§ 11904.
(b)
One-year renewable grants
(2)
Eligibility and preference
The Secretary may not provide assistance under this subchapter to an applicant that is a public housing agency unless—
(A)
the agency will use the grants to continue or expand activities eligible for assistance under this subchapter, as in effect immediately before the effective date under section 503(a) of the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, in which case the Secretary shall provide preference to such applicant; except that preference under this subparagraph shall not preclude selection by the Secretary of other meritorious applications that address urgent or serious crime problems nor be construed to require continuation of activities determined by the Secretary to be unworthy of continuation; or
(B)
the agency is in the class established under paragraph (3).
(3)
PHAs having urgent or serious crime problems
(4)
Inapplicability to federally assisted low-income housing
(c)
Criteria
The Secretary shall approve applications under subsection (b) that are not subject to a preference under subsection (b)(2)(A) on the basis of thresholds or criteria such as—
(1)
the extent of the drug-related or violent crime problem in and around the public or federally assisted low-income housing project or projects proposed for assistance;
(2)
the quality of the plan to address the crime problem in the public or federally assisted low-income housing project or projects proposed for assistance, including the extent to which the plan includes initiatives that can be sustained over a period of several years;
(3)
the capability of the applicant to carry out the plan; and
(4)
the extent to which tenants, the local government and the local community support and participate in the design and implementation of the activities proposed to be funded under the application.
(d)
Federally assisted low-income housing
In addition to the selection criteria specified in subsection (c), the Secretary may establish other criteria for the evaluation of applications submitted by owners of federally assisted low-income housing, except that such additional criteria shall be designed only to reflect—
(1)
relevant differences between the financial resources and other characteristics of public housing authorities and owners of federally assisted low-income housing, or
(2)
relevant differences between the problem of drug-related or violent crime in public housing and the problem of drug-related or violent crime in federally assisted low-income housing.
([Pub. L. 100–690, title V, § 5125], Nov. 18, 1988, [102 Stat. 4302]; [Pub. L. 101–625, title V, § 581(a)], Nov. 28, 1990, [104 Stat. 4246]; [Pub. L. 102–550, title I, § 161(d)(3)], Oct. 28, 1992, [106 Stat. 3719]; [Pub. L. 104–330, title VII, § 704(3)], Oct. 26, 1996, [110 Stat. 4051]; [Pub. L. 105–276, title II, § 220(3)], title V, § 586(e), Oct. 21, 1998, [112 Stat. 2488], 2647.)