SEUALG Press Release
The Southeastern Utah Association of Governments (SEUALG) offers a number of programs to help people repair their homes if they fall into certain categories of the population. Assistance can come in the form of loans or grants that can be used for the replacement of things that are in poor condition and other sources of money are for emergency repairs that may be needed in a home.
First, there is the Single Family Housing Rehab Program Loan. This loan is utilized for the improvement or repair of homes to provide decent, safe and sanitary housing. The loan amount to do that has to fall within 95 percent of the value of the home. This loan fund is available in Carbon, Emery, Grand and San Juan counties. The AOG actually does about 23 of these types of projects each year. People who qualify for this loan are either elderly, disabled or low income families with children under 10. The interest on these loans is between 1-3 percent on a 20-year term note. Low income determination is based on an areas medium income (AMI). In terms of this loan, a family can be at 80 percent of the AMI and qualify.
Under these same monies (the Olene Walker Loan Fund), there are also emergency grant funds, which can range up to $4,999.99 that can be awarded based on income. This money can be used for such things as a broken sewer or water line, or something that threatens the use of the home for those that live there. These emergency grant funds handled by the agency are not loans and do not need to be paid back.
SEUALG has a contract with the state to administer these programs. Some of the loans available can be leveraged with grants to cover the projects costs. For instance, another type of grant, known as Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) fund, can be used in that way. These funding sources can be utilized for the elderly, disabled or low income families who have children under 10. Households at 60 percent of the AMI or below may be eligible.
At SEUALG, Barbara Fausett is the Self Help and Housing Rehab Program Manager and she supervises nearly a half dozen programs that can help people in various ways with their housing in the San Juan, Grand, Emery and Carbon county areas.
“On a case-by-case basis, we can leverage a project with CBDG grant funds up to 80 percent of AMI,” explained Fausett. “That happens when we leverage 50-50 with the Olene Walker Loan funds. By doing that, we can get funds for households with over a 60 percent AMI.”
There is also the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 504 Loan/Grants program for helping people with repairs on homes that they already own. These funds come to the agency on a case-by-case basis and there is no set contract for the amount of money available to the agency each year. These monies come in the form of a grant that can range up to $7,500. These loan/grants are for people 62 and older with an AMI of 60 percent or below. The program is prioritized on the basis of need. The money from the grant/loan is used for safety and sanitary purposes.
In any case, work that is done with these loans and grants must be accomplished by a licensed and insured contractor. The agency has a list of approved contractors who do the work. Each approved job has at least two bids to ensure these funds are used efficiently so they can assist as many households as possible.
“We screen the contractors to make sure they are licensed, insured and are stable businesses when they are doing the work,” she said. “And, of course, we try to make the money go as far as it can. We also try and get in and out of the home as quickly as possible. Usually, a project takes one to two weeks depending on the size and the scope of the work.”
Approximately one third of all lower income houses are substandard units. The objective of SEUALG’s housing program is to assist low income families, elderly and disabled homeowners with a safe, decent, affordable and accessible living environment.
Interested parties can go online to the SEUALG website at and fill out an application. They can also contact Fausett at (435) 613-0026 or email her at bfausett@seualg.utah.gov.