The City of Bellefontaine is accepting applications for assistance through the City's Community Housing Improvement Program (CHIP).

The program can provide assistance to lower income homeowners for either complete housing rehabilitation or emergency home repair activities. Additionally, the program can provide down payment assistance to eligible applicants wishing to purchase their first home, with follow-up assistance to conduct repairs required by the CHIP Program.

The emergency home repair activity can provide grants of up to $8,000 to eligible homeowners to undertake repairs to correct emergency deficiencies. Emergency repair needs are those that involve the health and safety of the occupants such as faulty furnaces, leaking roof, water line breaks, electrical concerns, structural failure, etc.

The housing rehabilitation activity can provide assistance in the form of deferred, 80% forgiven loans of up to $35,000 to eligible homeowners to undertake comprehensive rehabilitation of their home. Eligible repair activities include siding, mechanical repairs, window replacement, roofing, bath and kitchen upgrades, and similar activities. Eighty percent of the deferred loan is forgiven provided the homeowner remains the owner-occupant of the home for ten years after rehabilitation. The final 20% of the loan would not be due until the home is sold.

The down payment assistance program provides down payment loans of up to $7,500 to first time homebuyers with follow-up rehabilitation assistance of up to $25,000, required to improve the property to the CHIP rehabilitation standards.

Eligibility is based on household income levels set individually for the various CHIP activities.

The program is funded with a $580,000 grant to the City of Bellefontaine from the Ohio Department of Development through the Community Development Block Grant Program. Program activities will continue through August of 2009.

To obtain additional information about the program or to request an application for assistance, Bellefontaine residents can contact Dale King at the Community Development Office at (937) 592-6807.