Here Are Some More Things That Could Be Helpful For You!
Housing costs can be high throughout the United States. This makes it hard to afford a home if you have a low income or if you have a sudden financial crisis.
For example, losing your job may cause you to suddenly be unable to buy or rent a home of your own. Or, you may already be a homeowner, but you are faced with losing your home.
Fortunately, many grant programs can help you. Some of these grant programs are given out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), a federal housing agency. You can also find other housing grant programs that are not given out by HUD. Grant money is often given out for specific purposes or to help specific groups of residents.
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View Guide NowYou may meet the requirements for one or more of these programs if you are a member of one of those groups. Some of these groups include Native Americans, veterans and homeless citizens. Some of the top housing grant options are listed below.
Learn About Housing Grants for Homeowners
If you already own your own home but you can just barely pay your bills each month, then it is very difficult to afford home repairs. However, some federal grant programs can help you cover some or all of those costs.
One of these programs is the Home Investment Partnership program run by HUD. It is more commonly known as HOME. The program can give you money for home repairs if you meet the requirements. One of these requirements is that the repairs cannot increase the value of your home by a certain amount. Also, the home you repair must be your primary residence.
State agencies and nonprofit organizations give HOME grants. Grant funds through HOME are typically offered by state agencies, but they may be distributed by nonprofit organizations in your local area.
Another federal grant program for homeowners is the Section 504 Home Repair Program. This program is administered by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Section 504 helps you with home repairs and making your home safe and healthy. The program gives people both loans and grants. You must meet the program’s requirements to get help. Here are some of the requirements:
- You must be at least 62 years old
- You must have a household income that is less than half of the average income for other households in your area.
- You must show that you can pay back the loan.
- You must prove you cannot get credit from somewhere else.
Learn About General Housing Grants for Homeless Individuals
If you are homeless, you may be able to get different kinds of grant assistance. One HUD program that may help you is the Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) program. The federal governments gives money to state-run ESG programs. The ESG programs come up with different ways to help local homeless people. One of these is called rapid re-housing assistance. It can help you and your family find emergency housing. You can contact the housing agency in your state to find out more about local ESG programs.
The Continuum of Care Program (CoC) is another program like the ESG program. It also gives grant money to nonprofits and local governments. These nonprofits and local governments use the money to create programs that help the homeless. TheCoC also offers ongoing care services to help your family recover from your time of homelessness. For example, you will get resources and guidance to help you manage your money and become self-sufficient.
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Learn About Housing Grants for Native Americans
If you are a Native American, you can apply for housing grants made for Native Americans. For example, the Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Program gives grant funds to tribal housing agencies. Then, the tribal housing agencies can use the grant money to give you affordable housing. You can contact your tribal housing agency to learn more about housing assistance.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) also operates a housing grant program for Native Americans. It is called the BIA Housing Improvement Program (HIP). You must already be a homeowner to get a grant from HIP. Your home must also need repairs. Here are some of the other requirements for the BIA:
- You must live in a tribal service area approved by the BIA.
- Your income must be below a certain amount.
- You are not receiving other housing assistance.
Learn About Housing Grants for Disabled Veterans
If you are a disabled veteran, you may be able to get grant assistance from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. These grants include the Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) Grant and the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) Grant. An SHA or SAH grant gives you money that you can use for some of these things:
- Building an adapted home on land you own.
- Buying land and building an adapted home on it.
- Remodeling a home you already own.
- Paying the mortgage on an adapted home you bought before getting the grant.
- Buying an adapted home.
Another type of VA grant you can apply for is a Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA) Grant. You can use TRA grant money to help you live comfortably in the home of a family member. TRA grants let you adapt your family member’s home for a limited amount of time. You must meet the requirements for SHA or SAH grants in order to receive a TRA grant.