City Offering Help for Local Fixer-Uppers

The Fountain Valley Housing and Community Development is offering grants up $25,000 to residents in the low- to moderate-income bracket for needed repairs to their homes. The Single-Family Home Grant, Rebate and Low Interest Loan and Green Rehabilitation Loan programs, and the Mobile Home Rehabilitation Grant and Rebate Programs are available to assist qualified applicants.

Rebecca Leifkes, housing technician in the planning department at Fountain Valley, said that the goal of the program is to keep the value of homes and neighborhoods in good standing. Applications for grants come to her, and after assets and income are verified, Leifkes will send a building inspector to make sure there are no health or code violations in the home.

Leifkes said 25 homes received grants in the last fiscal year, and that about eight more homes have since been approved for assistance.

Assistant planner Matt Jenkins helps allocate grants for mobile home owners who make less than what would be considered low-income. Jenkins said that most of the owners he assists own their homes outright or are close to paying off their homes. Grants can go up to $7,000 for home repairs on mobile homes and $9,500 for those needing new roofs.

The requirements for Green Rehabilitation grants have been expanded to include families with moderate incomes. The no-interest loans can cover many energy-saving resources, from dual pane windows and attic insulation to low-flow toilets and faucets to save water. Applicants for these loans, which can be up to $25,000, must fall under the low-income limit as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Leifkes said that most applicants are accepted in to the grant program. Leifkes said that the home improvements influence the rest of the neighborhood positively, catching on with other people in the area looking to improve their homes. Once one unit looks better, Leifkes said, other people get interested and apply for the grants as well. This raises the value of the neighborhood and improves both aesthetics and quality of life for residents.

The first quality Leifkes looks at in an applicant is the person or family's income and liquid assets. She said that the primary reason for grants being denied is that the applicant either makes or has too much money to qualify. The grants require credit in good standing, no bankruptcies within the past two years, and the owners cannot take on additional debt through accepting loans in the program.