Cities offer bridge to county’s home repair programs – Sun Sentinel

A rare bit of good news on the home maintenance front, courtesy of Broward's Housing Finance and Community Redevelopment Division: It's home repair programs are back again.

The programs are open to residents in participating Community Development Block Grant cities including Oakland Park, which are helping to bring awareness to the programs' return.

The main program offers a 10-year deferred payment loan of up to $40,000 per eligible homeowner that can be used for everything from upgrading air conditioning to storm shutters.

Broward County offered the program two years ago. However, last year there was no funding. But now the program is back.

Of an initial pool of $2.2 million, said Sue Fejes, assistant director of the Housing Finance and Community Redevelopment Division, about $800,000 has been awarded, which doesn't go as far as it seems.

"The average roof can run $20,000, depending on whether it is tile or not," Fejes said.

The money can be used to cover roof repair or replacement, hurricane storm shutters, window and door replacement, and even insulation.

Meanwhile, a separate program offers a maximum $4,500 grant for water and sewer pipe repairs including installing a new line from the house to the street; cleaning existing drain lines and deactivating septic tanks.

Contractors are pre-selected and pre-approved and, with the exception of Pompano and Deerfield Beach residents, which offer city programs, any homeowner in Broward County with income below $40,600 for a family of one - and $67,300 per year for a family of six - is eligible.

For information about Broward County's Home Repair Program, call 954-357-4900.

eroberts@tronc.com

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Cities offer bridge to county's home repair programs - Sun Sentinel