Home for the holidays will have special meaning this year for one Arlington family who just had a major home renovation completed by the Arlington Housing Authority.
Gene and Janis Gameson's home was built in 1957 and the couple has lived there for the past 20 years. Their home was in desperate need of repair, but the disabled veteran and his wife couldn't afford to make the improvements on their own. Then they heard about the Housing Rehabilitation Program.
Arlington Housing Authority staff performed a unit assessment and cost estimate, and bid the work to approved contractors. The Gameson's home received a new central heat and air conditioner and windows were replaced with energy efficient windows, improving the home's energy efficiency. "Customer satisfaction surveys provided to each program participant continue to demonstrate homeowners' appreciation for the quality of work and the assistance received,' says David Zappasodi, Executive Director of the Arlington Housing Authority.
Since 1976, the Arlington City Council has recommended a portion of its federal grant funding to the Housing Rehabilitation Program. The purpose of the Housing Rehabilitation Program is to preserve affordable housing in Arlington by helping homeowners bring their dwelling into compliance with locally adopted housing standards to reduce ongoing and future maintenance costs and to promote energy efficiency. The Housing Rehabilitation Program is funded by Federal grant funds awarded to the City of Arlington by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
Federal funding for these activities is provided to the City of Arlington through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and the HOME Investment Partnership Program. Approved contractors perform specified repairs to the dwellings of eligible property owners. The financial assistance is provided to the homeowner in the form of a forgivable loan. This program is administered by the Arlington Housing Authority.
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