civic center
YOUR CITY Home | City Government
go
CONTACT CASPER

HOMEOWNER REHABILITATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM


"A home is not a mere transient shelter: its essence lies in the personalities of the people who live in it." (H.L. Mencken 1880-1956)

Protecting one's housing investment is very important. The condition of a house's exterior, roof, windows, doors, insulation, heating, plumbing, electrical, and foundation determine its real value and its life expectancy. A well maintained house extends its economic life and it remains a viable shelter for its occupants. Sometimes maintenance is deferred due to the homeowner's financial situation. For low-moderate income homeowners, it is difficult to find the extra money to replace these major systems. The City's Homeowner Rehabilitation Assistance Program is designed to assist owners of single family homes with emergency repairs and exterior repairs through World Changers. Emergency repairs will require a mortgage to be placed on the property for the term of the loan .


General Program Guidelines

Community Development Block Grant funds (CDBG) are set aside to assist homeowners with some unexpected repairs, to make their home more energy efficient or to help improve the neighborhood through exterior improvements. All programs have the same requirements:

  • Be a low to moderate income homeowner.
  • Be a U.S. Citizen or legal alien.
  • Have less than $25,000 in assets such as savings, certificates of deposit, extra vehicles, recreational vehicles, stocks, bonds, other real estate.
  • Current on mortgage.
  • Current on real estate taxes.
  • Can provide proof of flood insurance if live in a 100 year floodplain.
  • Housing unit must be a single family dwelling. No assistance is available for mobile homes or homes that have apartments on the property unless the apartment is occupied by an immediate family member.
  • House title on the deed must be in the homeowner's name.

Applications
Anyone interested in any Homeowner Rehabilitation Assistance Program must contact the Housing and Community Development Division Office at 234-0014 to make an appointment:

  • Emergency Repair applications are taken on an as needed basis.
  • World Changers applications are generally accepted in January of each year for work to be completed during World Changer's week, usually in late June or early July of each year.

In addition, as a part of the application process, homeowners must also bring the following documents to their appointment:

  • Payroll stubs for the past two months
  • Copy of Social Security award letter or annual notification of benefits to be received
  • Copy of any pension statements (Note: assets do NOT include IRA's or private pension accounts)
  • Copy of last two months bank statements
  • Copy of most recent Income Tax filed with Internal Revenue Service
  • Mortgage statement
  • Printout of last 12 month statement of child support received
  • Property tax receipt

Emergency Repair


This program is designed to assist homeowners with those repairs that pose an IMMEDIATE threat to the health and safety of the house's occupants. Some examples include the furnace being red-tagged by the utility company or failing (between September and April only), failure of the sewer system such as a pipe collapse, a leaking roof, hot water heater quits, broken water lines, or wiring or electrical system if determined by a city inspector as being unsafe.

Accessible Homes:

The City believes persons with disabilities must have safe access to their homes.

The two (2) eligible activities considered as accessibility emergency repairs are ramps and doorways:

  • The person must use the wheelchair on a full-time, permanent basis
  • Wheelchair use must be verified by a physician
  • There is no other accessible way to enter/exit the housing unit
    • If the doorway will not accommodate the wheelchair, it will be widened to allow for accessibility

NOTE: Rehabilitation activities that would improve accessibility within the housing unit, such as renovating bathrooms or replacing floor coverings are not considered emergency repairs.

Applications are taken on an as needed basis.

Loans

As described, some activities require the homeowner to allow the City to hold a mortgage on the property for the value of the rehabilitation work done. Low-interest and no-interest rate loans are available. Terms are determined by income.