Available grant could help qualified home buyers
NORWICH – Opportunities for Chenango is seeking another round of a state sponsored grant that it says has proven to be a tremendous benefit for first time home buyers in Chenango County.
The agency began the process of applying for a $350,000 Community Development Block Grant this month to help fund its First Time Home Buyer program, an initiative started to educate potential buyers about the facts of homeownership and the home buying process. If awarded, it would be the seventh time Opportunities for Chenango is able to offer the program.
“This is a program that we have been able to fund six times before, and it’s been successful,” said Karen Glasbergen, Housing Director for OFC. “If we are awarded, it will help put 14 low-income home buyers into their new homes.”
OFC’s First Time Home Buyer program has served 109 individuals and families to date, giving them up to $23,000 in grants for a downpayment on a new home and to help offset closing costs. The program is available to potential homeowners who meet certain criteria and earn up to 80 percent of the county median annual income ($51,650 per year for a family of four).
The sixth round of the program is still underway, said Glasbergen; but plans are to keep up to date records to vouch for the seventh round. Opportunities for Chenango is currently collecting survey information that will help in the process, she added. Surveys have been distributed to towns and villages county-wide, as well as libraries, the Department of Social Services, Head Start, and the county planning department. It’s also available online at ofcinc.org.
“We have to prove to the state that there is a need for this money,” Glasbergen said. “The survey will help us show that there is an interest from people in the community and that this funding is well used.”
On Monday, the Chenango County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). State law mandates that the county host a public hearing on the CDBG grant application process. If awarded the grant, a second public hearing would be scheduled later in the year that would address allocation of CDBG funds for the OFC First Time Home Buyer program.
“That program has been very successful and there’s very much a need for it in this area,” said Donna Jones, Chenango County Director of Planning and Development. Jones also cited fruitful efforts to obtain CDBG funding for the home buyer program over the years. “We have a very good record with the New York State Office of Community Renewal and we have always met our anticipated number for people this grant serves.”
OFC is presently talking with local banks interested in providing mortgages to graduates of the First Time Home Buyer program. The agency has until Feb. 27 to submit an application to the state Office of Community Renewal. Glasbergen said it may take several months before OFC hears whether or not the application was approved. If awarded CDBG funds, she said the next First Time Home Buyer program is likely to start in the fall.
For more information on OFC’s First Time Home Buyer program, visit ofcinc.org.
The agency began the process of applying for a $350,000 Community Development Block Grant this month to help fund its First Time Home Buyer program, an initiative started to educate potential buyers about the facts of homeownership and the home buying process. If awarded, it would be the seventh time Opportunities for Chenango is able to offer the program.
“This is a program that we have been able to fund six times before, and it’s been successful,” said Karen Glasbergen, Housing Director for OFC. “If we are awarded, it will help put 14 low-income home buyers into their new homes.”
OFC’s First Time Home Buyer program has served 109 individuals and families to date, giving them up to $23,000 in grants for a downpayment on a new home and to help offset closing costs. The program is available to potential homeowners who meet certain criteria and earn up to 80 percent of the county median annual income ($51,650 per year for a family of four).
The sixth round of the program is still underway, said Glasbergen; but plans are to keep up to date records to vouch for the seventh round. Opportunities for Chenango is currently collecting survey information that will help in the process, she added. Surveys have been distributed to towns and villages county-wide, as well as libraries, the Department of Social Services, Head Start, and the county planning department. It’s also available online at ofcinc.org.
“We have to prove to the state that there is a need for this money,” Glasbergen said. “The survey will help us show that there is an interest from people in the community and that this funding is well used.”
On Monday, the Chenango County Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a public hearing on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). State law mandates that the county host a public hearing on the CDBG grant application process. If awarded the grant, a second public hearing would be scheduled later in the year that would address allocation of CDBG funds for the OFC First Time Home Buyer program.
“That program has been very successful and there’s very much a need for it in this area,” said Donna Jones, Chenango County Director of Planning and Development. Jones also cited fruitful efforts to obtain CDBG funding for the home buyer program over the years. “We have a very good record with the New York State Office of Community Renewal and we have always met our anticipated number for people this grant serves.”
OFC is presently talking with local banks interested in providing mortgages to graduates of the First Time Home Buyer program. The agency has until Feb. 27 to submit an application to the state Office of Community Renewal. Glasbergen said it may take several months before OFC hears whether or not the application was approved. If awarded CDBG funds, she said the next First Time Home Buyer program is likely to start in the fall.
For more information on OFC’s First Time Home Buyer program, visit ofcinc.org.
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