City Opens Applications for up to $30,000 in Housing Rehabilitation Assistance

Partnering with the Clarke County Development Corporation (CCDC) and the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG), The City of Osceola is opening the application process for the Owner-Occupied Housing Sustainability program. The program, developed to assist low-to-moderate income homeowners looking to make repairs to their homes, is an annual effort by SICOG and The City of Osceola to support local development and assist in maintaining the community.

While this is the initial discovery stage for the program, the City is asking those interested to download the form made available at www.OsceolaIA.net so they can determine the interest levels for the program as well as the funding to be requested from the grant program through The State of Iowa.  If interest is strong, funding through The State can be made available to applicants in amounts up to $30.000 in a forgivable loan.

Some requirements for the program include:

• Participants must own the home (renters need not apply)
• Participants must meet the income requirements (see table below)

1 person	2 people	3 people	4 people	5 people	6 people	7 people	8+ people
$38,850	$44,400	$49,950	$55,500	$59,950	$64,400	$68,850	$73,300

If you own and live in your home, and believe you qualify for the program, you are encouraged to apply. Once initial demand is determined, qualifying applicants will be contacted for additional documentation. There is no cost to apply for this review stage. If awarded a grant, total fees to the applicant are estimated to be less than $20.00.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for motivated homeowners looking to make improvements to their properties with very low initial investment,” said Bill Trickey, CCDC Executive Director.

Qualification and application for the program doesn’t guarantee the funding will be awarded to each submission. Through a State-level review process, the applications will be ranked based on the level of community need and the funding required. Applicants and The City will not learn of the grant awards, if any, until later in the Summer.

In years past, The City and SICOG have opened this housing rehabilitation application program to determine interest. Recently, the program had been suspended because of lack of return applications, but Osceola City Administrator, Ty Wheeler, thinks 2020 is a perfect year to offer as much assistance to the community as possible.

“We’re expecting interest in this year’s program to be high,” Said Wheeler. “With normal funds for upkeep and maintenance potentially coming up short, an opportunity like this goes a long way to help.”

If you’re interested in applying for the program, click on the application form link in this post and follow the instructions for submission.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: for this stage is MAY 30th, 2020.

If you have questions or need additional information, please reach out to Ty Wheeler, Osceola City Administrator at 115 N Fillmore St, Osceola, IA 50213, phone: 641-342-2377, or email [email protected].