ATLANTA — A program to help homeowners with repairs is picking back up after it was put on hold during the pandemic.
Invest Atlanta is reigniting the Atlanta Heritage Owner Occupied Rehab program. It first started in 2018, but the pandemic put a pause on the program before it fired back up this week. Back then, more than 700 residents signed up for repairs within a six-week period.
The organization, in partnership with the City of Atlanta Department of City Planning and Community Development, will use a pool of $24 million to offer applicants up to $30,000 each for home repairs. The money is utilized through the 2021 Housing Opportunity Fund. Roof repairs, minor plumbing and electrical work, disability access and improvements, siding, painting and other projects are included in eligible repair work.
'Anti-displacement program'
Legacy residents are known as those who have lived in the same community for a long time. Anita Allgood, vice president of single-family and home ownership services with economic development organization Invest Atlanta, credited legacy residents with building the city.
She said preserving the fabric of that community gets more difficult each day with rising costs and hungry investors on the move to take over some neighborhoods.
"This program is essentially an anti-displacement program," Allgood said. "We know in many cases, long-term residents are being pushed out of their communities simply by very aggressive investors willing to offer them funds for their home."
The criteria
Anyone interested in applying must live in Atlanta. They must also be a primary homeowner and must have lived in their home for five years. The annual household income must be 60 percent or less of the area median income. That equates to about $58,000 for a family of four, according to Invest Atlanta. Priority will go to seniors, veterans, those with disabilities and people who have lived in their homes for 15 years.
"If they sell that home during the term of the loan, then we'll recoup whatever the balance is, whatever amount has not yet been forgiven, we'll recoup those funds from the proceeds of the sale," Allgood said. "So no money will come out of the homeowner's pocket."
Allgood said a certain percentage of the loan will be forgiven every year. Six managers will oversee the process, which includes reviewing applications to creating a budget for repairs to construction to inspecting the final product.
“This is not an HGTV free-for-all, get everything you want just because you want it," Allgood said. "We really want to focus on health and safety repairs. We want to focus on the systems of a home because that’s what’s going to impact the longevity of a home."
Application process and drop-off locations
Keeping those homes standing and the legacy residents living in them lies at the heart of the program. The city will accept applications through Friday, Sept. 22. One can fill out the applications online here. Applicants can also drop off their forms from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the following locations throughout the city of Atlanta:
• Bessie Branham Recreation Center – 2051 Delano Drive NE
• CT Martin Recreational Center – 3201 MLK Jr Drive
• Dunbar Recreation Center – 477 Windsor Street SW
• Grove Park Recreation Center – 750 Frances Place NW
• MLK Recreation Center – 110 Hilliard Street SE
• Peachtree Hills Recreation Center – 308 Peachtree Hills Ave. NE
• Rosel Fann Recreation Center – 365 Cleveland Ave. SE