Housing & Community Development
"Housing and Community Development"
LOSRC staff assists our local governments
in providing affordable, decent and safe housing and related
infrastructure improvements for residents of Region B.
Grant applications are prepared on behalf of local
governments for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG)
through North Carolina Dept. of Commerce, Division of Community
Assistance; Single Family Rehabilitation (SFR) Grants, Urgent
Repair Program (URP), through the North Carolina Housing Finance
Agency (NCHFA); and Housing Preservation Grants (HPG) through
the United States Dept of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development.
These grants are income-dependent and are designed to assist
low-income families and the elderly. Once funded, LOSRC Housing
& Community Development staff administers these grants to
rehabilitate or replace the aging housing stock in our four
counties.
PHOTOS: ‘before and after’ – Gunter house, Rosman
(substantial rehab); Charlie Moore, Hot Springs (replacement)
Promoting quality affordable housing
development in Western North Carolina by:
● Working with local governments and other non-profit
organizations to identify housing needs
● Recruiting developers to develop affordable housing in our
31-county service area
● Serving as a liaison between developers and local government
officials and staff
● Preparing grant applications
● Serving as a liaison between local, state and federal
governments
● Developing service packages to link to housing
● Working closely with management companies to implement
services and to market developments
● Disseminating information regarding developing affordable
housing to individuals and non-profits
● Educating the public and elected officials about affordable
housing
● Providing technical assistance grant money to our regions to
encourage and assist with efforts to identify needs and to
develop affordable housing; and
● Working closely with local social service providers to
coordinate services for residents.AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
In general, housing for which the
occupant(s) is/are paying no more than 30 percent of his or her
income for gross housing costs, including utilities.
Straightpipe and septic repair
Straight piping is the illegal practice
of wastewater from homes being piped directly to a creek,
stream or onto land without treatment. This introduces
disease-causing organisms to streams, creating a public
health and environmental threat, while burdening water
treatment plants and hurting recreation and tourism.
Land-of-Sky Regional Council Program Description
To be eligible for the Land-of-Sky
Regional Council Straight Pipe Elimination and Sewer Line
Repair Program:
● Property must be owner occupied.
● Household income must be at or below 115% of HUD MSA
Income Limits. (Copy of Income Limits is attached to Program
Guidelines).
● Maximum Forgivable Deferred Loan amount is $4,000 per
household. (Household income between 80% to 115% MSA)
● Maximum grant is $4,000 per household. (Household income
at or below 80% MSA)
A Deferred Forgivable Loan is forgiven
at the end of 5 years after the completion of work.
A Deferred
Forgivable Loan is proportionally forgiven over an
applicable term of recapture. If the home is sold or the
recipient no longer occupies the home, such as going into a
nursing home or death during the recapture term, then the
remaining portion of the loan must be recaptured or repaid.
Deferred Forgivable Loan Recapture
Schedule (If Property is sold or recipient no longer
occupies home)
Year 1 20%
forgiven 80% recaptured
Year 2 40% forgiven 60% recaptured
Year 3 60% forgiven 40% recaptured
Year 4 80% forgiven 20% recaptured
Year 5 100% forgiven
Key Participants:
LOSRC Staff, N.C. Dept. of Environment
and Natural Resource’s Wastewater Discharge Elimination
Program, N.C. Rural Communities Assistance Project, United
States Department of Agriculture, the Appalachian Regional
Commission, the N.C. Dept. of Commerce, Division of
Community Assistance, N.C. Clean Water Management Trust
Fund, and the Western North Carolina Housing Partnership.
karen@landofsky.org
^ back to top of page
|
