kh #292 11/05/08
COUNTY TO CONTINUE HOUSING REHAB PROGRAMS
TOMS RIVER – Ocean County officials will continue to help residents in need to keep up the maintenance on their homes
through its Housing Rehabilitation Program.
The Board of Freeholders today awarded a contract to Affordable Housing Administrators to administer the day-to-day
operations of the HOME Partnership and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs.
The Ocean County Planning Department administers a number of programs using federal funds through the US Department of
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to serve Ocean County residents.
“These housing rehabilitation programs enable us to reach out and offer a helping hand to our residents in Ocean
County,” said Freeholder Gerry P. Little, who serves as liaison to the Planning Department. “Without these funds, many of
our residents would run into problems in the future due to their homes not being up to date with building codes.”
“Through the HOME program, moderate as well as substantial rehabilitation is provided to owner-occupied low and
moderate-income households,” Little said.
The moderate rehabilitation program provides ten-year deferred loans from $1,000 to $24,999 to make the necessary
repairs/rehabilitations on homes, to improve them up to the standards of New Jersey as well as Ocean County.
The substantial rehabilitation program provides ten-year deferred loans from $25,000 to $50,000.
The average grant for repairs and rehabilitations under the HOME program is $30,385 per home.
“The county will allocate $490,000 in HOME funds to AHA for the administration of the HOME Rehabilitation Program
during the 2008 fiscal year,” said Freeholder Director Joseph H. Vicari. “Approximately 14 homes will be rehabilitated
with these funds.”
AHA will be compensated a total of $98,000 to administer the program for two years.
The CDBG program is an important source of federal funding for Ocean County’s community development services and is also
offered through deferred loans.
“The county will allocate $225,000 in fiscal year 2008 to AHA to administer the CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Program with
which about 15 homes will be rehabilitated,” Vicari noted.
AHA will be compensated $56,250 to administer the program.
The average grant for repairs and rehabilitations through CDBG has been $9,908 per home.
Under the HOME program, 181 homes have been rehabilitated since its inception in 1992 and the CDBG program has
rehabilitated 602 homes since its inception in 1984.
“Our overall goal is to expand the amount of decent, safe and affordable housing in Ocean County,” Vicari said.
