up to 2.5 percent of States’ original grant amounts for the second and third years of their three-year projects).
- FY 2005 and FY 2006 State REACH grantees must submit a written request to the Office of Community Services (OCS) for these administrative funds by May 18, 2007. Requests for administrative funds will not be honored after this date (no exceptions).
- Please note that while current and past REACH grantees are eligible to apply for FY 2007 funds, a strong preference will be given to those States, Tribes/Tribal Organizations and Insular Areas that have not received REACH grants in the past and that submit complete FY 2007 applications.
Award Information
- Limited funds will be available under REACH in FY 2007. Funds will be redirected into the Leveraging Incentive Program. We expect to set aside no more than $1.5 million for REACH awards to two States and four Tribes/Tribal Organizations or Insular Areas.
- As FY 2007 REACH programs are set for one year, the amount of funding is reduced from levels awarded in previous years. States will receive up to $300,000; Tribes/Tribal Organizations and Insular Areas will receive up to $50,000. Applicants must specify the amount of their request, not to exceed these dollar limits, when filing their REACH applications.
- FY 2007 REACH awardees that have chosen to integrate EEES on health and safety, as part of their FY 2007 REACH plan, may receive up to the following additional amounts — States $35,000; Tribes/Tribal Organizations and Insular Areas $10,000.
REACH Plans and Final Awards
- As with LIHEAP block grant plans, Division of Energy Assistance (DEA) staff will review REACH plans for completeness, and will follow up with applicants if additional information is needed in order to complete the application.
- Final award decisions will be made by the DEA Director, following review and recommendations made by DEA staff, in order to award limited REACH dollars to the programs best designed to provide “a plan to promote health and safety.”
Attachment 2
LOW INCOME HOME ENERGY ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Residential Energy Assistance Challenge Program (REACH)
FY 2007 REACH PROGRAM
“A Plan to Promote Health and Safety”
1. SF-424, Item 21 - Signature
Certification to the REACH Assurances
- If a person other than the Chief Executive Officer of the State or insular area, or Tribal Chairperson or Board Chairperson of a tribal organization, is signing the certification to the assurances, a letter must be submitted delegating such authority. (PLEASE ATTACH DELEGATION AUTHORITY.) The delegation must include authority to sign the assurances, not just to administer the program.
- In the REACH assurances which are quoted from the law, "State" means the 50 States, the District of Columbia, an Indian Tribe or Tribal Organization, or an Insular Area; "title" of the Act refers to Title XXVI of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (OBRA), as amended.
Section 2607B (e) (2) (A) through (M) of the LIHEAP Act – Elements of State Plans
| (A) an assurance that such State will deliver services through community-based nonprofit entities in such State, by— |
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(i) |
awarding grants to, or entering into contracts with, such entities for the purpose of providing such services and payments directly to individuals eligible for benefits; or |
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(ii) |
if a State makes payments directly to eligible individuals or energy suppliers, making contracts with such entities to administer such programs, including |
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(I) |
determining eligibility; |
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(II) |
providing outreach services; and |
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(III) |
providing benefits other than payments; |
| (B) an assurance that, in awarding grants or entering into contracts to carry out its REACH initiative, the State will give priority to organizations that— |
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(i) |
are described in section 673 of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(1)), except where significant geographic portions of the State are not served by such entities; |
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(ii) |
the Secretary has determined have a record of successfully providing services under the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program; and |
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(iii) |
receive weatherization assistance program funds under part A of title IV of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6861 et seq.); except that a State may not require any such entity to operate a REACH program; |
| (C) an assurance that, subject to subparagraph (D), each entity that receives a grant or enters into a contract under subparagraph (A)(i) will provide a variety of services and benefits, including— |
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(i) |
payments to, or on behalf of, individuals eligible for residential energy assistance services and benefits under section 2605(b) for home energy costs; |
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(ii) |
energy efficiency education; |
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(iii) |
residential energy demand management services, including any other energy related residential repair and energy efficiency improvements in coordination with, or delivered by, Department of Energy weatherization assistance programs at the discretion of the State; |
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(iv) |
family services, such as counseling and needs assessment, related to energy budget management, payment plans, and related services; and |
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(v) |
negotiation with home energy suppliers on behalf of households eligible for REACH services and benefits; |
| (D) a description of the methodology the State and local agencies will use to determine— |
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(i) |
which households will receive one or more forms of benefits under the State
REACH initiative; |
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(ii) |
the cases in which nonmonetary benefits are likely to provide more cost-effective long-term outcomes than payment benefits alone; and |
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(iii) |
the amount of such benefit[s] required to meet the goals of the program; |
| (E) a method for targeting nonmonetary benefits; |
| (F) a description of the crisis and emergency assistance activities the State will undertake that are designed to— |
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(i) |
discourage family energy crises; |
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(ii) |
encourage responsible vendor and consumer behavior; and |
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(iii) |
provide only financial incentives that encourage household payment; |
| (G) a description of the activities the State will undertake to— |
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(i) |
provide incentives for recipients of assistance to pay home energy costs; and |
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(ii) |
provide incentives for vendors to help reduce the energy burdens of recipients of assistance; |
| (H) an assurance that the State will require each entity that receives a grant or enters into a contract under this section to solicit and be responsive to the views of individuals who are financially eligible for benefits and services under this section in establishing its local program; |
| (I) a description of performance goals for the State REACH initiative including— |
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(i) |
a reduction in the energy costs of participating households over one or more fiscal years; |
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(ii) |
an increase in the regularity of home energy bill payments by eligible households; and |
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(iii) |
an increase in energy vendor contributions towards reducing energy burdens of eligible households; |
| (J) a description of the indicators that will be used by the State to measure whether the performance goals have been achieved; |
| (K) a demonstration that the plan is consistent with section 2603, paragraphs (2), (3), (4), (5), (7), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), and (14) of section 2605(b), subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), and (j) of section 2605, and section 2606 of this title; |
| (L) an assurance that benefits and services will be provided in addition to other benefit payments and services provided under this title and in coordination with such benefit payments and services; and |
| (M) an assurance that no regulated utility covered by the plan will be required to act in a manner that is inconsistent with applicable regulatory requirements. |
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2. SF-424, Item 15 – Supporting Documentation
Part I - Descriptions of REACH Assurances
(statutory references)
(Assurances C & F)
2607B(e)(2)(C)&(F) |
èDescribe services to be provided by the REACH plan including the health and safety activities you will implement to help households avoid crisis situations. This description should include the home energy-related health and safety needs to be addressed and the REACH activities that will be carried out to respond to those needs. This description shall not be more than 2 pages long and may be attached. For State Grantees and Puerto Rico, this description should clearly define the roles of the grantee and community based organizations. |
(Assurance D)
2607B(e)(2)(D) |
èWhat methodology will you use to determine (a) which households receive REACH benefits and (b) benefit amounts? |
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èWhat non-monetary benefits will you provide? |
(Assurance G)
2607B(e)(2)(G) |
èWhat incentives will you develop and implement for households receiving REACH benefits? For vendors? |
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(Assurances I & J)
2607B(e)(2)(I) |
èEVALUATION: What performance goals will you establish for your REACH program with outcomes to (a) increase the health and safety of vulnerable LIHEAP households; (b) reduce household energy costs; and (c) explain how data will be collected and analyzed? |
| 2607B(e)(2)(J) |
èWhat indicators will you use to measure whether your stated performance goals have achieved the desired outcomes (findings and conclusions)? |
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The description provided for I and J above shall not be longer than 1 page and may be attached. A Final Evaluation is due 6 months after the end of the grant period. An independent evaluator is not required. |
(Assurance H)
2607B(e)(2)(H) |
èDescribe how the views of low income households will be solicited with regard to health and safety? |
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(Assurances A & B)
2607B(e)(2)(A)&(B) |
èFOR STATES AND PUERTO RICO ONLY: States and Puerto Rico shall provide REACH services through one or more community based non-profit organizations (CBOs). Provide the following for each CBO implementing REACH:
CBO Contact Name:
Organization:
Address:
Telephone Number:
Email:
Fax: |
Part II – Funding Level Requested
Funding level requested for the REACH Plan is $____________________.
If the grantees chooses to provide an EEES service plan, funding level requested is $____________________.
Part III Description of Energy Efficiency Education Services (EEES) - Optional
(statutory references)
| 2607B(b)(2)(A)&(B) |
èIf the grantee chooses to provide services under the Energy Efficiency Education Services plan (EEES), provide the following: |
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- Description of the services to be provided and the needs addressed by those services; |
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- Description of the target population; |
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- Where and how services will be provided; and |
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- Who will provide EEES services. |
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The EEES plan description shall be no more than 1 page and may be attached. |
Other Required Information
Plan descriptions must be written in font size no less than 12 pt. Most descriptions should be no longer than one or two paragraphs except for the following:
The REACH plan description for Assurances C & F shall be limited to 2 pages or less and may be attached.
The REACH plan description for Assurances I & J shall be limited to 1 page or less and may be attached.
If you elect to provide an EEES plan, your description for Part III shall be 1 page or less and may be attached.
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