Funded projects generally provide financial assistance to very low-income persons for bringing their dwellings up to local code standards through an HPG grant combined with other Federal funding, such as HUD's community development block grants or HHS's weatherization program.
Other variations funded includes using HPG funds to establish a revolving loan fund that provides homeowners a long term, interest subsidized loan; "lending homeowners the money and "forgiving" 20 percent per year until the loan becomes a grant after five years; using the grantee's own employees to perform the rehabilitation work to reduce the costs; and, in a few instances, leveraging State resources for repair loans or grants.
In most cases, grantees that are currently active in home repair and rehabilitation were selected and were able to leverage their existing programs with the new HPG funds.
Established in 1862, the Department of Agriculture serves all Americans through anti-hunger efforts, stewardship of nearly 200 million acres of national forest and rangelands, and through product safety and conservation efforts. The USDA opens markets for American farmers and ranchers and provides food for needy people around the world.
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Uses and Use Restrictions
Organizations may use less than 20 percent of the Housing Preservation Grant funds for program administration purposes, such as to hire the personnel to carry out a project of housing rehabilitation to meet the needs of very low and low- income persons in rural areas; to pay necessary and reasonable office and administrative expenses; and to pay reasonable fees for training of organization personnel.
Eighty percent or more of funds must be used for loans, grants or other assistance on individual homes, homeowners, rental properties or co-ops to pay any part of the cost for repair or rehabilitation of structures; funds may not be used to hire personnel to perform construction or to pay any debts, expenses or costs other than previously outlined and approved in the project application.