WACO, Texas — Multiple Central Texas cities are participating in the state's HOME investment partnership program, placing residents in newly constructed, free homes.
Through a partnership with the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, cities can receive state funding for the program with the hopes of expanding the supply of livable, affordable housing for low income individuals.
The allotted funds help to demolish substandard housing and build new homes on the same sites, easing the burden of a permanent move for families.
Karen Walker, home program manager for Langford Community Management Services, who works with cities and the State to secure the funding and oversee the builds, said "smaller" communities throughout the state can put in an application to offer the HOME Program and, if approved, can enter into a renewable three year contract with the State Department of Housing.
"It gives them access to a pool of money from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that is sent to the Texas Department of Housing and they distribute it based on the needs in the program," Walker said.
Walker said the money sits in a reservation-based pool and as long as there are funds available, people can be uploaded into their system to receive a free home.
Walker said the standard is a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home funded through the grant, but her agency also offers mobile home builds all paid for through that same grant funding pool.
"The most important thing for these folks is that they can show clear title to their property and if they're in a mobile home, they have to have a statement of ownership through the Texas Department of Housing," Walker said.
Walker said the program participants also have to be able to show they're in the low to moderate income range, sitting between the 30 percent and 80 percent bench marks of their area median family incomes.
Walker said their home also has to be in such poor shape that a full teardown would be warranted.
"They have to live within the city limits of the cities that are offering the home program," Walker said. "And the city has to be offering the home program in order for them to apply for it."
Cities offering the HOME Program throughout Central Texas include Belton.
Walker said all recipients have to do is move out of their home during the course of construction and find a place to store their items until the demolition and rebuild is complete.
The homes come with appliances, blinds and are ready to move into the day they're turned back over to the homeowner. The homeowners are even provided a one-year insurance policy on the newly built home.
"From the time someone puts in an application, we're not looking into construction for at least eight or nine months to a year," Walker said.
Walker said no lien is put on the new home. If it's a mobile home build, owners will enter into a memorandum of grant agreement which states that the homeowner will live in their home for 15 years. If they were to break that agreement and move out of the home, they would be on the hook for a pro-rated portion of construction costs.
"It's a fabulous program for those that are needing a fresh start, especially for elderly folks whose homes get into such poor conditions you wonder how people can actually live this way," Walker said.
The standard build is a three bedroom, two bathroom house but Walker said they've even accommodated four bedroom households based on family size.
"I encourage small cities to get on board with the program as it helps to clean up areas of the cities that need it and since we receive the funding it doesn't hurt taxpayers of the cities either," Walker said.
For more information, you can visit the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs website here.