H.R. 3501 — Introduced in House

I 113th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 3501 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES November 14, 2013Mr. Serrano introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide specialized housing and supportive services for elderly persons who are the primary caregivers of children that are related to such persons. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Generational Residences and Nurturing Dwellings Act or the GRAND Act. 2. Housing for elderly caregivers (a) Establishment There is established in the Department of Housing and Urban Development a program to provide assistance to eligible nonprofit organizations to expand the supply of specialized housing for qualified relatives raising a child. (b) Application To receive assistance under the program under this section, an eligible nonprofit organization shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, which in the case of an application for assistance to be provided as described in subsection (e)(2) shall include such provisions ensuring coordination with a public housing agency that will administer such assistance as the Secretary shall require. (c) Need-Based; Competition Assistance provided under the program under this section shall be need-based and made available on a competitive basis. (d) Limit on organizations selected For each fiscal year, the Secretary may select not more than 5 eligible organizations to receive assistance under the program under this section. (e) Forms of assistance Under the program under this section, assistance shall be made available in the following forms: (1) New housing Financing for the construction, reconstruction, moderate or substantial rehabilitation, or acquisition of a structure or a portion of a structure to be used as specialized housing in accordance with the program. (2) Rental voucher assistance To provide tenant-based rental assistance under section 8(o) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)) for use only by qualified relatives who are raising a child and are eligible for such assistance for rental of a dwelling unit that qualifies as specialized housing. (3) Elderly housing project rental assistance To provide project rental assistance under section 202(b)(2) of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 1701q(b)(2)) in connection with dwelling units that qualify as specialized housing and are made available for occupancy only by qualified relatives who are raising a child and are eligible for occupancy in such housing; and notwithstanding any other provision of law, any qualified relative who is raising a child who is otherwise eligible for occupancy in such housing may not be excluded from such occupancy because the household includes such child. (4) Operational expenses and supportive services Assistance for ongoing operational expenses of any specialized housing, including costs of supportive services required for such housing. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Child The term child means an individual who— (A) is not attending school and is not more than 18 years of age; or (B) is attending school and is not more than 19 years of age. (2) Elderly person The term elderly person means a person who is 60 years of age or more. (3) Eligible nonprofit organization (A) In general The term eligible nonprofit organization means an organization that— (i) provides specialized housing and social services for qualified relatives who are raising a child; and (ii) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code. (B) Political divisions included Such term includes organizations that provide such services in each of the several States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States. (4) Qualified Relative (A) In general The term qualified relative means, with respect to a child, an individual who is— (i) an elderly person; (ii) is not a parent of the child by blood or marriage; and (iii) is a relative of the child by blood or marriage. (B) Adopted children In the case of a child who was adopted, the term includes an individual who, by blood or marriage, is a relative of the family who adopted the child. (5) Raising a child The term raising a child means, with respect to an individual, that the individual— (A) resides with the child; and (B) is the primary caregiver (or is, together with a spouse or other household member, a primary caregiver) for the child— (i) because the biological or adoptive parents of the child do not reside with the child or are unable or unwilling to serve as the primary caregiver for the child; and (ii) regardless of whether the individual has a legal relationship to the child (such as guardianship or legal custody) or is caring for the child informally and has no such legal relationship with the child. (6) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. (7) Specialized housing The term specialized housing means housing that— (A) is affordable (as the Secretary shall define for purposes of this Act) for low-income families (as such term is defined in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)); (B) is restricted to occupancy only by low-income families; (C) is designed to meet the special physical needs of elderly persons; (D) accommodates the provision of supportive services that are expected to be needed, either initially or over the useful life of the housing, by elderly persons and children that the housing is intended to serve; and (E) provides a range of such services that are tailored to the needs of elderly persons and children occupying such housing. 4. Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018.