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Building & Construction
A win-win solution for low-income homeowners, municipalities By DANI MESSICK | The Municipal
“Chances are that there’s someone working with HUD (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development) from wherever you’re looking to have these, because HUD provides funding nationwide,” said Aurora Housing and Community Development Manager Alicia Montoya encouragingly about the Colorado city’s newest homeowner repair program.
A U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development partnership helps the city of Aurora, Colo., repair the homes of elderly, low-income homeowners. Through one of the partnership’s programs, a Paint-A-Thon brings thousands of volunteers from across the state to paint the residences of hundreds of senior and disabled residents each year.
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Aurora has three HUD programs in place and the city created a new one in January, the Minor Home Repair Program. Through it, $160,000 was approved to be administered by Brothers Redevelopment Inc. to address repairs related to accessibility, electrical, plumbing, roofing and HVAC for low-income homeowners with disabilities or physical limitations. “Home repair is just a need that we all have,” Montoya said. “It’s important to us because we want to be sure that we maintain homes safe for the people who live in them. It helps us create stability and we want people to be able to live long-term in their homes. We want to be able to create that stability in their home.” The city’s four housing rehabilitation programs include an emergency repair program, also managed by Brothers; the minor home repair grant, which covers up to $15,000; a separate minor home repair loan, which offers a loan of up to $45,000;
