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AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROGRAM
ADFAC's owner-occupied
Housing Rehabilitation and new construction program utilizes
a combination of volunteer labor, contract labor and client
sweat equity. Federal and State programs, as well as
donations from churches, individuals and businesses have
enabled ADFAC to repair hundreds and hundreds of homes and
construct dozens of new ones. Throughout the years, ADFAC
has consistently exceeded grant goals as well as
completing them ahead of schedule.
For rehab projects,
families or individuals must own their own property and
meet income requirements (income requirements change
each year). A housing specialist will meet with the family
to help determine how low interest financing may be packaged
for the family to receive a new home. All clients must participate
in the building of their new home.
Staff works with each
homeowner to set up a payment plan that will not place a
financial hardship on the family, these loans may be from
12 to 360 months. The Helping Hands service area provides
assistance for homeowners in Anderson, Campbell, Morgan
and Roane Counties.
Download the Helping Hands Program Application form (209 kB)
HOUSING COUNSELING
Our clients vary from young
married couples with children, single working parents, to
older and retired persons. They all live in substandard,
sometimes life threatening housing and cannot afford to
bring their home up to minimum code standards without our
help. (Others do not have their own home) From the beginning
clients meet with a housing specialist to assess the needs
of their home. Helping Hands Staff is always available to
help the clients when an emergency or crisis situation
arises.
All rehabilitation clients
own their home, so most of the counseling is in preparation
for their loan expense as well as educating them to the new
systems of their home. It is very important to prevent
deterioration from beginning again. Residents must strive to
preserve the "new" condition of their house, the monetary
investment, and the improvement to their neighborhood. We
feel strongly that counseling in preventive home maintenance
is highly cost effective. The primary objective for this
training would be to give the client a basic understanding
of the systems of the house, and emphasize the significance
of potentially damaging conditions such as leaks,
condensation, clogged gutters, and air/heat filters. We
recognize that this education must begin before rehab
starts. Education begins by making sure the client fully
understands the scope of the construction. Other topics
include how to maintain a clean environment, change air/heat
filters, and learning to recognize symptoms before they
become problems.
Clients that apply to the
Affordable Housing Program, in which they own land but a
structure is not currently there are provided with
additional home ownership counseling. This includes topics
such as evaluating your family and home needs, how to
finance a home and how the loan process works, budgeting,
understanding credit issues, maintaining your home and the
construction process.
SUMMER VOLUNTEER PROGRAM and ANNUAL REPAIR FAIR
ADFAC's home rehabilitation
program, receives volunteer labor from people all over the
country during the busy summer months. Volunteers help us
complete approximately 80 projects per year.
With the help of volunteers
we are able to help meet the needs of residents that have
emergency situations.
Volunteers will help with
such items as paint houses, caulk windows, build decks, add
weatherstripping. We have in the past however had volunteers
groups capable of building homes and have done so. Helping
Hands tries to coordinate efforts so that the entire project
may be accomplished in a uncomplicated manner.
We do encourage volunteers
to interact with the homeowners as they work so they have an
idea of the tremendous impact they make of the families they
assist.
ADFAC will help in finding
accommodations while groups are here working.
We welcome church youth or
adult groups, businesses, or professional and civic groups,
as well as families or individuals that would like to help
make housing more decent and safe to low income families.
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