AAAF: See ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT FACTOR. ACC: See ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION CONTRACT. ACCESSIBLE: means that the public or common use areas of the building can be approached, entered, and used by individuals with physical disabilities. ACCESSIBLE ROUTE: a continuous, unobstructed path through sites and buildings that connects all accessible features, elements, and spaces. It is the critical element that allows the successful use of any site or building by a person with a disability. ACCESSORY USE: The use of a building, structure, or land that is subordinate to, customarily incidental to, and ordinarily found in association with, the principal use it serves. ACTIVE PARTNERS PERFORMANCE SYSTEM (APPS): Software program that allows HUD's business partners to submit their Previous Participation Certification (form 2530) request to HUD for processing via the Internet. AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERING FAIR HOUSING (AFFH): refers to the 1968 Fair Housing Act’s obligation for state and local governments to improve and achieve more meaningful outcomes from fair housing policies, so that every American has the right to fair housing, regardless of their race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, or familial status. AFFORDABILITY: the extent to which enough rental housing units of different costs can provide each renter household with a unit it can afford (based on the 30-percent-of-income standard). AFFORDABLE HOUSING: In general, housing for which the occupant(s) is/are paying no more than 30 percent of his or her income for gross housing costs, including utilities. Please note that some jurisdictions may define affordable housing based on other, locally determined criteria, and that this definition is intended solely as an approximate guideline or general rule of thumb. AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAM (AHP): A competitive program of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBanks) system that provides grants twice a year through financial institutions for investment in low- or moderate-income housing initiatives. The program is flexible, so that AHP funds can be used in combination with other programs and funding sources, thus promoting a project's feasibility. AHP: See AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAM. AHS: See AMERICAN HOUSING SURVEY. AI: See ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS. AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY (ACS): A nationwide survey designed to provide communities with a fresh look at how they are changing. It is a critical element in the Census Bureau's reengineered 2010 census plan. The ACS collects information such as age, race, income, commute time to work, home value, veteran status, and other important data from U.S. households. AMERICAN DREAM DOWNPAYMENT INITIATIVE (ADDI): In 2003 Congress passed the American Dream Downpayment Act, which established the American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI) as part of the HOME program. In recognition of the fact that a lack of savings is the most significant barrier to homeowner¬ship for most low-income families, the ADDI program was designed to provide assistance with downpayments, closing costs, and, if necessary, rehabilitation work done in conjunction with a home purchase. In practice, the ADDI program has functioned as part of the HOME program, administered by the same government entities and following the same general program regulations. AMERICAN HOUSING SURVEY (AHS): Contains data on apartments, single-family homes, mobile homes, vacant homes, family composition, income, housing and neighborhood quality, housing costs, equipment, fuels, size of housing units, and recent movers. National data are collected every other year, from a fixed sample of about 50,000 homes, plus new construction each year. The survey started in 1973 and has relied on the same sample since 1985, allowing users to view statistical changes in homes and households over the years. In some metropolitan areas, additional samples (every four to six years) measure local conditions. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) broad civil rights law guaranteeing equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in employment, public accommodations, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS (AI): A review of impediments or barriers that affect the rights of fair housing choice. It covers public and private policies, practices, and procedures affecting housing choice. The AI serves as the basis for fair housing planning, provides essential information to policymakers, administrative staff, housing providers, lenders, and fair housing advocates, and assists in building public support for fair housing efforts. ANNUAL ADJUSTMENT FACTOR (AAF): Section 8 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937 provides for annual rent adjustments for housing units assisted under this section. HUD develops the rent adjustment factors, called AAFs, on the basis of Consumer Price Index (CPI) data on changes in residential rent and utility costs. HUD publishes the AAFs annually in the Federal Register. ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION CONTRACT (ACC): Annual contracts with Public Housing Authorities for payments toward rent, financing debt service, and financing for modernization. ANNUAL INCOME: The HOME Program allows the use of three income definitions for the purpose of determining applicant eligibility:
The definitions are collectively referred to as "annual income" and are also used in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. APPS: See ACTIVE PARTNERS PERFORMANCE SYSTEM. Asset Control Area (ACA): [under this] program, state, county and local units of government, as well as approved nonprofit organizations may enter into a two-year contract with HUD requiring HUD to first make FHA properties located in an ACA exclusively available for sale to the ACA participant.
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