Participating States shall be responsible for distributing assistance throughout the State according to the State’s assessment of the geographical distribution of the housing need within the State, as identified in the State’s approved housing strategy. Participating States shall distribute assistance to rural areas in amounts that take into account the nonmetropolitan share of the State’s total population and objective measures of rural housing need, such as poverty and substandard housing, as set forth in the State’s housing strategy approved under section
12705 of this title. To the extent the need is within the boundaries of a participating unit of general local government, the State and the unit of general local government shall coordinate activities to address that need.