Luzerne County highlights program for home buyers

Luzerne County’s Community Development Office assisted 15 families purchasing houses this year and helped more than 400 since 2005, office Director Andrew Reilly recently told county council.

Known as the Growing Homeowners Initiative, the program provides a match of up to $7,500 to help cover closing costs to purchase a residence in the county.

Eligible buyers must maintain a savings account for at least 90 days, work with a home ownership specialist and attend at least three homebuyer readiness workshops, according to information supplied by Reilly’s office.

To be eligible, buyers must reside in the county for at least a year and fall below income guidelines.

A single person making up to $51,850 per year is eligible. The maximum household income ranges from $59,300 for a family of two to $97,800 for a family of eight, said information prepared by the Housing Development Corporation, which administers the program for the county office.

Property closing cost assistance is secured by a second mortgage that is forgiven over a five-year period.

Information on applying is available by contacting the Housing Development Corporation at 570-824-4803 in Wilkes-Barre or 570-501-1030 in Hazleton.

Emergency repairs

Funding also is available for income-eligible homeowners for emergency repairs through the office’s Emergency Home Rehabilitation Program, Reilly said.

This program is intended to address building issues that create “unexpected and immediate danger to the health and well being of the occupants” and is “not intended to be a home rehabilitation program,” said a description provided by Reilly.

Examples of emergency situations are no heat or water, hazardous electrical conditions, lead-based paint hazards, accessibility issues or other inspector-identified factors that create an immediate threat to the occupants or could lead to severe deterioration of the residence, the county said.

The Commission on Economic Opportunity, or CEO, administers the program on the county’s behalf. Liens in the dollar amount of the repairs are placed on participating homes for five years, with 20% of the loan forgiven annually until the debt is cleared.

Applicants must own and occupy the residence and have a household income at or below 80% of the median income for the area under federal regulations. Property owners cannot have delinquent real estate taxes unless they are engaged in an approved payment plan with the county’s tax-claim office. Properties in flood zones require evidence of flood insurance.

This program does not apply to the structures in the county’s four cities — Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Pittston and Nanticoke — because the cities are eligible for their own funding, the information said.

Further details are available by contacting Reilly’s office at 570-824-7214 or visiting the office’s page at luzernecounty.org.

Guest speaker

County Manager Randy Robertson invited Reilly to speak during last week’s council meeting as part of his periodic department updates.

Reilly said his office must develop and oversee a consolidated plan fully covered by federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The plan is based on a needs assessment, market analysis and feedback from public officials, economic development agencies, local governments and community leaders, he said.

Plan priorities include affordable housing, economic development and services for low-income and homeless citizens, he said.

Reilly said his office has funded food bank services that reached 38,000 people this year and provided approximately $1 million since 2013 to help remove 50 blighted properties in county boroughs and townships.