The Secretary shall evaluate the merits of each statement on the basis of such criteria as the Secretary shall prescribe, including the extent—

(A) to which the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement activities will assist persons of low income who lack adequate shelter, with priority given to applications assisting the maximum number of persons and families whose incomes do not exceed 50 per centum of the area median income;

(B) to which the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement activities include the participation of other public or private organizations in providing assistance, in addition to the assistance provided under this section, in order to lower the costs of such activities or provide for the leveraging of available funds to supplement the rural housing preservation grant program;

(C) to which such activities will be undertaken in rural areas having populations below 10,000 or in remote parts of other rural areas;

(D) to which the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement activities may be expected to result in achieving the greatest degree of repair or improvement for the least cost per unit or dwelling;

(E) to which the program would minimize displacement;

(F) to which the program would alleviate overcrowding in rural residences inhabited by low- and very low-income persons and families;

(G) to which the program would minimize the use of grant funds for administrative purposes; and

(H) to which the owner agrees to meet the requirement of subsection (e)(1)(B)(iv) for a period longer than 5 years;

and shall assess the demonstrated capacity of the grantee to carry out the program as well as the financial feasibility of the program.