The ARPA Healthy Homes Manufactured Housing Communities program can fund wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, and drainage improvement projects. In this application cycle the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) seeks applications for needs assessment (project planning phase) projects only. The following describes the services that will be awarded through this application process. Needs Assessment Award: A State-hired contractor would assess the MHC’s wastewater, drinking water, and/or stormwater/drainage system(s) and recommend solutions. a. What does this award cover? The assigned contractor would assess the current state of the water infrastructure in your community and suggest options for addressing the problems they observe. They would summarize their observations in a Preliminary Engineering Report (PER) and conduct a preliminary environmental review for the proposed solutions. b. Should my MHC apply for this? A needs assessment is helpful if your MHC believes there are wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, and/or drainage needs in the park, but you do not know the extent of the issues or how to begin fixing them. c. How much funding can be awarded? The State contracts directly with an engineering firm and pays them directly to conduct the needs assessment in selected MHCs
