If you live in Lutsen and your home needs repairs that you can’t afford to pay for, there might be some hope through a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Authority (DEED) grant, but if you qualify, you need to sign up fast because there is limited money, said Barbara Ackerson, Community Technical Assistance Manager with Arrowhead Economic Opportunity Agency (AEOA).
Ackerson said eight residential properties owned and occupied by low- and moderate-income homeowners in Lutsen that qualify can receive $24,750 to rehab their houses from the $226,800 DEED grant, but added, “there might be more money that we can access for the homeowner through other programs.”
An example of low income is a family of four that lives on $51,400 or less a year.
“We are currently in the process of conducting environmental clearances, which is a DEED requirement,” Ackerson said on August 30. “They should be completed in the next couple of weeks, but people that are interested should sign up now so we can get the process started.”
Funds from a DEED grant help homeowners replace worn shingles, windows, doors, siding, etc. on their house to make it weatherproof and more efficient, but the grant money can’t be used to increase the square footage of a house.
The redevelopment grant program also helps communities with the cost of redeveloping blighted industrial or commercial sites and putting the land back into productive use.
To qualify, residents’ property taxes must be paid and the property must be a single family home or owner occupied duplex. In a mixed use commercial building containing an owner’s residence the owner’s home must contain 51 percent or more of the structure.
Local contractors that are licensed and insured will be sought to complete the work, with the homeowners having some say in who is hired to work on their residence.
If qualified, candidates that stay in their homes for 10 years wouldn’t have to pay back any of the money. Should they sell their home before then, they will be charged 10 percent per year. So if the owner lives in the house for six years and sells it they would have to pay the balance of 4 years (40 percent) of the money they received.
To see if you qualify for a DEED grant, please call (218) 735-6827 or (218) 738-6831 or 1-800-662- 5711 and ask for “lending.”
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