Rural Community Recovery Program

The Rural Community Recovery Program will provide funding to eligible political subdivisions in disproportionately impacted rural counties for rehabilitation or adaptive reuse projects designed to address vacant, abandoned, or deteriorated (VAD) properties. Research shows that VAD properties may pose an environmental hazard to the community and environment and present a barrier to economic recovery and the production of affordable housing. Addressing these properties will improve the neighborhood-built environment and revitalize communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic. Purpose Area 1: Installation of Public Features The purpose of these awards is to support political subdivisions that propose projects to install neighborhood features for public use, increase access to healthy foods, conduct neighborhood cleanup, and/or revitalize public spaces. Such projects will improve the community residents’ physical and mental well-beings, create spaces that allow safe and accessible recreation, directly invest in neighborhoods, increase community engagement, and may provide access to fresh, nutritious food. Examples include public parks, playgrounds, community gardens, green spaces, or other similar publicly available amenities. Purpose Area 2: Site Development for Affordable Housing The purpose of these awards is to support political subdivisions that propose projects intended to development vacant, abandoned, or deteriorated properties for current or future affordable housing. Such projects will mitigate the blight of vacant, abandoned, or deteriorated properties in the neighborhood, invest in safe, quality housing in the community, and build momentum for the future development of affordable housing units in the community. Awarded projects that intend to complete site development for future affordable housing are expected to leverage other federal or state funding sources for the construction of affordable housing on the sites developed using these program funds. For this program, “affordable housing” is not specifically defined; rent and income limits required by the federal or state funding source(s) will apply. Project Activities Eligible project activities will pertain to the rehabilitation or adaptive reuse of vacant, abandoned, or deteriorated properties in communities in disproportionately impacted counties, limited to the following: (i) Rehabilitation, renovation, maintenance, or costs to secure vacant or abandoned properties to reduce their negative impact. (ii) Costs associated with acquiring and securing legal title of vacant or abandoned properties and other costs to position the property for current or future productive use. (iii) Removal and remediation of environmental contaminants or hazards from vacant or abandoned properties, when conducted in compliance with applicable environmental laws or regulations. (iv) Demolition or deconstruction of vacant or abandoned buildings (including residential, commercial, or industrial buildings) paired with greening or other lot improvements as part of a strategy for neighborhood revitalization. (v) Greening or cleanup of vacant lots, as well as other efforts to make vacant lots safer for the surrounding community. (vi) Installation of neighborhood features for public use, such as parks, green spaces, recreation facilities, sidewalks, pedestrian safety features like crosswalks, projects that increase access to healthy good like community gardens, streetlights, neighborhood cleanup, and other projects to revitalize public spaces, to promote physical and mental well-being and promote healthier living environments by allowing for safe and accessible recreation. (vii) Conversion of vacant or abandoned properties to affordable housing. (viii) Inspection fees and other administrative costs incurred to ensure compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations for demolition, greening, or other

For assistance with the grant management system, AmpliFund, visit DED Grants Help Center: https://dednebraska.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/7931736146715-How-to-Request-Help

Resources: General and Program specific user guides and videos can be found at https://opportunity.nebraska.gov/amplifund/. Statewide Relay System: Individuals, who are hearing and/or speech impaired and have a TTY, may contact the Department through the Statewide Relay System by calling (800) 833-7352 (TTY) or (800) 833-0920 (voice). The relay operator should be asked to call DED at (800) 426-6505 or (402) 471-3111.