Housing Development Programs

Housing Development Program

The main purpose of the Housing Development Program is to assist low-income people in their efforts to have safe, comfortable, and affordable housing.

The agency works in partnership with the State and community sources of information to assess the nine county Green Hills Area's greatest needs. Typically, sources of information may include census data, area or community surveys, and statistical information collected by schools and other service agencies.

Data is used as an indicator and may dictate the best place to construct a home. Market needs, funding sources, site availability, and construction demands determine the ultimate outcome of new home projects.

Assistance to individuals may simply include consultations enabling them to secure the best home at an affordable cost; or it may involve the agency becoming the building/homeowner providing an affordable rental home to persons in need of housing.

Funding for homes and apartments consists of grants, loans, and investments secured from the Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) and other sources as available.

Current projects funded and under development or those completed provide housing for 62 families. Housing consists of 36 apartments and 26 single-family homes.

Weatherization

The main purpose of the Weatherization Program is to save energy. This is done by savings of heating costs in the summer. To do this, two main areas are considered:

1.) What will it take to make the home easier to heat and cool?

2.) Is the heating system working in a safe and efficient manner?

All clients must fill our an application available at one of our nine GHCAA Service Centers. After applications are received in the Central Office, they are placed in order by co9unty through a point system. Points are awarded for handicapped, elderly, low-income, amount of months waiting, type and amount of fuel used, and size of the family. The applications with the most points get served first.

After the selection is made, an inspection of the home is done. The home is then checked for the following:

• Insulation

• Doors & Windows

• Foundation Condition

• Height & Width of Walls & Attic

• Overall Condition of Structure

This information is then placed in the computer and a printout made to show the most cost effective measures for home weatherization.

Before any weatherization work can begin, testing of the heating system must be done. The tests performed are to make sure the heating system is working in asafe and efficient manner. If problems are discovered during the tests, a furnace contractor will repair or in some cases replace the heating system.

After completion of all work, a final inspection of the home is made to verify all work has been completed and has been done in a professional manner. The home is then reported to the State as complete.

It is estimated by the Department of Energy that a savings of 14% annually is realized after the weatherization of a home. Missouri, which imports 83% of it's fossil fuels, conserves more than 450,000 barrels of oil annually as a result of it's weatherization efforts.

GHCAA has weatherized over 4,800 homes in the nine county area.

Home Repair Program

The goal of the Home Repair Program is to help preserve some of our older housing stock. The program also assists families to remain in their homes for a greater number of years.

Funding is provided through a competitive grant process from Missouri Housing Trust Fund / Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC).

Applications are taken through the GHCAA County Service Center for the area in which the grant is awarded. All applicants must own their own home and be at or below 50% of the median income (this falls under the very low-income guidelines). Qualified applicants are served by the date of the application.

After the selection is made, the home is inspected. Items checked are porches, water and sewer, and any item that prevents the home from being decent, safe, and sanitary.

After work is completed, a final inspection is made on the home. The inspector checks for quality of work on the rehabilitation. The home can then be reported to the funding source as completed.