OGDEN -- The Weber County Housing Authority is looking for eight first-time home buyers who can use $5,000 to assist in their purchase.
The grant enables low- to moderate- income individuals to become homeowners in Weber County, everywhere but Ogden, which has had its own program for more than a decade.
"There has been a need for this service in the county for years," said Landon Halverson, executive director of the Weber County Housing Authority. The grant gives homeownership opportunities to individuals who may not be able to fulfill their dreams because of income limitations.
"I would like to think I have the best job in the world," Halverson said. "I get to make people very, very happy."
Funding for the program comes from a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant awarded in July by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Participants will be helping the Weber County Housing Authority ensure its eligibility for block grant funding in 2011, Halverson said.
The money is meant for people who have not owned a home in three years or who are displaced home buyers, such as divorced individuals, attempting to buy a home on their own.
To qualify for the grant, applicants must be within Housing and Urban Development-established income guidelines based on family size; the home must be in Weber County, but not within Ogden city limits; the purchase price must not be more than $180,000; and buyers must use $2,000 of their own money.
The $5,000 can be used for principal reduction.
By providing this money, Weber County hopes to foster neighborhood stabilization. Home buyers cannot displace a renter or apply the loan toward new construction.
Halverson said residents outside of Ogden have been requesting such a program for a long time, and now with the block grant money, home buyers will have more help going through the process.
"People get so excited about it," Halverson said.
"It's fun to see that look on their faces, to know you helped them fulfill a dream."
To apply for the grant, call Halverson at 801-399-8692 or e-mail him at lhalverson@co.weber.ut.us to obtain program requirements and applications.
Comments