Allowable Expense Level (AEL) factor. In rental projects, AEL is the per-unit per-month dollar amount of expenses which was used to compute the amount of operating subsidy used prior to October 1, 1997 for the Low Rent units developed under the 1937 Act. The “AEL factor” is the relative difference between a local area AEL and the national weighted average for AEL.

Date of Full Availability (DOFA) means the last day of the month in which substantially all the units in a housing development are available for occupancy.

Fair Market Rent (FMR) factors are gross rent estimates; they include shelter rent plus the cost of all utilities, except telephones. HUD estimates FMRs on an annual basis for 354 metropolitan FMR areas and 2,355 non-metropolitan county FMR areas. The “FMR factor” is the relative difference between a local area FMR and the national weighted average for FMR.

Formula Annual Income. For purposes of the IHBG formula, annual income is a household's total income as currently defined by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Formula area. (1) Formula areas are:

(i) Reservations for federally recognized Indian tribes, as defined by the U.S. Census;

(ii) Trust lands;

(iii) Department of the Interior Near-Reservation Service Areas;

(iv) Former Indian Reservation Areas in Oklahoma Indian Areas, as defined by the U.S. Census as Oklahoma Tribal Statistical Areas (OTSAs);

(v) Congressionally Mandated Service Areas;

(vi) State Tribal Areas as defined by the U.S. Census as State Designated American Indian Statistical Areas (SDAISAs);

(vii) Tribal Designated Statistical Areas (TDSAs);

(viii) California Tribal Jurisdictional Areas established or reestablished by federal court judgment; and

(ix) Alaska formula areas described in paragraph (4) of this definition.

(2)

(i) For a geographic area not identified in paragraph (1) of this definition, and for expansion or re-definition of a geographic area from the prior year, including those identified in paragraph (1) of this definition, the Indian tribe must submit, on a form agreed to by HUD, information about the geographic area it wishes to include in its Formula Area, including proof that the Indian tribe, where applicable, has agreed to provide housing services pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the tribal and public governing entity or entities of the area, or has attempted to establish such an MOA, and is providing substantial housing services and will continue to expend or obligate funds for substantial housing services, as reflected in its Indian Housing Plan and Annual Performance Report for this purpose.

(ii) Upon receiving a request for recognition of a geographic area not identified in paragraph (1) of this definition, HUD shall make a preliminary determination. HUD shall notify all potentially affected Indian tribes of the basis for its preliminary determination by certified mail and provide the Indian tribes with the opportunity to comment for a period of not less than 90 days. After consideration of the comments, HUD shall announce its final determination through Federal Register notice.

(iii) No Indian tribe may expand or redefine its Formula Area without complying with the requirements of paragraphs (2)(i) and (ii) of this definition, notwithstanding any changes recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau.

(iv) The geographic area into which an Indian tribe may expand under this paragraph (2) shall be the smallest U.S. Census unit or units encompassing the physical location where substantial housing services have been provided by the Indian tribe.

(3) Subject to a challenge by an Indian tribe with a Formula Area described under paragraph (1)(iv) of this definition, any federally recognized Indian tribe assigned Formula Area geography in Fiscal Year 2003 not identified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this definition, shall continue to be assigned such Formula Area in subsequent fiscal years, provided that the Indian tribe continues to provide an appropriate level of housing services within the Formula Area as monitored by HUD using the definition of substantial housing services contained in this section as a guideline but not as a requirement.

(4) Notwithstanding paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this definition, Alaska needs data shall be credited as set forth in §1000.327 to the Alaska Native Village (ANV), the regional Indian tribe, or to the regional corporation established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (33 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (ANCSA). For purposes of §1000.327 and this definition:

(i) The formula area of the ANV shall be the geographic area of the village or that area delineated by the TDSA established for the ANV for purposes of the 1990 U.S. Census or the Alaska Native Village Statistical Area (ANVSA) established for the ANV. To the extent that the area encompassed by such designation may substantially exceed the actual geographic area of the village, such designation is subject to challenge pursuant to §1000.336. If the ANVSA or the TDSA is determined pursuant to such challenge to substantially exceed the actual area of the village, then the geographic formula area of the ANV for purposes of §1000.327 shall be such U.S. Census designation as most closely approximates the actual geographic area of the village.

(ii) The geographic formula area of the regional corporation shall be the area established for the corporation by the ANCSA.

(iii) An Indian tribe may seek to expand its Alaska formula area within its ANCSA region pursuant to the procedures set out in paragraph (2) of this definition. Formula Area added in this way shall be treated as overlapping pursuant to §1000.326, unless the Indian tribe's members in the expanded area are less than 50 percent of the AIAN population. In cases where the Indian tribe is not treated as overlapping, the Indian tribe shall be credited with population and housing data only for its own tribal member residents within the new or added area. All other population and housing data for the area shall remain with the Indian tribe or tribes previously credited with such data.

(5) In some cases the population data for an Indian tribe within its Formula Area is greater than its tribal enrollment. In general, to maintain fairness for all Indian tribes, the tribe's population data will not be allowed to exceed twice an Indian tribe's enrolled population. However, an Indian tribe subject to this cap may receive an allocation based on more than twice its total enrollment if it can show that it is providing housing assistance to substantially more non-member Indians and Alaska Natives who are members of another federally recognized Indian tribe than it is to members. For state-recognized Indian tribes, the population data and formula allocation shall be limited to their tribal enrollment figures as determined under enrollment criteria in effect in 1996.

(6) In cases where an Indian tribe is seeking to receive an allocation more than twice its total enrollment, the tribal enrollment multiplier will be determined by the total number of Indians and Alaska Natives to whom the Indian tribe is providing housing assistance (on July 30 of the year before funding is sought) divided by the number of members to whom the Indian tribe is providing housing assistance. For example, an Indian tribe that provides housing to 300 Indians and Alaska Natives, of which 100 are members, the Indian tribe would then be able to receive an allocation for up to three times its tribal enrollment if the Indian and Alaska Native population in the area is three or more times the tribal enrollment.

Formula Median Income. For purposes of the formula median income is determined in accordance with section 567 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 (42 U.S.C. 1437a note).

Formula Response Form is the form recipients use to report changes to their Formula Current Assisted stock, formula area, and other formula related information before each year's formula allocation.

Indian Housing Authority (IHA) financed means a homeownership program where title rests with the homebuyer and a security interest rests with the IHA.

Mutual Help Occupancy Agreement (MHOA) means a lease with option to purchase contract between an IHA and a homebuyer under the 1937 Act.

National per unit subsidy is the Fiscal Year 1996 national per unit subsidy (adjusted to full funding level) multiplied by an adjustment factor for inflation.

Overcrowded means households with more than 1.01 persons per room as defined by the U.S. Decennial Census.

Section 8 means the making of housing assistance payments to eligible families leasing existing housing pursuant to the provisions of the 1937 Act.

Section 8 unit means the contract annualized housing assistance payments (certificates, vouchers, and project based) under the Section 8 program.

Substantial housing services are:

(1) Affordable housing activities funded from any source provided to AIAN households with incomes 80 percent of the median income as defined in NAHASDA (25 U.S.C. 4103 (14)) or lower, equivalent to 100 percent or more of the increase in the IHBG formula allocation that the Indian tribe would receive as a result of adding the proposed geography; or

(2) Affordable housing activities funded with IHBG funds provided to AIAN households with incomes 80 percent of the median income as defined in NAHASDA (25 U.S.C. 4104(14)) or lower, equivalent to 51 percent or more of the Indian tribe's current total IHBG grant; and either:

(i) Fifty-one percent or more of the Indian tribe's official enrollment resides within the geographic area; or

(ii) The Indian tribe's official enrollment constitutes 51 percent or more of the total AIAN persons within the geography.

(3) HUD shall require that the Indian tribe annually provide written verification, in its Indian Housing Plan and Annual Performance Report, that the affordable housing activities it is providing meet the definition of substantial housing services.

Total Development Cost (TDC) is the sum of all costs for a project including all undertakings necessary for administration, planning, site acquisition, demolition, construction or equipment and financing (including payment of carrying charges) and for otherwise carrying out the development of the project, excluding off site water and sewer. Total Development Cost amounts will be based on a moderately designed house and will be determined by averaging the current construction costs as listed in not less than two nationally recognized residential construction cost indices.

Without kitchen or plumbing means, as defined by the U.S. Decennial Census, an occupied house without one or more of the following items:

(1) Hot and cold piped water;

(2) A flush toilet;

(3) A bathtub or shower;

(4) A sink with piped water;

(5) A range or cookstove; or

(6) A refrigerator.

[63 FR 12349, Mar. 12, 1998, as amended at 72 FR 20023, Apr. 20, 2007; 77 FR 71527, Dec. 3, 2012; 81 FR 83680, Nov. 22, 2016]