Georgia DCA awards $6.2 million in 16 community home investment grants

CHIP program funds home rehabilitations and new construction of single family homes

ATLANTA – June 1, 2016 – (RealEstateRama) — The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) has awarded more than $6.2 million in grants to 16 community entities across the state to build new single family homes and help homeowners rehabilitate their homes. Grant amounts range from $160,140 to $612,000. The awards were made through the 2016 Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP).

“We are pleased to announce these funding awards today. The CHIP program is an important tool that we have at DCA to work with local governments in their efforts to provide safe and affordable housing for their citizens,” said DCA Commissioner Camila Knowles. “These awards allow local governments to help folks like seniors on fixed incomes who cannot afford needed home repairs to have those repairs made and stay in their homes. Likewise, these funds can leverage local partnerships to make homeownership a reality for low- to moderate-income families who thought that may always be out of reach for them.”

CHIP provides funds to help local governments, nonprofit organizations, and public housing authorities provide affordable housing in their communities. Funds may be used to provide eligible, low- and moderate-income households to assist with homeowner rehabilitation and to build new single family homes for resale to low- and moderate-income homebuyers. The goal of the program is to expand the supply of, and access to, safe and affordable housing in Georgia’s communities.

2016 CHIP grants were awarded to:

CHIP uses a portion of DCA’s HOME Investment Partnership Program funds. The HOME program, created by the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, provides funds to state and local governments to support affordable housing initiatives.

The Georgia Housing and Finance Authority (GHFA) is the designated Participating Jurisdiction and recipient of Georgia’s allocation of funds from the federal HOME program. GHFA contracts with DCA to administer the programs funded by this HOME allocation. Eligible communities for the CHIP grants are those outside of a HUD-designated Participating Jurisdiction as defined by the HOME Program.

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About the Georgia Department of Community Affairs:
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) partners with communities to create a climate of success for Georgia’s families and businesses through community and economic development, local government assistance, and safe and affordable housing. Using state and federal resources, DCA helps communities spur private job creation, implement planning, develop downtowns, generate affordable housing solutions, and promote volunteerism. DCA also helps qualified low- and moderate-income Georgians buy homes, rent housing, and prevent foreclosure and homelessness. For more information, visit www.dca.ga.gov.

CONTACT:
Jana Wiggins, Director of Marketing & Communications
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
(o) 404-679-0661; (c) 770-883-7971

Samanta Carvalho, Community Development Specialist
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
(o) 404-679-0567