(a) Annual Selection of Qualified Nonprofits. The Agency shall establish a process for certifying nonprofit organizations that meet the following criteria:
(1) The organization is a bona fide nonprofit, as evidenced by the fact that it is exempt from federal income tax under 26 U.S.C. § 501(c)(3);
(2) The organization has demonstrated a commitment to the provision of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income City residents, and to preventing the displacement of such residents;
(3) The organization has demonstrated a commitment to community engagement, as evidenced by relationships with neighborhood-based organizations or tenant counseling organizations;
(4) The organization has demonstrated the capacity (including, but not limited to, the legal and financial capacity) to effectively acquire and manage residential real property at multiple locations in the City; and
(5) The organization has, within the previous five years, acquired or partnered with another housing development organization to acquire at least two residential buildings using funding provided by the Agency, or has acquired or partnered with another nonprofit organization to acquire at least two residential buildings under this Chapter 41B.
Nonprofit organizations that the Agency certifies as having met these criteria shall be known as “Qualified Nonprofits.” An organization’s certification as a Qualified Nonprofit shall be valid for three years. The Agency shall solicit new applications for Qualified Nonprofit status at least once each calendar year, at which time existing Qualified Nonprofits shall be eligible to apply for renewed certification as Qualified Nonprofits. In the absence of new information raising doubts about whether the organization qualifies as a Qualified Nonprofit, an existing Qualified Nonprofit’s application for renewed certification as a Qualified Nonprofit shall be routinely and swiftly granted.
(b) Existence and Publication of Qualified Nonprofits List. The Agency shall publish on its website, and make available upon request, a list of Qualified Nonprofits. In addition to such other information as the Agency may include, this list shall include contact information for each Qualified Nonprofit. This contact information shall include, but need not be limited to, a mailing address, an e-mail address that the Qualified Nonprofit monitors regularly, and a telephone number.
(c) Disqualification of Qualified Nonprofits. The Agency shall promptly investigate any complaint alleging that a Qualified Nonprofit has failed to comply with this Chapter 41B. If, after providing the Qualified Nonprofit with notice and opportunity to be heard, the Agency determines that a nonprofit organization listed as a Qualified Nonprofit has failed to comply with this Chapter, the Agency may suspend or revoke that nonprofit organization’s certification as a Qualified Nonprofit.
(Added by Ord. 79-19, File No. 181212, App. 5/3/2019, Eff. 6/3/2019)