HOME & REPAIR Programs

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Overview

AS OF DECEMBER 2022, WE HAVE PAUSED ACCEPTING NEW APPLICATIONS FOR GREENE COUNTY HOUSING REHAB PROGRAMS TO ALLOW US TO WORK THROUGH THE EXTENSIVE WAITLIST
(Please see the Application for Rehabilitation Assistance section below for more information) 

Currently, Greene County currently has funding for 3 seperate housing rehabiliation programs. Please be advised that as of December 2022, we have paused applications as the current waitlist is projected to be 2+ years long

1. HOME- The Home Investment Partnership (HOME)  is the largest Federal block grant to State and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable, safe housing for low to moderate-income households. At this time,only Existing Owner-Occupied homes located in Greene County are eligible for this program. 

2. REPAIR- The program intends to use PHARE funds to make necessary repairs to low to moderate income households located in Greene County. In certain cases, applicants from the HOME  Program that may not fit eligibility requirements, have exceeded the income limit, or are in need of expedited repairs will be provided with funding assistance through PHARE. There is currently a waitlist, and documented situations warranting expedited  repairs may be considered on a case by case basis as funding permits. PLEASE NOTE: this program cannot fund emergency repairs(i.e. no heat in winter, busted pipes, etc.).  This program requires inspections, cost estimates, and (in most cases)bidding out the rehabilitation work to follow County procurement Code(s), so even expedited repairs can take a month or more to start. 

3. Greene County Whole Home Repair- The Greene County Whole Home Repair program provides moderate rehabilitation assistance to owner occupied homes located in Greene County. This program provides moderate assistance(up to $50,000.00)for repairs.  This program prioritzes applicants/homes needing ADA accessibilty modifications and/or applicants with veteran status. Applications are closed for this program and funding has been committed.

NOTE: Greene County Home Rehabilitation Programs reserve the right to serve applicants out of chronological sequence to maintain efficiency in application processing and project completion. Such gains in efficiency benefit all applicants, as the nature of homeowner need is extremely time sensitive.





 

Contact Information

Greene County Office Building
93 E. High Street Second Floor
Suite 217
Waynesburg, PA 15370
Get Directions
Hours of Operation: M-F, 8:30AM to 4:30 PM

Department Contacts:

Nikki Mickens
Redevelopment Authority Director

HOME & REPAIR Programs

The HOME  & REPAIR programs utilize funding created primarily to support the development of affordable housing. HOME & REPAIR programs provide general guidelines to local governments to design affordable housing strategies that address local needs and housing conditions. The funds may be used for such activities as tenant based rental assistance, homebuyer’s assistance, property acquisition, new construction, rehabilitation, site improvements, demolition, relocation, and administrative costs.
All HOME & REPAIR funded housing rehabilitation will be targeted to low-to-moderate income households. 

Please note: this is NOT a program that deals with emergency repairs.  Projects are pulled from the waitlist as funding becomes avaialble, and each project requires a comprehensive environmental review, housing inspection, and lead/radon/asbestos testing. At times, funding is available that may be able to assist with urgent needs.  If funding is available, the program staff will assess each situation on a case-by-case basis to determine eligibility. 

Greene County is also seeking qualified contractors to work on these projects.  Contractors must be registered with the State of Pennsylvania (have a valid HIC number) and be insured in accordance with County limits(please contact for details).  Please visit the "Contractor" section of this page for details.  

Household Income

When determining the annual income of a household, the County will use the definition of Part 5 annual income, as better defined at 24 CFR 5.609. Specifically, income shall be calculated for the 12-month period ending at the time of application. Based upon this information, staff shall make the income determination for income that will be projected over the next 12 months. All income shall be verified from the source. In the case of self-employment, staff shall accept a Schedule C or other applicable Federal schedules and/or a notarized statement from the self-employed applicant.

Income eligibility is determined at initial application. An updated income verification will be collected immediately prior to the execution of the construction contract to determine continuing eligibility. Please click the following link to access more detailed information regarding income determination:Income Inclusions

The current income limits to receive assistance through the Greene County HOME Program are as follows:

# in Household       HUD Annual Income Limit FFY 2023
 
            1                $46,5500
            2                $53,200
            3                $59,850
            4                $66,500
            5                $71,850
            6                $77,1500
            7                $82,500
            8                $87,800

Assets are also required to be disclosed, and depending on the value/amount of the assett, the assett may be calculated into income to determine eligibility. 

At times, these programs utilize grant funding that allows higher income limits.  No funding may be used to benifits households over 200% of the median area income for Greene County, which is $158,000 as of February 2023.

Ownership Documentation and Criteria

1. The home must be located in Greene County.
2. The homeowner must occupy their housing unit at the time of application.
3. Presentation of a full marketable title in the form of a recorded deed will satisfy the ownership requirement.  
4. The homeowner must be current in all payment of County, local and school taxes.
5. The applicant must provide proof of homeowner's insurance. Insurance will be required to be in place prior to signing a construction contract, however, you do not need to have homeowner's insurance to be placed on the waitlist. 
7. The after-rehabilitation value of the property is modest and does not exceed 95% of the median purchase price of the area. 
8. No rent to own, land contracts, etc. are eligible, applicant must have full title.
9. Applicants may not own more that one home, including vacation homes, rental properties, abandoned homes, RV, camp lot, etc. Owning additional parcels of land is permitted but land value will be factored into the assett calculation.
 

Terms

For the HOME Program, the County will provide assistance in the form of a grant, which will be forgiven if the property is not sold or transferred for five years after the rehabilitation is complete. A 5 year lien will be placed on the home from the completion of construction.  As long as the owner does not sell the home or convert the home into a rental during that 5 year period, the grant will be forgiven.  There are no credit requirements, and no monthly payment is due during the 5 year period.  All applicants must meet income eligibility, prove ownership, and be able to provide documentation of both income and ownership. 

Projects completed under the PHARE Program, which are typically smaller projects, the County will provide assistance in the form of a grant with the option to place a 5 year lien at the County's discretion. 

The property must remain the applicant’s primary dwelling place during this time. 

If it is determined that the value of the property will exceed the established maximum purchase price after rehabilitation, the property will then be considered ineligible for funding assistance. 

Eligible Activities

The intent of Greene County's Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Programs is to correct housing code deficiencies and comply with all applicable local codes. Housing code deficiencies will be defined by way of the International Property Maintenance Code, with priority focusing on health and safety problems.  If the township or borough in which the property is located has adopted a building code other than the IPMC, the local municipal code shall also be adhered to. Property owners will only receive assistance if there are code deficiencies that need to be corrected.  No repairs will be permitted that are solely for cosmetic purposes. 

The property must have at least $1,000 in code deficiencies in order to receive funding assistance.  Approved applicants will be placed on the waitlist to recieve a home inspection.  The home inspector will then develop a scope of work and a cost estimate, that will need to be approved by the County.  The federal program guidelines require that all code definicies must be corrected before the project is complete. Other program funding does not require that all code deficiencies are corrected, and in those cases, we may be able to make repairs that would not be feasible under the programs utilizing federal funds. 

NOTE: If the housing inspector and the program’s housing rehabilitation specialist agree that it is not feasible to eliminate all the major housing code deficiencies (which affect the health and safety of its occupants) and lead hazards,it is the County’s policy not to improve that specific housing structure unless there are funds available from another source that allow it. 

 

Mobile Home Eligibility

Under the County’s Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program, mobile homes may be considered for rehabilitation assistance.
 
REQUIREMENTS: To be eligible to receive rehabilitation assistance, a mobile home must be considered as part of the permanent housing stock. To be considered as such, the mobile home must be connected to major available utilities. The trailer hitch and wheels must also be removed from the home. You must have a full title and own the mobile home.  Additionally, the mobile home owner must own the land on which the mobile home is located.  

At times, there are other funding sources that may allow repairs to mobile homes that are owned but on rented/leased land.  These programs vary, please contact our office for eligibility. 
 

 

Contractors

Interested in becoming a contractor with the Greene County Housing Rehab Program?  Please review the information below.  

Contractors are required to be licensced through the State of Pennsylvania (Home Improvement Contractor License) & carry insurance.

*** If a program is utilizing federal funds, the contractor MUST be willing to register with the federal System for Award Management (SAM) if awarded. 

It is FREE to register with SAM, and we recommend doing so if you decide to apply since it can take a few weeks for your registration to become active in the system.

For more information regarding SAM, Click HERE

To begin your free registration.Click HERE 

***If a home is found to contain lead or asbestos, proper certification would be required.  

If you have questions or would like to obtain an application to be placed on our Contractor List, please call 724-852-5260 or email homeprogram@co.greene.pa.us.

You can also submit an application online; Labor Application. Someone from the Greene County Housing Rehab Staff will reach out to you at their earliest convinience to discuss your applciation once received. 

Statement of Activities

Introduction

The County of Greene is pursuing a Rural Housing Service (RHS) Housing Preservation Grant (HPG) of $262,000 to bolster the ongoing efforts of the Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program. These funds will be used to provide grants to qualified homeowners (below 50% and between 50-80% median household income) to address major repairs on their property. The Housing Rehabilitation Program is posting the below Statement of Activities in compliance with the requirements outlined in the Notice of Funding Availability for the Section 533 Housing Preservation Grant for Fiscal Year 2024, as well as RD Instructions 1944-N. Please return all comments to the following contact information by the 27th of July.

County of Greene Housing Programs

Attn: Nicole Mickens, Director

93 E High St, Room 220

Waynesburg PA 15370

(724)852-5300

homeprogram@co.greene.pa.us

 

Statement of Activities

i.                    Conditions for assistance

The Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program is designed to assist low- and moderate-income homeowners with major repairs to their homes. Major repairs consist of, but are not limited to: roofs/gutters/downspouts, furnaces, electrical work/upgrades, plumbing, flooring, some ADA modifications, porch/deck repair, window replacement, water mitigation, lead/asbestos/radon mitigation and other concerns as identified by the County Housing Inspector.

ii.                   Process for selecting assistance recipients

The Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program maintains a pre-screened (income and home ownership) waitlist of over 220 applicants. Currently applications to this program are halted as the waitlist has hit maximum capacity.

As funding becomes available, applicants must provide full and updated documents and begin environmental reviews, followed by lead/radon/asbestos testing, and followed by inspections and cost estimates.  The program operates on a first come, first served basis. Projects with extenuating circumstances may be prioritized: ADA needs, roof/heat failures, homes with code citations, CYS cases wherein the children cannot return home until repairs are made, major plumbing and electrical issues, and other cases that the housing programs and/or the housing inspector deems to be a priority or in which life safety repairs are required. The funds requested herein will be used solely to support projects serving very low- and low- income homeowners in Greene County.

iii.                 Process for identifying environmental impacts

Generally, the program does not perform any actions which would change the footprint of the homes, lessening the environmental impacts.  In compliance with the HOME grants, the Housing Rehabilitation Program performs a Tier 1 County Wide Environmental Review, followed by Tier 2 site specific reviews, which includes Section 106 Historic Review/SHPO clearance.  Homes are tested for lead, radon, and asbestos and mitigate any on these factors if required under the Lead Safe Housing Rule.

iv.                 Development standards

All rehabilitations are completed in compliance with PA Uniform Construction Code (UCC), locally adopted municipal zoning and/or property maintenance codes, National Fire Protection and Life Safety Codes, and HUD UPCS.

v.                   Time schedule

These funds will be used to support two years of the Housing Rehabilitation Program. These funds will be distributed to qualifying homeowners on the waitlist as projects become ready for construction.

vi.                 Staffing

Greene County employs several staff members to assist in the administration of the Home Rehabilitation Program. These staff members ensure the eligibility of the projects and applicants on the waitlist. These staff members also assist homeowners in completing the project and all associated reviews.  

vii.               Estimated very-low and low-income persons assisted

The funds requested for the Housing Rehabilitation Program are expected to support work on 72 homes in Greene County over the next 2 years, helping an estimated 216 low to moderate income persons. These funds will be used to exclusively assist very low- and low- income persons, which compose 70% of the population served, resulting in an estimated 152 very low- and low-income persons assisted.

viii.              Geographical area

These funds will be used to help low- and low-income individuals across Greene County Pennsylvania. Eligible applicants must be Greene County residents.

ix.                 Annual estimate

Annually, the Housing Rehabilitation Program provides funding for repairs for at least 36 homes in Greene County. These repairs average $24,000 per household at a total cost of $864,000 per year. Additionally, the program conducts inspection and testing at the estimated cost of $1,000 per home.

The Housing Rehabilitation Program is requesting $262,000 from the Housing Preservation Grant Program to provide grant support for the rehabilitation of at least 10 homes over the next two (2) years.  Should the full amount of requested funding not be awarded, the program would still be able to assist a reduced number of homeowners.

                               

Proposed Use

# Units

Unit Cost

Total

Construction Costs

 

 

 $      240,000.00

Construction/Rehabilitation

10

 $        24,000.00

 $      240,000.00

       

Delivery Costs

 

 $          1,000.00

 $        10,000.00

Lead inspection

               10

 $              661.25

 $          6,612.50

Radon Testing

               10

 $              250.00

 $          2,500.00

Lien Recording

               10

 $                88.75

 $             887.50
       
       

Administration

 

 

 $         12,000.00

5% Administration

                LS

 

 $         12,000.00  

       

Construction

  

 $      240,000.00

 

Delivery Costs

  

 $        10,000.00

 

Administration @ 5% Grant

 

 $        12,000.00

 

TOTAL PROJECT COST REQUEST

 $     262,000.00

   

 

 

 
         

 

x.                   Indirect cost rate

The Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program sources funding from state, federal, and local governments. The indirect costs are distributed proportionally across those programs. Please click here to view the Greene County cost allocation policy: /resources/38668

xi.                 Accounting system

The Housing Rehabilitation Program uses IDIS and QuickBooks to track and administer grant funding.

xii.               Program evaluation

The Housing Rehabilitation Program tracks all assistance distributed to homeowners to ensure that it meets the goal of general service to the Greene County region and serves low to moderate income individuals. The Program will prepare quarterly reports to Rural Development in compliance with 7 CFR 1944.689. These reports will include aggregated demographic and income information to show that program funds are being used to meet Housing Preservation Grant program goals.

xiii.              Source and amount of other funding

The Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program is supported through several funding streams including the PHARE program and the HOME program. Please find those funding sources and amounts listed below:

·         HOME: $750,000.00

·         PHARE: $800,000

xiv.              Use and tracking of program income

There will not be any program income resulting from these grant funds.

xv.                Disposition of any security instruments

The Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program will not hold any security instruments as a result of activities related to this grant.

xvi.              Other information

The Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program is open to both low-income and moderate-income homeowners. The funds requested through the Housing Preservation Grant will only serve very low- and low- income homeowners in Greene County.

xvii.            Outreach efforts

The Greene County Housing Rehabilitation Program engages in outreach to the local community through the Greene County webpage, contact with local leaders, and  general advertising. The program participants are expected to reflect the Greene County population breakdown. The Housing Rehabilitation Program will maintain records as required by the Housing Preservation Grant.