From The Telegraph.
ALTON — City officials have announced it has resumed Home Rehabilitation Program activity, which had been on hiatus due the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program provides up to $10,000 as a forgivable grant for home repairs to address structural deficiencies, handicap accessibility and life safety issues.
Justine Peterson Housing Corporation (JP) is the third-party program administrator and handles all application intake, reviews and processing on behalf of the city. Applicants must apply directly to Justine Petersen. For more details, contact the Alton Department of Planning & Development.
To address the program’s backlog, the city is not now accepting new applications. Greg Caffey, Director of Planning and Development for Alton, said the city hopes to start accepting applicants by summer.
“It all depends on how quickly we can go through the backlog of applications,” Caffey said. “Those will all require scopes of work developed and will have to be pit out for bid.”
Further announcements will be forthcoming when new applications are being accepted.
While not accepting new applications for the Home Rehabilitation Program, the city continues to accept applications for its HOMEownership Program.
The HOMEownership Program provides approved applicants with a $3,000 forgivable grant for down payment and closing cost assistance when purchasing a home within Alton. Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact a local mortgage lender to apply.
Income eligibility guidelines apply to each respective program.
To date, Alton has assisted 30 low to moderate income homeowners with home repairs totaling $263,000. Since 2013, the HOMEownership program has assisted 189 home buyers, totaling $567,000 in assistance for home purchases within Alton.
“The purpose of these programs is to stabilize neighborhoods and encourage home ownership within the city of Alton,” said Mayor Brant Walker. “Both programs have proven to be a successful part of the city’s strategy to revitalize our neighborhoods and encourage investment.”
For more information about both programs, contact Caffey at 618-463-3801.