(PRESS RELEASE) – Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission (NOCAC) will be providing a Housing workshop on home repair and home purchase Tuesday March 19th @ 6pm located at the Wauseon Public Library 117 Elm St. Wauseon.
Please register for this event by contacting NOCAC’s Financial Coach, Amy McMaster at 419-990-5136 x 3122 or amcmaster@nocac.org.
A panel of 5 speakers will share information on the following programs: NOCAC Weatherization, Maumee Valley Planning-CHIP Program, USDA home loan and home repair loan, Premier bank Mortgage Loan Officer and NOCAC’s Financial Coaching Program.
All of these programs cover the five county areas of Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, and Williams Counties. We encourage anyone from those counties to attend this event.
Amy McMaster, NOCAC Financial Opportunity Center (FOC) Financial Coach explains “most people aren’t aware there are free programs to help them purchase their home or repair it.”
“This workshop brings all of these agencies into one location so the public can learn more and have their questions answered by the experts.”
“There are so many families on a fixed income, including our elderly, who are not in safe housing. NOCAC wants to make sure families are aware of programs that could make their home more energy efficient. NOCAC looks forward to bringing awareness to the community.”
Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission (NOCAC) is a private, non-profit corporation that was created in 1965 to combat poverty in our six-county service area. NOCAC’s mission is to combat conditions related to poverty in Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Van Wert and Williams Counties.
NOCAC envisions a culture that supports opportunities for all people to thrive; build strong, resilient neighborhoods, and ensure a more equitable community.
McMaster went on to say “there are so many people who have the dream of owning their own home and do not know where to start. This housing workshop explains the process and links them to agencies that can assist them.”
“Most families need a credit score of 640 to purchase a home in Northwest Ohio. There are programs to help families reach this credit score and reduce the debt that could disqualify them from a mortgage loan.”
“In addition, they can learn more about down payment assistance programs such as the $20,000 Welcome Home Grant that provides a onetime down payment assistance if you purchase a home in March.
Attendees will walk away with information and resources to make their home ownership dream come true.”
NOCAC’s Weatherization Program provides energy related home repairs and other modifications to make the homes safe, comfortable and energy efficient while reducing the heating and cooling cost paid by low-income consumers.
Weatherization crews and technicians use diagnostic technologies to determine the most cost-effective measures to use for each home.
Health and Safety issues such as furnace and water heater replacement are also assessed; however, funding for this is limited, and if the unit is a rental the landlord is recommended to contribute to the repair cost.
To be eligible for this program, a person may not make over 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. To schedule an appointment with your local NOCAC Outreach office please call 1-419-219-4641 or visit the NOCAC website at www.nocac.org, if you need more information contact Brandy at 419-784-5393 ext. 3110.
Maumee Valley Planning Organization oversees the Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) Program which provides home repairs/rehabilitations and often partners with other agencies.
The CHIP Program provides funding to address housing-related activities including the full rehabilitation of the property.
The goal is to bring the entire home into conformance with state codes (Ohio RRS) while addressing health and safety concerns.
The improvements will include correction of structural issues, heating, electrical, plumbing, lead paint hazards, accessibility, roof/gutters and water/sewer issues. To learn more, contact Dottie Stratton at 419-784-3882 or visit https://www.mvpo.org/housing.
The USDA Rural Development’s Section 502 Direct Loan Program provides a path to homeownership for low and very-low-income families.
No down payment is typically required and there is no private mortgage insurance involved with low interest home loans.
This provides an opportunity for families who do not have the funds for a down payment. In addition, the USDA Program has a Single-Family Housing Repair Loan and Grant.
The Housing Repair Grant known as Section 504 Home Repair Program provides up to $10,000 grant to anyone who is age 62 or older.
Their income must be below 50% of the area median income, own the home and reside there, and unable to afford credit elsewhere. Grants must be repaid if the property is sold in less than three years.
The loan or grant must be used to repair, improve, or modernize their home to remove health and safety hazards.
Individuals can also apply for a $40,000 low interest loan for home repairs with no age requirement. USDA Section 504 Home Repair Loans can be repaid over a 20-year term with a fixed 1% interest rate.
For more information contact Melodye Massey at melodye.massey@oh.usda.gov or 419-581-4507.
Premier Bank is dedicated to helping individuals in our community achieve home ownership and financial success. Although the home loan process can seem overwhelming, we have experts available to make sure you understand every step and help you along the way.
We realize every individual has different needs and have many different mortgage programs tailored to meet the needs of our community.
We are here to help clients long after the home buying process and strive to help you meet any long-term goals as well. For more information contact Brittany Stewart at 419-335-1741 or bstewart@yourpremierbank.com
As a result of NOCAC’s mission, the Financial Opportunity Center was created to help under-resourced individuals and families achieve their goals.
NOCAC’s Financial Opportunity Center provides free financial coaching to assist community members to become mortgage ready, purchase vehicles, improve credit, reduce debt, and get access to money saving resources. A better tomorrow starts here at the FOC.
Please reach out to the FOC if you would like to learn more by contacting 419-990-5136 foc@nocac.org or visiting our website at www.nocac.org.
