New criteria for HOME program?

Funding for HOME grant projects in the "downtown" area of the Driftwood Borough may be mitigated by a lack of participation by those living within the borough.

HOME is a housing and rehabilitation program for homeowners that helps them to receive general renovations.

According to Industrial Development Authority (IDA) Executive Director Cliff Clark, only three applications have been submitted. In order to meet the state's Targeting, Leverage and Impact criteria, 11 or 12 applications must be received.

The Borough of Driftwood, a designated low to moderate income (LMI) area, has been targeted for improvement.

"Everyone in the state is having difficulty meeting this criteria," says Clark. "It's very anti-rural."

Clark said that he asked the grant manger in Harrisburg about expanding the limitations of eligible applicants beyond the "downtown" area to include the entire Driftwood Borough but was shot down. He said that the commissioners may need to get approval utilizing some other criteria such as another concentrated LMI area or another demographic such as elderly citizens within a certain income range.

Anyone that doesn't live in that area is able to apply but will have their name placed on a waiting list with no guarantee of becoming an eligible applicant. Currently, funding will transpire through 2009.

Any applicant that is preliminarily deemed by Clark as being eligible will also have to undergo a general inspection. During that inspection Cliff, the homeowner and a representative from Solveson Contracting, the county's housing inspection authority, will go through the house and look for potential safety hazards, areas that require improvement, etc.

Only necessity areas such as windows, siding, roofs and doors will be checked during the inspection. Nothing that would be considered a luxury item such as a swimming poo or an addition will be factored into the evaluation of needed items.

If the home was built before 1978 a lead inspection will also be conducted to determine i lead paint was used at all. Pain on the interior and exterior o the building will be tested a well as the surrounding soil fo the presence of lead and lead based paint.

For more information abou the HOME program, contac Cliff Clark at 486-3439.