NORTH RIDGEVILLE — Since its inception in 1999, the state-funded Community Housing Improvement Program has helped about 100 North Ridgeville homeowners fix up their houses with everything from emergency repairs to furnaces and leaking roofs to help with downpayments.

The city is looking to assist another 20 or more homeowners with the latest $500,000 CHIP grant received from the Ohio Department of Development, according to City Treasurer Tony Hatmaker.

This marks the sixth such grant the city has received.

Running for a two-year cycle, each grant typically averages $500,000, which allows the city to help homeowners in three areas, including emergency repairs, property rehabilitation and downpayment assistance.

With the latest grant, $275,000 will help 11 homeowners needing emergency repairs to furnaces, roofs and other home repairs.

Another seven residents will be eligible for help with non-emergency repairs and rehabilitation including upgrades in plumbing, electrical wiring and flooring with $96,000 in non-emergency improvement and repair money.

The third component of the program offers downpayment help to two qualified homeowners with $69,000 in funds.

Downpayments can only be made for existing homes in need of at least $1,000 in repairs. To qualify for the program, homeowners must meet criteria including household income, which must be no higher than 80 percent of the $51,850 median income for a home with four occupants, Hatmaker said.

All households must be owner-occupied to qualify for aid.

In 2007, the city attempted to add a rental rehab component to the program when it received a $530,000 grant. However, that addition didn’t fly, Hatmaker said.

The rental rehab required landlords to match grant money for repairs, but those considered for the experiment were either unwilling or unable to ante up funds, according to Hatmaker.

“We tried it but it wasn’t well-received, so we went back to the normal program,” he said.

Applications will be taken during the entire two-year period ending Oct. 31, 2011, but funds are usually spoken for fairly quickly, Hatmaker said.

Property owners receiving financial help will be ranked on a point system that takes into account income, age of residents (with older people getting more points), people on disability and overall property condition.

“Those homes in worse shape get more points,” Hatmaker said.

In rare instances, the city has had to walk away from a few homes that needed too much work done.

“They needed so much that it went beyond the money that could be put into a single residence,” Hatmaker said.

Applications can be picked up at Hatmaker’s office in City Hall, 7307 Avon Belden Road, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Information on the grant program is available by calling (440) 353-0854 or visiting www.nridgeville.org and clicking on CHIP grant public announcement.

Once property owners apply, they will be contacted by representatives of CT Consultants, a firm working with the city, whose employees will set up times to do walk-throughs of homes being considered for funding.

“They’re experts on these grants and all of the regulations that go with them,” Hatmaker said.

More info

Call the City Treasurer’s Office at (440) 353-0854 or visit www.nridgeville.org and click on CHIP grant public announcement.

Contact Steve Fogarty at 329-7146 or sfogarty@chroniclet.com.

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