The rural area to be covered by the TSA project must be realistically serviceable by the applicant in terms of funding resources, manpower, and distances and generally should be limited to one to four counties within the service area of one District Office.

Consideration of the following items may assist applicants develop TSA projects which meet the needs of low-income families in the proposed TSA service area: present population distribution, projected population growth or decline, the amount of inadequate housing, economic conditions, and trends of the rural areas concerned, and any other factors affecting the quantity and quality of housing currently available or planned for the area. Consideration must also be given to the needs and desires of the community; the financial and social condition of the individuals within the community; the needs of areas with a concentration of low-income minority families and the needs of Rural Development borrowers who are delinquent in their housing loan payments; the availability of supporting services such as water, sewerage, health and educational facilities, transportation, recreational and community facilities, and the types of housing facilities and services presently available or planned to which the low-income families have or will have ready access.

Each TSA applicant should consider the alternatives available to provide needed housing facilities and services for the area. Consideration should also be given to the recommendations and services available from local, state, federal governmental entities, and from private agencies and individuals.

In no case should the TSA project deliberately conflict with or duplicate housing studies, plans, projects, or any other housing related activities in a rural area unless documentation shows these activities do not meet the needs of low-income families.

Each TSA project should be coordinated to the extent possible with any comprehensive or special purpose plans and projects affecting low-income housing in the area.

To the fullest extent possible, TSA projects should be coordinated with any housing-related activities currently being carried out in the area.

TSA applicants must coordinate their proposals with the appropriate County and District Offices to be fully familiar with the needs of those offices and of the low-income families currently served by the County Offices.