Pitt County Government

Pitt County Community Development Program

Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation

Pitt County Community Development, a division of the Planning Department, offers programs that rebuild and repair homes for lower-income citizens. Each of these programs has a specified maximum funding level per home and certain qualification requirements for the homeowners (see below). Although the County offers some rehabilitation projects to private contractors through a competitive bid process much of the work is performed by volunteers provided through Grifton Mission Ministries in conjunction with the NC Baptist Men. This partnership enables the county to stretch funds farther and treat additional homes.

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Helping Citizens Rebuild & Restore Their Homes

We have served 96 houses (2001-2008) with $2,240,147 of grant monies spent on Rehabilitation or Replacement Activities. This equals an average of $29,654 per house and equals an average of $606,592 saved by volunteer hours of the Baptist Men.

Pitt County’s Community Development Program May Be Able To Help With Repairs To Your Home…

If you are a Pitt County Homeowner;
If you live outside the City Limits of Greenville;
If you are very-low to low-income;
If you are a single-parent;
If you have a large family;
If you are elderly;
If you are handicapped;or
If you are a household with a child with an elevated blood lead level at/or above 10mg/dl;
And need repairs to your home.

Eligibility Process

Step 1. Submit General Information to be placed on waiting list with Pitt County by June 30th of each year.

Attend mandatory Information Session, usually in August of each year.

Step 2. Return Application with Required Documents.

Step 3. Assessment of documents and house by staff.

Step 4. Determination of Eligibility.

Four Grant Programs Offered

The Community Development Program offers four different grants that help rehabilitate or replace houses.

HOME – This program is utilized to repair or replace houses. The program offers up to $45,000 for repairs or up to $65,000 for replacements. There are strict guidelines and requirements, including the placement of a lien on the improved home for eight years. This grant is offered every year.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) – This grant also offers the same funding limitations and follows the same strict guidelines as the HOME grant. However, this grant is only offered every three years.
NC Housing Finance- Single Family Rehabilitation (SFR) This grant is available for Senior Citizens (age 62+). This grant also offers the same funding limitations and follows the same strict guidelines as the HOME grant. However, this grant is only offered every three years.
NC Housing Finance – Urgent Repair Program (URP) This grant offers specific urgent repairs to life and health-threatening concerns. However, this grant is only offered every year.

HOME – available every year


Before	After

This program can be used to perform major repairs, home replacements, or structural rehabilitations. The maximum grant allotted is $30,000. There are some strict guidelines that must be followed with this program. For instance, a deed of trust or promissory note must be secured. In other words, there will be a lien on you home for eight years following the completion of the work.

Down Payment Assistance Program

The HOME Down payment Assistance Program is designed to assist potential low income, first-time home buyers with down payment assistance to purchase a home in Pitt County. A no interest forgivable loan of up to $2,500 may be available to qualified borrowers meeting program guidelines. Assistance will be in the form of a secured no interest loan, forgiven by 1/5 of the original principal balance on an annual basis for the 5-year recapture period. This program is funded with Pitt County HOME Consortium funds.

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Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

available every three years


Before	After

The CDBG program can be used to perform major repairs, home replacements, or structural rehabilitations. In most cases, the maximum grant allotted is $30,000, unless the state authorizes more for a substantial rehabilitation project. There are some strict guidelines involved with this program as well. A deed of trust or promissory note must be secured in order to move forward with the work. In other words, there will be a lien on you home for eight years following the completion of the work.

NC Housing Finance - Single Family Rehabilitation (SFR)

available every three years

This grant is available for Senior Citizens (age 62+). This grant also offers the same funding limitations and follows the same strict guidelines as the HOME grant. However, this grant is only offered every three years.

NC Housing Finance - Urgent Repair Program (URP)

available every other year

This is a small, entry level grant that is used for minor home repairs. Some examples of minor repairs are roofing, minor plumbing, or electrical repairs. The maximum amount of money allotted for materials is $3,500. There is no lien placed on your home.

USDA

available every year


Before	After

This program is designed solely for senior citizens, age 62 and over. This program covers both major and minor home repairs. The maximum amount of money allotted for materials is $7,500. There is no lien placed on your home.

USDA Rural Housing 504 Loan Program

Description - Repair Loans
The 504 Loan program assists eligible very low-income applicants who are owner/occupants of a modest single family home in a rural area to make repairs to their dwelling. Loan funds are available to improve or modernize a home, or remove health and safety hazards.

Loan Purposes:
Repair loans can be used to improve or modernize your house, remove health and safety hazards, or install convenience items.

Loan Terms
The maximum loan that an individual applicant may receive is $20,000 (at 1 percent interest rate) based on the applicant’s repayment ability and the cost to cover eligible repairs.

Who Is Eligible for a Loan?
To be eligible for a loan, you must:
Be within the very-low income limit for the county where your home is located.
Be the owner of a single family dwelling.
Be able to repay the loan.
Be unable to borrow the money from another lending source.
Have a decent credit history.

CONTRACTOR'S BID PACKETS

Area contractors are invited to place their company on our mailing list to receive regular mailings of our rehabilitation bid packets. All contractors must be registered. Request to be added to our mailing list by emailing us.

INFORMATION SESSION

This is a mandatory meeting that must be attended if you want to be considered for any of the offered programs. To be placed on the mailing list, you must call (252) 902-3280 or 902-3281. Once your name is on the waiting list, we will send you information regarding the time, date, and place of the next information session. This meeting usually occurs later in the summer and lasts between one and two hours. Two sessions will be held in an attempt to accommodate everyone. If you do not come, you will not be considered for any of the programs.

Required Information To Be Submitted With Application By September 1st sscard

Social Security Card & Drivers License
Proof of Income – this includes: Social Security benefits, disability, or pay stubs
Copy of your Deed – this shows ownership, a life estate is acceptable as well
Budget Analysis – we do this with you to see where you spend your money
Credit Report – we do this for you, but your approval is needed
Mortgage Information (if your home is mortgaged)

Guidelines

The guidelines for the HOME, CDBG, NC HFA – URP and SFR grants are strict, and the stipulations must be followed and adhered to. They are as follows:

Property must have one or more substandard conditions, while remaining suitable for rehabilitation. A property may be considered unsuitable for rehabilitation if it is dilapidated or deteriorated beyond feasible economic repair.
The applicant must have homeowner’s insurance prior to and during the life of the Deed of Trust.
The owner(s) must be current on all mortgages and taxes, and not have collections, liens, judgments, or judgments from IRS, State of NC, or Pitt County.
The lien placed on the home requires that the applicant must live in the home as a primary residence for at least eight to ten years. As long as the grantee adheres to the lien conditions, none of the grant monies have to be repaid. In the event of default on the Deed of Trust or sale of the home, a prorated amount of the grant must be repaid. Also, only low-income relatives may reside with the applicant.

What Constitutes Low Income?

FY 2008 Income Limit Category	HOME PROGRAM INCOME LEVELS
	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person	6 Person
Extremely Low (30%)	$10,850	$12,400	$13,950	$15,500	$16,750	$18,000
Very Low (50%)	$18,050	$20,650	$23,200	$25,800	$27,850	$29,950
Low (80%)	$28,900	$33,050	$37,150	$41,300	$44,600	$47,900

FY 2008 Income Limit Category	CDBG and NCHFA PROGRAM INCOME LEVELS
	1 Person	2 Person	3 Person	4 Person	5 Person	6 Person
Extremely Low (30%)	$10,850	$12,400	$13,950	$15,500	$16,750	$18,000
Very Low (50%)	$18,050	$20,650	$23,200	$25,800	$27,850	$29,950
Low (80%)

Grifton Mission Ministries

baptist men Out of a desire to help the community, a partnership was developed between Pitt County and the Grifton Mission Ministries, a division of NC Baptist Men, in 2003. Volunteers came from all over North Carolina and other parts of the United States to help residents of Pitt County with needed repairs to their homes. Check out their website:

http://www.ncmissions.org/Index.aspx

Pitt County Government