Grant Opportunity for home owners to assist with repair or rehabilitation up to $50,000.
Good morning, Rock Rapids and Lyon County residents:
This grant opportunity for home owners to help assist with repair or rehabilitation of your home up to $50,000.  Please review to see if  the stipulations are suitable for your need. Thanks
https://www.iowagrants.gov/viewStorefrontOpportunity.do?OIDString=1720728254477|Opportunity
Program Overview
The Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance Program will provide financial assistance to eligible homeowners affected by recent natural disasters, helping them to expediate repairs to their homes.
Eligible homes must be located in a county approved for federal Individual Assistance following the three presidentially declared natural disasters this spring and summer. These counties currently include Adair, Adams, Buena Vista, Cedar, Cherokee, Clarke, Clay, Emmet, Harrison, Jasper, Lyon, Mills, Montgomery, O’Brien, Plymouth, Polk, Pottawattamie, Ringgold, Shelby, Sioux, Union and Woodbury.
*Additional counties may be added. A list of counties, including those approved for FEMA Individual Assistance, as required for this program, is available at disasterassistance.gov.
Application Window
• Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until funds have been exhausted.
• Applications will be reviewed and approved on a first submitted, first ready to proceed basis.
• Incomplete application submissions may be offered a reasonable timeframe to cure those deficiencies.
Eligible Assistance
• Maximum award $50,000 for repair or rehabilitation of the eligible disaster-affected home
• Assistance provided in the form of a forgivable loan, forgiven monthly over five years and secured by a recorded retention agreement. If the homeowner sells the home or the home ceases to be the homeowner’s primary residence before the end of the five-year retention period, the homeowner will be required to repay the remaining loan balance upon the sale of their home.
Eligible Applicants
• Eligible homeowners who have unmet housing recovery needs that fall beyond the scope of insurance coverage and/or FEMA Individual Assistance must meet all the following requirements:
o The disaster-affected home must have been the applicant’s primary, owner-occupied residence as of the date of the disaster and be located in a county declared eligible for FEMA Individual Assistance.
o If the homeowner had insurance coverage covering disaster damage, the homeowner must have filed a claim with their insurance company and received final approval or denial of that claim.
o The homeowner must have registered with FEMA and been awarded some form of FEMA Housing Assistance, which may include assistance for home repairs or temporary housing.
o The homeowner’s disaster-affected home must have sustained damage greater than the damage that is covered by insurance plus any other state or federal disaster-related financial assistance the homeowner is eligible to receive.
o The disaster-affected home must be deemed suitable for rehabilitation by the local program administrator.
o The disaster-affected home is not eligible for buyout or the homeowner is requesting a forgivable loan for repair or rehabilitation in lieu of a buyout.
o The homeowner must be in good standing with the Iowa Department of Revenue.
IOWA FINANCE AUTHORITY
o Assistance under the program must not duplicate benefits provided by any local, state, or federal disaster recovery assistance program.
Eligible Homes
• Single-family home
• Condominium unit
• Manufactured homes permanently affixed to real property and taxed as real estate
o Proof of flood impact (such as photos) are required
Ineligible Homes
• Homes located within the 100-year floodplain are not eligible for the program.
Eligible Repairs
• Eligible repairs will be limited to those determined reasonable and necessary by the local program administrator to return the home to its pre-disaster condition.
• Assistance provided under the program must be in compliance with all applicable local and state rules and ordinances, including but not limited to, those relating to building codes, zoning, flood plain ordinances, lead-safe renovators and work practices, and asbestos inspection and removal.
Ineligible Repairs
• Repairs to outbuildings, detached garages, boat docks, shoreline restoration, landscaping, repair or replacement of household appliances, clean-up expenses, repairs to a home business or business located on the same site, remodeling to enhance the home’s pre-disaster features, expansion or addition of a deck or porch beyond the pre-disaster footprint other than to enhance mobility accessibility, purchase of personal items or furniture.
Required Documentation
• Copy of driver’s license or other legal form of identification
• Insurance settlement information, if applicable
• FEMA Housing Assistance approval letter
• If seeking reimbursement for eligible expenses, required documentation includes receipts for the purchase of materials, paid invoices from hired contractors who are registered to work in the State of Iowa, and other documentation deemed acceptable by IFA. IFA may verify the accuracy of the submitted paid invoice through verification from the contractor.
Award Process
• Applications will be reviewed for eligibility, duplication of benefits, and if deemed preliminarily eligible, will be referred to a local administrative partner who will be the homeowner’s point of contact for inspections, feasibility for repair determination, scope of work and payment of eligible expenses.
Payment Process
• Assistance may be paid directly to contractors completing the repair or rehabilitation work or to the homeowner as reimbursement for eligible costs incurred.
Contact
For questions, please email disaster@iowaeda.com.
