Sec. 5. Office of sustainable housing and communities
521 words·~2 min read·
/bill/118/s/3867/is/section-5A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
There is established in the Department an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, which shall— coordinate the policies of the Department with those of other Federal agencies that— encourage locally directed comprehensive and integrated planning and development at the State, regional, and local levels; encourage coordinated public investments through the development of comprehensive regional plans; provide long-term affordable housing that provides accessible, energy-efficient, healthy, and location-efficient choices for people of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities and individuals with disabilities, particularly for low-, very low-, and extremely low-income families; and achieve other goals consistent with the purposes of this Act; review Federal programs and policies to determine barriers to interagency collaboration and make recommendations to promote the ability of local communities, including high-poverty communities, to access resources in the Department and throughout the Federal Government and coordinate with and conduct outreach to Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, on methods to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of programs within the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department; review Federal programs and policies to— identify barriers to high-poverty individuals and communities’ access to Federal State, local, and private resources; and make recommendations— to promote the ability of high-poverty communities to access resources in the Department and throughout the Federal Government and coordinate with and conduct outreach to Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency; and for methods to improve the access of high-poverty communities to Federal resources and programs within the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department; conduct research and advise the Secretary on the research agenda of the Department relating to coordinated development, in collaboration with the Office of Policy Development and Research of the Department; implement and oversee the grant programs established under this Act; provide guidance, information on best practices, and technical assistance to communities seeking to adopt sustainable development policies and practices; administer initiatives of the Department relating to the policies described in paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary; and work with the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration of the Department of Transportation and other offices and administrations of the Department of Transportation, as appropriate— to encourage transit-oriented development; to coordinate Federal housing, community development, and transportation policies, including the policies described in paragraph (1); and to address combined household housing and transportation expenses in a coordinated manner.
The head of the Office shall be the Director of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities. The Director shall carry out the grant programs established under this Act. The Director shall coordinate with the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to small and rural communities under sections 7 and 8. The Director may— coordinate with other Federal agencies to establish interagency and multidisciplinary teams to provide technical assistance to recipients of, and prospective applicants for, grants under this Act; by Federal interagency agreement, transfer funds to another Federal agency to facilitate and support technical assistance; and make contracts with third parties to provide technical assistance to grant recipients and prospective applicants for grants.