HUD's
Office of Affordable Housing Programs administers three separate
programs designed to make safe, quality housing available to low-
and moderate-income households. While HUD does not make direct grants
to tenants, homebuyers, or homeowners, affordable housing funds
are provided to states, units of local government and nonprofit
organizations. Click on any of the following links for information
about how to receive affordable housing assistance from HUD in your
community.
The
HOME Program helps to expand
the supply of decent, affordable housing for low and very low- income
families by providing grants to States and local governments called
participating jurisdictions or "PJs". PJs use their HOME
grants to fund housing programs which meet local needs and priorities.
To find out about how to apply for HOME assistance in your community,
contact the designated
office nearest your community.
SHOP
provides funds for non-profit organizations to purchase home sites
and develop or improve the infrastructure needed to set the stage
for sweat equity and volunteer-based homeownership programs for
low-income families. National and regional nonprofit organizations
or consortia with experience in using volunteer labor to build housing
may apply. Follow these links for information about current SHOP
grantees: Habitat for Humanity; Housing
Assistance Council; ACORN
Housing Corporation; and Northwest
Regional Facilitators.
The
Homeownership Zone program
allows communities to reclaim vacant and blighted properties, increase
homeownership, and promote economic revitalization by creating entire
neighborhoods of new, single-family homes, called Homeownership
Zones. Communities that apply for HOZ funds are encouraged to use
New Urbanist design principals by providing for a pedestrian-friendly
environment, a mix of incomes and compatible uses, defined neighborhood
boundaries and access to jobs and mass transit. There have been
two competitive funding rounds, one in federal fiscal year 1996
(FY 96) and one in federal fiscal year 1997 (FY 97). No further
funding has yet been made available for this program.
HUD
also provides general homebuyer assistance for first-time
homebuyers, including housing counseling.
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