104 STAT. 4288 PUBLIC LAW 101-625—NOV. 28, 1990 SEC. 709. HOUSING IN UNDERSERVED AREAS. 42 USC 1479 (a) PURPOSE.— The purpose of this section is to improve the quality "oteof affordable housing in communities that have extremely high concentrations of poverty and substandard housing and that have been underserved by rural housing programs, including extremely distressed areas in the Lower Mississippi Delta and other regions of the Nation, by directing Farmers Home Administration assistance toward designated underserved areas. (b) ASSISTANCE FOR UNDERSERVED AREAS. —Section 509 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1479), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(f) HOUSING IN UNDERSERVED AREAS.— "(1) DESIGNATION OF UNDERSERVED AREA.— The Secretary shall designate as targeted underserved areas 100 counties and communities in each of fiscal years 1991 and 1992 that have severe, unmet housing needs as determined by the Secretary. A county or community shall be eligible for designation if, during the 5-year period preceding the year in which the designation is made, it has received an average annual amount of assistance under this title that is substantially lower than the average annual amount of such assistance received during that 5-year period by other counties and communities in the State that are eligible for such assistance calculated on a per capita basis, and has— "(A) 20 percent or more of its population at or below the poverty level; and "(B) 10 percent or more of its population residing in substandard housing. As used in this paragraph, the term 'poverty level' has the meaning given the term in section 102(a)(9) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. "(2) PREFERENCES.— In selecting projects to receive assistance with amounts set aside under paragraph (4), the Secretary shall give preference to any project located in a county or community that has, at the time of designation and as determined by the Secretary— "(A) 28 percent or more of its population at or below poverty level; and "(B) 13 percent or more of its population residing in substandard housing. "(3) OUTREACH PROGRAM AND REVIEW. — Public "(A) OUTREACH.— The Secretary shall publicize the availinformation, ability to targeted underserved areas of grants and loans under this title and promote, to the maximum extent feasible, efforts to apply for those grants and loans for housing in targeted underserved areas. "(B) REVIEW.—Upon the receipt of data from the 1990 decennial census, the Secretary shall conduct a review of any designations made under paragraph (1) and preferences given under paragraph (2) and the eligibility of communities and counties for such designation and preference. Reports. examining the effects of such data on such eligibility. The Secretary shall submit to the Congress, not later than 9 months after the availability of the data, a report regarding the review, which shall include any recommendations of
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