Lonsdale home-improvement assistance still needs signups

The city of Lonsdale has been awarded a Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) Grant in the amount of $431,250 from the State of Minnesota for 15 income qualified homeowners seeking to make improvements to their homes.

The Rice County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA), on behalf of the city of Lonsdale, is administering the grant program for Lonsdale residents. The maximum loan amount available per property is $25,907.

The home-improvement initiative is focused on enhancing home livability, energy efficiency, safety and accessibility. This assistance to homeowners is in the form of a 0%-interest deferred loan/grant, which does not need to be matched with other funds to complete the project.

The funds are only repaid on a prorated basis to the city when the property is sold, the title is transferred or the original borrower no longer lives in the home within seven years of project completion.

The funding is first come, first serve after applicants successfully qualify, complete and submit the required information. To qualify, you must be a Lonsdale resident, own the house, either free of debt, through a mortgage or recorded Contract for Deed (if buying your house on a Contract for Deed, all named parties on the contract must sign off on the loan), your gross annual income (including Social Security, wages and all regular sources) must be within the following limits as determined annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development per household size.

Interested Lonsdale residents can go to lonsdalemn.com and download the HOMEOWNER INQUIRY/CONFLICT OF INTEREST FORM and then submit the application to the Rice County Housing & Redevelopment Authority at rchousing@ricecountymn.gov.

For additional questions, contact the Rice County Housing & Redevelopment Authority at 507-744-5185 or 507-333-3787.