Home repair or buying is in reach of low-income households

By Lailani Upham

PABLO — Rural homeowners, are you in need or repairs or weatherization, but your income limits you from doing so? There may be help from the USDA Rural Development in home repairs for folks in the very low-income bracket. If you’re not a homeowner and income limits you from purchasing, the Rural Development Program has a program to enable families to purchase a home.

Salish Kootenai Housing Authority is making their office available every other month for the USDA Rural Development to seek applicants for a rehabilitation loan and/or grant program for very low-income homeowners, and for those qualified to purchase a new home on a limited income as well.

As the cool fall breezes have turned cold, the time is now for winterization with a chance to address the repairs some folks have been avoiding. Whether it’s a leak in the ceiling or a broken storm window, inadequate insulation, bad gutters, or any number of problems faced by homeowners; putting off these needed repairs can have long-term negative consequences to your property.

For most homeowners, the money that would be spent on repairs ends up going toward the mortgage, car payments, food, gasoline, or other bills. Home repair often remains just out of reach, therefore the Rural Development Housing Program and SKHA are here to help.

The 504 Home Improvement Program is a rehabilitation loan and grant program designed to help with home repairs for fixed income senior citizens to help on their existing home due to health or safety hazards.

Eligible participants for the Home Improvement Program are required to occupy the home and must be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere. Income must be below 50 percent of the area median income. In Lake County, a family of four must have an annual income below $26,750. Loans of up to $20,000 may be made, and must be used to make the dwelling more safe and sanitary or to remove health and safety hazards. Clients 62 and over, may qualify for up to $7,500 in federal home repair grants under this Rural Development rehabilitation program.

Don’t let those nagging repairs turn in to critical problems for your home. A water stain on your ceiling can turn into wood rot and mold in a very short period of time.

Don’t let your small income stop you from the dream of owning your own home either.

The USDA Rural Development offers the Single Family Housing program for very low-income families with acceptable credit and a steady income as a first step to qualify for a home loan.

Families with incomes less than 50 percent of the median household income for their area meet the first level of qualification.

The Rural Development low-income loans require no down payment, no mortgage insurance, and repayment terms up to 38 years.

Payment assistance may be available for some applicants, allowing only 24 percent of the adjusted income for mortgage payments.

“We have funds available right now,” said Deborah Chorlton, Housing Program Director for Rural Development in Montana. “We have great terms and conditions, and we want to make sure very low income families who want to own a home have that opportunity.”

SKHA is available to help clients get all the necessary documentation that is needed and send it to the Kalispell office, according to Nicole Antoine, SKHA homeownership coordinator. “We also can help clients with credit repair so they can be eligible for the home loans,” Antoine stated.

The Rural Development staff is due to be back at SKHA office in January. For local information, please call Nicole Antoine at (406) 675-4491, ext. 1530.

For additional information and to determine eligibility, please contact USDA Rural Development’s Kalispell office at (406) 756-2005. USDA Rural Development is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
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