If your house was among the many that sprouted cracks and leaks (or worse) in Earth’s recent tectonic North Coast smackdown, or if it suffered flood damage from the near-Biblical storm that’s saturating our very pores, well… Humboldt County to the rescue!
Low-interest, deferred loans are now available for low-ish income residents to conduct home repairs or even energy efficiency upgrades, according to a press release from the county’s economic development division. Read on…
Here’s the fine print:
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You must own and occupy your home as your primary residence in order to qualify.
- It has to be within county limits, of course.
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The paycheck cutoff is 80 percent or less of the county’s median income. That means a family of two can make no more than $35,700 per year; a family of four — $44,650.
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This is indeed a loan — not a grant — but monthly payments will not be required. In fact, you don’t even have to pay it back until you sell the place or move out.
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This is not a green light to pimp your pad: “The program stipulates that the home may not be valued over $299,250 after [the] work has been completed,” the release states.
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Rehab projects can include health and safety code items, roofs, foundations, paint, plumbing, electrical and septic systems as well as efficiency upgrades.
The money’s coming from a grant courtesy of the California Department of Housing and Community Development.
For more info you can call the County Economic Development Division at 445-7745.
This article appears in Dog Fight.
