Functions

(a) Duties The Council shall— (1) not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, develop, make available for public comment, and submit to the President and to the Congress a National Strategic Plan to Preserve Affordable Housing, and shall update such plan annually; (2) review all Federal activities and programs relating to public housing, affordable housing production, affordable housing programs, and housing voucher programs; (3) monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in programs and activities to assist affordable housing production conducted by Federal agencies, State and local governments, and private voluntary organizations; (4) provide professional and technical assistance (by not less than 5, but in no case more than 10, regional coordinators employed by the Council, each having responsibility for interaction and coordination of the activities of the Council within the 10 standard Federal regions) to States, local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations, in order to enable such governments and organizations to— (A) interpret regulations and assist in the application process for Federal assistance, including grants; (B) provide assistance on the ways in which Federal programs may best be coordinated to complement the objectives of this Act; (C) develop recommendations and program ideas based on regional specific issues in serving homeless and low-income populations; and (D) establish a schedule for biennial regional workshops to be held by the Council in each of the 10 standard Federal regions to further carry out and provide the assistance described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) and other appropriate assistance as necessary; (5) encourage the creation of State Interagency Councils on Affordable Housing and the formulation of jurisdictional 10-year plans to end homelessness at State, city, and county levels; (6) annually obtain from Federal agencies their identification of consumer-oriented entitlement and other resources for which individuals may be eligible and the agencies' identification of improvements to ensure access; develop mechanisms to ensure access by persons and families to all Federal, State, and local programs for which the persons are eligible, and to verify collaboration among entities within a community that receive Federal funding under programs targeted for persons experiencing homelessness, and other affordable housing programs for which persons and families are eligible; (7) conduct research and evaluation related to its functions as defined in this section; (8) develop joint Federal agency and other initiatives to fulfill the goals of the agency; (9) collect and disseminate information relating to low-income individuals; (10) prepare the annual reports required in subsection (c)(2); (11) prepare and distribute to States (including State contact persons described in section 7(a)), local governments, and other public and private nonprofit organizations, a bimonthly bulletin that describes the Federal resources available to them to assist with affordable housing; and (12) not later than 6 months after completion of the report, convene a meeting of representatives of all Federal agencies and committees of the House of Representatives and the Senate having jurisdiction over any Federal program to assist affordable housing programs or production, local and State governments, academic researchers who specialize in homelessness, nonprofit housing and service providers that receive funding under any Federal program to assist homeless individuals or families, organizations advocating on behalf of such nonprofit providers and persons receiving housing or services under any such Federal affordable housing program, and persons receiving housing or services under any such Federal program, at which meeting such representatives shall discuss all issues relevant to the council’s jurisdiction. (b) Authority In carrying out subsection (a), the Council may— (1) arrange national, regional, State, and local conferences for the purpose of developing and coordinating effective programs and activities to assist in carrying out the mission described in section 2 and pay for expenses of attendance at meetings which are concerned with the functions or activities for which the appropriation is made; and (2) publish a newsletter concerning Federal, State, and local programs that are effective in carrying out such mission. (c) Reports (1) By agencies Within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the head of each Federal agency that is a member of the Council shall prepare and transmit to the Congress and the Council a report that describes— (A) each affordable housing program administered by such agency and the number of individuals served by such program; (B) impediments, including any statutory and regulatory restrictions, to the use by individuals of each such program and to obtaining services or benefits under each such program; and (C) efforts made by such agency to increase the opportunities for individuals to obtain permanent housing, supportive services, and access to legal services in regards to housing matters. (2) By Council The Council shall prepare and transmit to the President and the Congress an annual report that— (A) assesses the nature and extent of the problems relating to affordable housing and the needs of low-income individuals; (B) provides a comprehensive and detailed description of the activities and accomplishments of the Federal Government in resolving the problems and meeting the needs assessed pursuant to subparagraph (A); (C) describes the accomplishments and activities of the Council, in working with Federal, State, and local agencies and public and private organizations in order to preserve and expand affordable housing; (D) assesses the level of Federal assistance necessary to adequately resolve the problems and meet the needs assessed pursuant to subparagraph (A); and (E) specifies any recommendations of the Council for appropriate and necessary legislative and administrative actions to resolve such problems and meet such needs. (d) Notification of Other Federal Agencies If, in monitoring and evaluating programs and activities to assist in carrying out the mission described in section 2 conducted by other Federal agencies, the Council determines that any significant problem, abuse, or deficiency exists in the administration of the program or activity of any Federal agency, the Council shall submit a notice of the determination of the Council to the Inspector General of the Federal agency (or the head of the Federal agency, in the case of a Federal agency that has no Inspector General). (e) Program Timetables Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the head of each Federal agency or office that is a member of the Council and responsible for administering a program to assist in carrying out the mission described in section 2 shall provide to the Council a timetable regarding program funding availability and application deadlines. The Council shall furnish such information to each State (including the State contact person described in section 7(a)).