poverty level
(1) Designation of underserved area The Secretary shall designate as targeted underserved areas 100 counties and communities in each fiscal year that have severe, unmet housing needs as determined by the Secretary. A county or community shall be eligible for designation if, during the 5-year period preceding the year in which the designation is made, it has received an average annual amount of assistance under this subchapter that is substantially lower than the average annual amount of such assistance received during that 5-year period by other counties and communities in the State that are eligible for such assistance calculated on a per capita basis, and has— (A) 20 percent or more of its population at or below the poverty level; and (B) 10 percent or more of its population residing in substandard housing. As used in this paragraph, the term “poverty level” has the meaning given the term in section 5302(a)(9) of this title .