Home → City Departments → Federal & State Programs → Community Development
The City of Hattiesburg Housing Rehabilitation Grants Program provides rehabilitation repair grants to eligible homeowners to bring substandard housing into compliance with housing and related codes with the exception of functional systems which do not create a safety or health hazard as determined by the Program’s inspection team. Depending on the severity of substandard housing conditions, a housing rehabilitation grant will fall into one of two categories: basic rehabilitation grants and substantial rehabilitation grants. With these grants, proposed work and work performed is subject to code compliance and review.
Programs funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development include:
Housing Repair Grants provide assistance to address serious repair conditions which poses an immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the occupants and are available to Homeowners on a citywide basis. These grants are to repair life/safety code violations that exist in an eligible home. In this instance, it is not the intent of the Program or the City to bring a home into code compliance but to eliminate and immediate hazardous conditions. For the purpose of this grant, only the repair work performed is subject to code compliance and review.
Applications for housing rehabilitation and housing repair grants assistance can be solicited through various public media and public forums including communication at neighborhood meetings.
Applicants will be selected using objective criteria that incorporate established HUD guidelines as well as any identified criteria set forth in the City of Hattiesburg’s Consolidated Plan. Applications will be accepted during a designated time period.
Proof of ownership (i.e., Warranty Deed, Quit Claim Deed, 99-Year Leasehold) of the property to be rehabilitated or otherwise repaired will be required. Income verification will be obtained. Title opinions and appraisals may be secured at the discretion of the Program. Proof of homeowner’s insurance and, where applicable, flood insurance are required. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Document Number 186 dated July 13, 1989, as amended, currently stipulates that “agencies are prohibited from providing financial assistance unless the property to which that financial assistance is applicable is protected by flood insurance and must therefore require the purchase of flood insurance as a condition of making such financial assistance available.” Current city and county tax receipts will also be required.
The Homeowner is required to sign a Statement of Understanding prior to the grant award, rehabilitation of their home or other repair work to their home. The Homeowner may be required to attend housing maintenance and/or financial counseling after application acceptance.
City of Hattiesburg employees, elected officials, and their immediate families are not eligible to participate or to benefit from the Housing Rehabilitation and Housing Repair Grants Program. The immediate family is defined as spouse, parent, stepparent, brothers, sisters, stepbrothers, stepsisters, child, stepchild, grandchild, grandparent, mother-or father-in-law, son-or daughter-in-law, or brother-or sister-in-law.
All properties being considered for a housing rehabilitation or repair grant will be inspected by the City of Hattiesburg’s Land Code Division based on the requirements of the Land Development Code, Code of Ordinances, and the International Property Maintenance Code. These inspections relate to the general maintenance of the property and are intended to eliminate trash and litter, abandoned vehicles, overgrown lots, and unsanitary conditions. A complete inspection for a housing rehabilitation or repair grant will not be done until Property Maintenance Code Violations have been resolved. Property Maintenance Code Violations not corrected within ten (10) days of receiving a notice to correct violations will result in the applicant being ineligible for the Program. Action will be taken as provided by applicable City Ordinances when a homeowner chooses not to correct code violations. The Housing Coordinator will forward the name of a list of potential grant recipients to the City Building Official (CBO) and the Program’s Scheduler for the purpose of scheduling property maintenance code inspections. Code officers will perform the inspections on potential projects of this Program in the usual manner. However, a copy of the property maintenance inspection report will be forwarded to the Program’s Housing Coordinator (HC) for placement in the permanent project file.
Applicants will routinely be processed in the order of the date received; however, if conditions exist in a home that pose an immediate threat the health, safety, and welfare of the occupants, the Director of Urban Development (Director) will have the authority to assign priority status and move an applicant up on the list. The Director shall review and approve a Priority Re-inspection Form (see Exhibit B) to serve as written documentation of the basis for moving any applicant up on the list. This documentation shall be placed in the project file.
REQUIREMENTS:
The Homeowner must have lived in and possess clear title to the home to be rehabilitated or repaired for a period of one (1) year prior to submitting an application for assistance. To be considered for a housing rehabilitation assistance grant, a property must be present a major or substandard housing conditions of a non-aesthetic nature, a household income may not exceed eighty percent (80%) of the median income according to family size. Median income will be the most recent figures published and provided by the Department of Urban Development for Hattiesburg, Mississippi. To be considered for a Housing repair grant, household income must be below fifty percent (50%) of CDBG/HOME median income figures for the City of Hattiesburg, and housing must be present repair needs of an immediate threat to life, health or safety. In recognition of the fact that such repairs likely pose a high risk to the health and safety of the occupants, time is of the essence: therefore, the Program on a case-by-case basis may perform an inspection of a Homeowner’s property upon the homeowner signing the Self-Certification of Eligibility for a CDBG Grant.
The City of Hattiesburg can help qualifying Hattiesburg Residents by providing up to $20,000 towards the purchase price for down payment and closing costs.
To be eligible, applicants must be able to obtain a mortgage with a participating lender who participate in the City’s Downpayment Assistance Program. City residents must have a good credit history, lived in the City of Hattiesburg for at least one year, purchase the home within the City limits, meet HUD income guidelines and agree to other provisions, regulations and guidelines that are detailed in the “First-Time Homebuyers Downpayment Assistance” brochure.
Eligible property types include any single-family detached housing unit that will serve as the homebuyer’s principal residence.
Funding will be provided to non-profit and faith-based agencies that provide volunteer labor to improve substandard housing for owner-occupants. CDBG funds will be used to purchase building materials for housing improvements. World Changers and To Hattiesburg With Love are two non-profit faith-based agencies that have partnered with the City using Special Housing Programs funds.
The City of Hattiesburg has enacted the Adopt a Home Program, which is designed to partner with local churches, non-profit organizations or groups interested in community pride, development and revitalization.
This program, laborers, has the potential to more than triple, through the use of skilled and unskilled volunteer number of housing units addressed per year in comparison to our conventional housing repair programs.
The City will purchase the materials and supplies needed to facilitate the approved housing repairs, The maximum commitment per program site is two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500.00).
To receive more information, refer to the “Adopt-a-Home Program” brochure.
The City of Hattiesburg’s Housing Rehabilitation Grants Program provides rehabilitation repair grants to eligible homeowners to bring substandard housing into compliance with housing and related codes with the exception of functional systems which do not create a safety or health hazard as determined by the Program’s inspection process. Depending upon the severity of substandard housing conditions, a Housing Rehabilitation Grant will fall into one of two categories: Basic Rehabilitation Grants and Substantial Rehabilitation Grants. With these grants proposed work and work performed is subject to code compliance and review.
Housing Repair Grants provide assistance to address serious repair conditions, which pose and immediate threat to the health, safety and welfare of the occupants and are available to Homeowners on a citywide basis. These grants are to repair life/safety code violations that exist in an eligible home. In this instance, it is not the intent of the Program or the City to bring a home into code compliance but to eliminate an immediate hazardous conditions. For the purposes of this program grant, only the repair work performed is subject to code compliance and review.
Applications for Housing Rehabilitation and Housing Repair Grants assistance will be solicited through various public media and public forums including communication at neighborhood meetings. Applicants will be selected using objective criteria that incorporate established HUD guidelines as well as any identified criteria set forth in the City of Hattiesburg’s Consolidated Plan. Applications are accepted during a designated time period.
Homeowners receiving a Housing Repair Grant or Housing Rehabilitation Grant will not be eligible for additional repair assistance excluding warranty repair items for not less than a five (5) or fifteen (15) year affordability period.
The purpose and goals of the Disability Program are to ensure inclusion of residents with disabilities in all aspects of the community by addressing ADA public access, equal opportunity and fair housing, education, employment, transportation, community programming and environmental safety issues.
The Disability Program strives to coordinate efforts to reflect issues and concerns of residents with disabilities in the planning and development processes of the City of Hattiesburg and ensure inclusion and empowerment of those individuals within the community.
The FAÇADE improvement program is intended to encourage building renovations that address blighting conditions in Hattiesburg’s downtown area by offering financial incentives to property owners or tenants who improve the exterior appearance of the downtown building. The program provides Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) ranging from $1,000 to $15,000 that can be used to reimburse up to 50% of the costs of the project.
The principle objective of FAÇADE is to address slum and blight in the Central Business District (CBD). Anticipated benefits include strengthening downtown business potential by retaining and attracting businesses, increasing utilization of downtown buildings and restoring the economic vitality of Hattiesburg’s downtown through increased retail sales, commercial businesses and valuation of property.
Applicants must be property owners or tenants operating businesses, restaurants, service establishments or offices located in the CBD area.
The City of Hattiesburg’s Early Warning Weather Alert Program places NOAA Weather Radios in the homes of low income or fixed income individuals most vulnerable during severe weather conditions such as the elderly or those with disabilities. The radios provide immediate notice of storm alerts, watches or warnings and offer continuous monitoring of weather conditions, shelter locations and other valuable information during storm episodes.
Eligible recipients are those individuals and households considered eligible under Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) regulations and guidelines such as the elderly and disabled and current recipients of other Housing and Urban Development grant aid and reside within the corporate city limits of Hattiesburg.
