Thursday, February 17, 2011

Feb 28 Collaboration Meeting: Focus on Housing

The Feb 28, 2011 Collaboration meeting will be focused on the state of housing in the Oshkosh area. Here is a link to the agenda. Most/all of the presenters are members of the Winnebagoland Housing Coalition.

Oshkosh Collaboration Work Group - February 28th, 2011 - 8:00 – 9:30 AM - J. P. Coughlin Center - 625 E. County Rd. Y - Oshkosh, Wisconsin

Focus on Energy Affordable Housing Program

Focus on Energy Affordable Housing Program - Incentives/Grants for Existing Housing
January 1, 2011 – December 31, 2011

Organizational Eligibility

• 501(c) 3 status or unit of local government.
• Complete Focus on Energy Affordable Housing Ally/Participant Application.

Project Eligibility

• Located in an area serviced by a participating electric and natural gas utility.
• Income qualification of project beneficiaries must be at or below 80% of county median income (CMI) or be in the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP)
• Must be a new or existing house, duplex, or triplex
• Must engage a Building Performance consultant to provide technical assistance and verification services.

Incentives/Grants

Incentives are based on energy savings and vary according to:
• Whether or not the house is a new or existing home
• The more the energy savings the greater the incentive. The incentives are designed for major rehab or new construction projects
• Your expectation in a major rehab is that your upfront costs will net out in the black The verification service is provided by independent consultants (that we accredit), and your long term operating costs will be substantially reduced

If you are interested or have questions please contact.

David Kinyon
431 Charmany Drive
Madison, WI 53719
(608) 249-9322, ext. 281
1-800-762-7077 ext 281
davek@weccusa.org

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Habitat Seeking Families

No Waiting List! We are Searching for Families!
Surprisingly enough we do not have a long waiting list of families and are currently accepting applications for homes that will be built this year.

Habitat Oshkosh is asking the community to pass this information on to their work places, neighbors, anyone that might have a need or know of someone that has a need for this program. A pdf of a poster announcing this is attached for your agency’s use.

We serve people who live or work in Oshkosh who meet three basic criteria:
NEED: Must currently live in housing that is overcrowded, structurally unsound, or have health concerns.
ABILITY TO PAY: Household income must fall between 30% to 50% of the area’s median income. Debt-to-income ratio shall not exceed 40% of household income. Steady source of income so mortgage can be paid – this is an interest free mortgage with low payments. Reasonable credit history; credit report shows debts are being paid down with few delinquent payments. WILLINGNESS TO PARTNER: 250 sweat equity (volunteer) hours per adult in the household, with a maximum of 500 hours per household.

This program is a hand up, not a hand out. Habitat Oshkosh partners with a family, working with them to build their home, making sure they can afford the payments, educating them on how to budget their money and sharing in their joy as their new house is completed.

Informational Family Selection Orientation
Habitat for Humanity of Oshkosh is also holding an informational Family Selection Orientation on February 16 at 6pm at their ReStore on 1640 S Koeller St. At the orientation, Habitat Oshkosh will guide individuals through the application and requirements. To attend all you need to do is call the Habitat Oshkosh office at (920) 235-3535 or email Erica.

Thursday, February 3, 2011