County plans to apply for home rehab grant funding

From staff reports

Venango County, in partnership with the cities of Franklin and Oil City, is preparing an application for a federally funded HOME grant for housing rehabilitation projects within those two municipalities.

As part of the application process, the county is seeking to determine the demand for home rehabilitation projects so it knows how much of the grant funding to request.

The aim of the HOME program, administered within the commonwealth by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, is to help ensure the supply of decent and affordable housing for low- and very low-income households.

The HOME program’s low-income limits for Venango County households are as follows:
  • One-person: $40,800
  • Two-person: $46,600
  • Three-person: $52,450
  • Four-person: $58,250
  • Five-person: $62,950
  • Six-person: $67,600
  • Seven-person: $72,250
  • Eight-person: $76,900
The county is eligible to apply for up to $750,000 in HOME grant funding.

Participating applicants of owner-occupied homes, upon completion of their project, will be required to agree to a five-year forgivable lien on their property.

Properties assisted with a HOME grant must be brought up to current standards for health, safety and potential local code violations, in line with DCED’s Housing Rehabilitation Guidebook. The value of the HOME-assisted property after rehabilitation cannot exceed 95 percent of the median purchase price for the area.

Low-income homeowners are encouraged to contact Joshua Sterling at the Venango Regional Planning Commissioner by calling (814) 432-9547 or sending an email to jsterling@co.venango.pa.us.

Applications for the housing rehabilitation program are available at www.co.venango.pa.us/754/Home-Rehab.