Grants help residents become homeowners!

Residents are benefiting from a federal program to help save neighborhoods -- and make home ownership a reality for many for the first time!

Though time is running out for these areas to spend millions of federal stimulus dollars buying and renovating abandoned and foreclosed homes in neighborhoods hard-hit by the foreclosure crisis.

Some cities are buying foreclosed properties and fixing them up to sell or rent.

Others are providing grants to low- and moderate-income home buyers to use for down payments and repairs on foreclosed homes they purchase.

Either way, the ultimate goal is the same: to save neighborhoods from a glut of neglected, foreclosed homes, condos and town houses; put more property tax dollars in government coffers; and make home ownership a reality for people who may be buying for the first time.

About five months remain for the county and cities to dole out their shares of federal aid from a program which is an offshoot of a previous government grant program.

The federal government gave U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development money to help communities deal with the rising number of foreclosed vacant properties.
The money trickled down to states, counties and cities. Any money not committed by the end of August goes back into federal coffers unless Congress extends the program! That spend it or lose it aspect has local housing officials scrambling to wrap up everything on time.

"We're on a short time frame but our goal is still to help as many people as we can and spend all of the money we were given," said a spokesperson for the program. So far the agency has assisted in the purchase of at least 61 properties with another 26 under contract waiting to close.

With foreclosure rates among the nation's highest, the need to turn around blighted neighborhoods is crucial, officials have said. Nationally, the federal government set aside about $4 billion for this free government grant program, but only a third of the 300 local governments that received grants have made a dent in them, according to HUD.

Part of the problem has been that investors with fistfuls of cash scoop up foreclosed properties before buyers in the program have a chance to get them.
Earlier this month, HUD eased the program's rules to allow homes in mortgage default and uninhabitable homes with lingering code violations to be purchased instead of having to wait for the foreclosure to go through, which can take months.

To qualify for this financial assistance program, the home, condo, town house or villa must be in the target area designated by that city; it must be a foreclosed property or one in the process of foreclosure; and a buyer must attend a home-buyer counseling course paid for by the program before purchasing a home.

In addition, buyers can earn no more than 120 % of the specific areas' annual median income to be considered for a financial grant.

Some properties will be reserved for families earning as little as $38,250 and individuals making $26,800.

The down payment and repair assistance comes in the form of a forgivable no-interest loan that doesn't have to be paid back as long as the buyer lives in the house for a certain number of years, which varies by city. The range is typically between five and 15 years. Cities vary in the amount of money they offer for down payments and repairs. Some cities set a maximum purchase price for a home to be eligible for a grant, say at $250,000, but other cities don't have that limit.

For one lucky recipient buying a town house would have been impossible without a big boost from the city. The 45-year-old mother and her teenage daughter moved into a town house in September. The city gave her $25,000 for a down payment to buy the foreclosed property, which sold for its listing price of $94,900. The single mother
figures she is saving $400 a month by owning instead of renting. She said the program is a lifesaver! "There's no way I could have put the traditional 10 percent down and qualified to own this place on my own," she said.

She is also hoping to receive grant money for renovations. Before she moved in, she had to buy appliances, light fixtures, an air-conditioning compressor and paint.

Recently, one area increased the amount of their purchase assistance and expanded its target area to cover almost the entire city. Low-income households can now qualify for a maximum of $50,000 for a down payment and repairs, double the previous amount of $25,000, which is available to moderate and middle-income households.

Among the biggest challenges for low- to moderate-income buyers in the government program is increasing competition from private investors.

Says another prospective buyer, "We could never afford to buy a house now without this help. The married couple now rents a small apartment and considers now a great time to buy because prices are down, the market is still flooded with homes for sale and interest rates are still low but nudging higher.

Getting a federal tax credit is another incentive for buyers in the program. First-time buyers can get a tax credit of up to $8,000, and existing homeowners up to $6,500.

There is also another program that has $2.3 million to spend on purchase assistance and repairs!

Grants For Homes And Home Repairs!

So many people seem to be looking for grants for homes and home repair, please take note of this excerpt:

"There are literally hundreds of free money programs for people to fix up their home. The government has free grant money to make your home more energy efficient, grants for seniors and those with disabilities to fix up their homes, and forgivable loans (the same as free money) if you buy a home that needs to be fixed up. There are many agencies and hundreds of local and non-profit groups that provide this free money for home fix-upfree money for home fix-up.

There is also an assistance program that is offered by utility and gas companies in many states. This organization, and the aid they will give provides energy assistance funds to families and individuals in need of help. In addition, the program will offer additional aid, such as help for paying medical bills, rent or housing costs, and more. You should check your state's website to see if this program is available in your own area!

You should also be aware that many localities receive grant money to buy vacant and foreclosed properties in their own local areas so that they can then rent and sell those properties at a reduced cost to low-incomed people.

There's even a grant program to help Jewish families relocate!

There are countless programs available out there that can help with some of your home repairs and there are a few programs where you may even be able to get a home for free but please bear in mind that you really have to research this kind of information!

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Grants For

Financial Emergencies!

There is an organization that can help you with paying an emergency bill such as sending a payment to a creditor for an expense for a relatively small, emergency expense which the individual or family could not have anticipated or prepared for.

The goal of this grant program is to prevent an otherwise self-sufficient individual or family from entering the cycle of poverty as a result of the financial burden posed by a relatively small emergency expense.

You can request a grant if:

• You have encountered a short-term emergency expense that must be paid if you are to remain self-sufficient, but that you do not have the means to afford without assistance. For example, a person who lives in an area that does not have access to public transportation and needs help to repair the car that keeps him or her working working would be an excellent candidate for this kind of grant
  
  
• You need help to afford a single, regularly-scheduled expense (your rent, for example) because of a short-term, emergency situation that has temporarily reduced your income. For example, a person who normally can afford to pay his or her rent but lost 10 days pay due to an injury would be an excellent candidiate for this grant program

In order to qualify for this grant:

1. At least one member of your household must be currently employed on a full-time basis
   
   
2. Your household's single largest source of income must be income earned from work
   
   
3. Your household's total earned income must equal at least the cost of your monthly rental or mortgage plus $250, but not more than the cost of your monthly rental or mortgage plus $2500.00
   
   
4. The expense with which you need assistance can be paid on your behalf, directly to a vendor
   
   
5. The expense with which you need assistance can be paid in full for no more than the maximum grant for which your household qualifies

Please Note: These grants cannot be used to remit payment for regular expenses that an applicant can no longer afford due to a long-term reduction in income. For example, an applicant that has suffered a long-term reduction in income and, as a result, can no longer afford to remit payment for his or her monthly housing cost, car payment, or utilities would not be a good candidate for this grant program.

Also if you need assistance to afford a small, irregular expense which would substantially improve the quality of your life, but which you cannot afford without assistance due to your fixed income you should also apply for this type of grant.

If you have any questions about this grant or grant program or about the eligibility criteria, you are encouraged to contact the organization before completing an application. The organization says that it will respond to your question(s) as quickly as they can.

"Are there any grant programs that will help me buy a house?" There are plenty of government grant programs that will help you to buy a home by helping to pay money towards your down payment and closing costs. However there is no government grant program that I know of as of yet that will pay for the entire purchase of a house..... There is only one exception that I have on file that I know of...... There is a grant program that provides free homes to veteransveterans. These homes are provided free of any mortgages! But please bear in mind that this is not a government grant program. This is a program being provided by an organization outside of the government and in order to qualify to apply for this program you do have to be a veteran!

Need A Grant To Help Fix Up Your Home?

Government Grant Program Seeking Applications For Grants For Housing Repairs!

There is a government grant program that is NOW accepting applications for grants to help low- and very-low-income rural residents repair their homes. Says the program director, "Housing is a cornerstone of any thriving, stable community. As the Obama administration works to ensure that people remain in their homes, it is more important than ever to make certain their homes are safe, energy efficient, livable dwellings."

These grants are being provided to intermediaries such as town or county governments, public agencies, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and nonprofit and faith- based organizations. The grants are distributed to homeowners or owners of multi-family rental properties or cooperative dwellings who rent to low- and very-low-income people. The grants can be used to weatherize and repair existing structures, install or improve plumbing or provide access to people with disabilities.

For example, one agency used the grant in 2008 to make accessibility, weatherization and other improvements to a man's home. Included in the repairs was added insulation, weather stripping, seals around doors and windows, an energy-saving shower head and more efficient light bulbs.

Grant award amounts may be provided up to $10 million in competitive grants. Applications are due by the close of business July 10, 2009. Applications may be accessed electronically via the government's website..

The mission of this government grant program is to increase economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for rural residents. Rural sevelopment fosters growth in homeownership, finances business development and supports the creation of critical community and technology infrastructure. Further information on rural programs is available at local government offices or by visiting the website.

Teenage Girls Being Paid Not To Get Pregnant! To help keep young girls in school rather than them getting pregnant, one university is offering a program that will pay them not to get pregnant. As part of the baby-free program, girls attend weekly meetings where they learn about abstinence and contraceptives. At the end of each week, $7 is put into a fund that's off-limits until they go to college. To participate, girls must have never been pregnant, currently attend school, have a desire to go to college, and have a sister that gave birth before age 18. The program is currently at its max capacity of 24 girls. This program, however, is not without controversy! One organization's spokesperson has said, "It's hard to pay people to do something we think they should be doing regardless. It would be like if you didn't want young people to experiment with marijuana, you'd pay them not to do it." *I should note here that there HAS been a government grant program in the past that has involved marijuana before! Rose Others feels that with the costs of teen pregnancies reaching $9 billion annually, "paying teens $365 to stay baby-free seems like a modest investment -- especially if the program works.." Another organization's spokesperson has said, " Some grads of the program have saved upwards of $3,000 for college. We want to give them something to work toward. If someone believes in you, there's no end to what a lot of people can accomplish."

Government Job Opening!

Not only does our government have grant programs they also have job openings! I thought about putting this information on my Working From Home Blog but since it isn't a work from home opportunity, I decided to blog about it here.

There is currently a government job opening for Registered Nurses. There is more than one job vacancy that is open! The salary is $42,290 up to $76,206 and I'm assuming that that is a per year salary. The location is in the Tuscaloosa, Alabama area. The job description:

• Rotating Shift Vacancies Staff Nurses - Mental Health, Geriatrics & Extended Care, & Primary Care (rotating shifts)

For more information about this job, just click here

State Grant Program For Women In Business!! A $3000 grant is being made available for women in the following fields: Small business start-up and expansion Community development Continuing education and teacher support Child and elder care Health and human services Arts and culture In order to receive business-related grants, female applicants must be business owners and the primary manager of the company’s day-to-day activities, or associated with a non-profit organization that directly benefits women. This grant program is open to female residents of the state and the application is available online or they can be reached by phone by calling their toll-free number. Priority consideration for funding will be given to applications that: promote the empowerment of women emphasize collaboration between women entrepreneurs or non-profit entities supporting women directly benefit women or low-income and underserved populations support endeavors that immediately benefit communities in which the program's sponsor(s) have a presence for proposals that provide a sound plan for measuring performance and results. Please be advised that applications are due July 31, 2009!. Community peer review panels will select the grant recipients, to be announced in September. Last year’s grant winners included a collaborative project between a media production company and a domestic violence center; a Navajo art and culture program; therapeutic riding facility; quilt-making project for needy kids; refugee daycare facility; health literacy initiative; and an astronomy education project. This grant program was started to help bolster the efforts of everyday women who help strengthen the communities in so many ways through their various talents. It was created as an extension of an ongoing commitment to empower women in achieving financial independence.

Do You Need A New Refridgerator?

A client of mine just got their new refridgerator today and because of a program that was provided by their utility company!

This isn't a state program but a national one and like most of the government grant programs out there you have to make sure that you are eligible to apply for this program.

This program is provided for low-incomed people and in this case the client didn't even have to fill out a form. A represenative comes out to inspect the home for areas where improvements can be made to help make their utility bills more reasonable.

In this particular case the refridgerator that was at the home was more than 20 years old so a new one was ordered. The new refridgerator was installed and the old one was taken away - all for free - and all that was required was a signature for the order (which was free).

This kind of grant program was started to help low-incomed people with their utility bills. A new refridgerator that is energy efficient uses a lot less power than one that was installed 20 years ago so that was the reason why the new refridgerator was installed.

Remember that this program was put in place to help people who have a low income to better manage their utility bills and this program is not just limited to providing a new refridgerator! Actually I had a talk with one of the agents of this program and she told me that they really weren't supposed to tell people that they may be eligible for new equipment. I guess that I could see her reasoning because if everybody knew about this program and what it can provide then they would probably have more applicants than they could provide this kind of service for. And it is not just limited to refridgerators. Remember this program was put in place so that people could have a more manageable utility bill so if things like one's heating system is beyond repair then you will most likely get a new heating system. There was even one person that got a new water heater - installation and the water heater itself was free!

Why was this program put in place? It was put in place to help low-incomed people to have a more manageable utility bill.

All provided courtesy of our government (and of course the taxpayer's money!)

Never Let Anyone Tell You That The Government Doesn't Have Any Grant Programs For For-Profit Businesses - Especially For For-Profit Daycare Business!

Here is an interesting government grant program that I found.....

Who - Department Of Housing And Urban Developement (HUD)

What - Grant Program

When - 2006

Where - Eligible applicants include: not-for- profit institutions, and for-profit firms located in the U.S, state and local governments, Federally-recognized Native Indian Tribes and colleges and universities. For-profit firms are not allowed to make profit from the project

Why - The purpose of this grant program is to develop, demonstrate, and promote cost-effective, preventive measures to correct multiple safety and health hazards in the home environment that produce serious diseases and injuries in children of low-income families.

One of the benefits of this particular grant program is that applicants don't have to provide matching funds.

For the year 2007 over $5 Million Dollars has been allotted for grant funding!

The maximum grant award per recipient is $1 Million Dollars and the average grant award per recipient has been just a bit over $900,000.00.

Past Grant Recipient - received grant to develope a website that enabled parents to view their area to identify possible hazordous materials and equipment and provide solutions for suitable replacements.

You can find out more about this grant program by visiting the Department Of Housing And Urban Development's Website. You can also contact them by phone

* - Please be advised that their phone number is not a toll-free number.

I have sent an email to the director of this program to find out more specific information about this grant program.

How Is This For Results! - Need Some Heating Help This Winter?

Did you know that there are grant programs out there to help you with your heating bills? Not only that, there are also grant programs out there to help you if you need any repairs to your heating system!

How do I know this? I know this because a recent client of mine had their home inspected for a heating-related audit. Guess what they are going to get from the results of the inspection?

• repairs to their heating system to get it working again
  

• new thermostat installed!
  

• a NEW hot water heater! (plus installation at no cost!)
  

• a NEW refridgerator (because their old one is more than 10 years old and the motor is faulty)
  

• new smoke detectors - with the batteries already included!
  

• various related additions like weatherstripping and caulk work

If you are worried about being able to make it through the winter then you should definitely check your state's website to see if they have any similar grant programs available in your area.

I had a chance to talk to one of the contractors who is doing the work and he told me that they have already done this kind and similiar kinds of work and repairs to over a hundred qualified applicants!

Are There Any Grant Programs For Home Improvement?

Are there any grant programs for home improvement(s)? The answer is yes. For example I live in a historical area called LaMott. Because of its historical nature property owners are eligible to apply for a $25,000 grant to make improvements on their property. This grant covers all types of improvements including inside and outside of the property. If you live in a historical area you should check and see if this grant program is available in your area.

Grant programs for home improvements aren't just limited to properties in a historical area. If you are disabled or handicapped and need some improvements made to your home there are grant programs available. If you are a vetern who is disabled then there are grant programs for you too.

There are also grant programs for those that need repairs relating to heating and plumbing. I know of a grant program that exists that will evaluate your heating system and make repairs. If your heating system can't be repaired then you will get a new heating system installed at NO cost to you!