Interest Free Loans to Fix Homes in Detroit

Fixing up your Detroit home just got easier. In the state of the city address, Mayor Duggan announced a program to give zero interest loans to Detroit homeowners who have owned their homes at least six months before applying. Low income homeowners are qualified within any area in the city. Within certain qualifying areas, all homeowners may qualify.

 

However, you must have a minimum credit score of 560. If you don't, you can get credit counseling to help improve your credit. The loans are between $5000 and $25000. The loans concentrate on health and safety improvements.

Applications will be available in March, online or at the city's recreation centers, neighborhood intake centers, and neighborhood district manager's offices. For more information, call the Detroit Planning and Development Center at 313) 224-2560.

New Refrigerators for People With Old Energy Suckers in Detrot and Some Other Places

Thanks to Julie's List we find this gem: the nonprofit CLEARcorp in Detroit is making it possible for DTE electrical customers within the income guidelines who have pre-2001 fridges to get new energy-efficient Frigidaire refrigerators.  See the website for details and an application. And how do you know if your fridge is that old? See the website appliance411.com to learn how to find the age of your refrigerator. Also available for a short time in Washtenaw County, Michigan.

Users of Puget Sound Energy may qualify for a free fridge or a free washer, if their current appliances are old enough. See their website for details. Pacify Gas and Electric make a brief mention on their website, bit I can't determine if this program is currently available thought them for their customers. These programs may be in place, and then fade when the sponsor runs out of grant money or appliances.

The best way to find out what's available in your area is through these liheap program snapshots in your state. It can help you identify likely sources of he to contact.

Free Veteran's Day Meals, 2014 and Free Cat Microchipping in Detroit

Two items: a big list of free and discounted meals for veterans in honor of Veteran's Day 2014 can be found at the Military Wallet. Be sure to read the part about proof of eligibility. The site also has excellent stuff about military benefits and other financial info for veterans.

And the Michigan Humane Society is offering free microchipping for 2000 cats on a first come first serve basis. Microchipping helps positively identify lost pets. For a list of more financial help for pet owners, see these Freemoneyatemybrain entries.

If you live in the Cincinnati area, check out the Pet Alliance of Ohio's Microchip Ohio program, which is starting a pilot program of low cost microchipping in Ohio.

Opportunities to Buy a House at Auction in Detroit

There are a number of opportunities to be an urban homesteader in Detroit, a city struggling to get back on its feet. One is the auction of properties by the Detroit Land Bank Authority, which has taken possession of hundreds of homes deemed to be repairable.  They are now auctioning off these properties.

These are not for lollygaggers: according to the ground rules, you must either have a contract with s contractor to make the house loveable within 30 days of purchase, or have bought the materials to DIY.  You must have a certificate that the house is habitable within 6 months--9 months of it's an historic home.

But there are sources of financial aid, since many homes will have rehab costs that will dwarf their auction price. The Land Bank has a list of such deals. They include forgivable loans for homes in the Marygrove area, financing for homes in the Boston-Edison and East English Village, and more. And side lots are for sale for $100.  Check it out.




 

Free Money for Low-Income Detroiters to Fix Their Houses. Must Apply by October 31st

Just a very quick note about grants by Fifth Third Bank to low-income Detroit homeowners to repair their homes.  Not a loan--a grant, from Fifth Third's Neighborhood Impact Program.  This is on a first-come, first served basis, BUT the deadline for application is October 31, 20013.  Please see this site for further information on the grant program to Detroit low-income homeowners.

Free/Cheap Dresses for the Prom--the 2013 Season has Started!

Because of the mechanical problems that happen when cups of tea collide with keyboards, I've been offline for a couple of days.  However, it seems the 2013 prom dress season has begun, at least in Toledo.  Prom for Paws, the annual fundraiser for Toledo's Planned Pethood, will hold a sale of donated prom dresses--none above $25--to benefit Planned Pethood, a nonprofit that provides spaying and neutering to dogs and cats in the metro area.  The sale is at Salvatore Capelli Salon, 114 S. Boundary Street in Perrysburg from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 2nd.

*****pdate for Toledo and northwest Ohio************
The northwest Ohio low-cost prom dress event of the year is Owens College's, and parents and students will have their crack at gowns going from $5 to $20, and accessories from 50 cents to $5 on April 6th from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Student Health and Activities Center.  For more information, call  (800) GO-OWENS, ext. 2569.

Outside of Toledo, the national network of volunteers involved with Cinderella's Closet has begun to roll out its schedule of prom dress sales.  There's also the Princess Project in California.  In Ankeny, Iowa, there will be a prom dress giveaway on March 4-8 from 4 to 7 p.m. via Project Fresh Start at Arkeny High School.    Lone Star College is sponsoring a prom gown giveaway at the CyFair Branch Library on March 15-17th, and April 19th and 20th in Cypress, Texas.  Call Elise at 281-290-5248 for more information.  And for prom dress giveaways in New York City, Dutchess County, New York, Atlanta and Baconton, Georgia, see the website here, for graduating seniors only.

****Update from Detroit:

The fourth annual Deja vu Prom Dress Resale will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday Feb. 23, Sunday Feb. 24, Saturday March 2, Sunday March 3, at Grosse Ile Golf and Country Club, 9339 Bellevue Rd., Grosse Ile, Mich.

A Detroit event on April 14th: https://www.facebook.com/#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=509009009167029&id=128098500591417

 


 

Money for Urban Farmers in Detroit, New York

Now that population losses have given Detroit vacant land equivalent in size to the entire city of Paris, some people are making lemonade out of a lemon situation and turning the vacant land to farmland.   Backyard horticulture in the D was always strong, as befitted a city with lots of relocated peasants and sharecroppers and their descendants, but now it's turned into bigger business.  It's reclaiming at least some of the land, and creating a chance to make healthful food available in a city where many of the supermarkets fled. 

Charter One Bank has announced the availability of some small grants for farmer's markets in the city, and vendors at Eastern Market, the city's biggest market.  The vendors at Eastern Market are eligible to apply for grants of between $500 to $3,000.  In addition, eight to ten grants ranging for $500 to $3,000 are available for urban farmers for equipment, land, or other materials. These are for farmers that complete farm training program at the Greening of Detroit, The Garden Resource Collaborative, Earthworks Urban Farm or the Detroit Black Community Food Security Network. 

In New York City, the Farm City Fund makes loans available to urban agriculturalists in the New York metropolitan area.  Loans for new ag businesses, or the expansion of existing ones, range from $5,000 to $30,000.  Only 5 loans will (and probably have been made) in 2012, but the program is expected to grow.

Getting a Low-Cost Prom Dress in 2012

Prom season is nearly here, and besides our past roundup of low-cost prom grown projects, we have some new ones to announce.  Here in the northwest Ohio/Toledo area, Owens Community College students are hosting their 2nd annual Prom Dress Extravaganza, in which high school students can purchase prom dresses for $5-$20 on April 14th at the Student Health and Activities Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., as well as accessories ranging from 50 cents to $3.  For more information, call Owens College at 567-661-2569. 

In Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, there is a  Prom Project till March 10 for prom gowns, AND young men can get a tuxedo voucher, plus etiquette lessons.  In central Illinois, the Perfect Prom Project will be held March 31st at Latzer Hall in the University of Illinois YWCA.  Northeast Christian Church in Louisville, KY is having their Prom Project March 9 and 10, 2012 for girls looking for a gown. 

As in the past, Donate My Dress is always a good jumping-off point in finding gently used prom gowns at a low cost, but googling "prom project, " along with the name of your town, is another useful tactic.  Of course, you may accidentally find programs on alcohol and drug free post-prom lockups, but that's the price you pay in finding cheap gowns.  Good luck.

****UPDATE:*****for teens in metro Detroit area:  The Detroit Free Press has a contest to win $500 towards prom expenses.  You have to make up a prom dress, or some other part of prom attire....from copies of the Detroit Free Press newspaper, and take a picture of it.  The winner gets the money to pay for prom costs.  Send a picture of your newspaper prom attire to freeprom@freepress.com by April 23rd. 

Updated Christmas Gift News for the Needy. And Suggestions for Others.

For people in Toledo, Ohio who have missed the deadline for applying to the Salvation Army for Christmas assistance this season, there will be another sign-up at the downtown Salvation Army offices (620 N. Erie Street) on November 29th,  ONE DAY ONLY, from 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. However, call 211 to get more updated information. *** 211 is the central number to call to find out about Christmas assistance in the Toledo area.  If you are past the deadline, call 211 and find out what else may be available.***

In metro Detroit, the Salvation Army is signing people up for Christmas assistance for residents of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. Applications will be accepted Nov. 7 through Dec. 9.   For more information, call 248 443 5500.

 ***However, many communities are acting to help people within their own borders.  For a complete and up-to-date rundown, see the Facebook entry for Julie's List, or check out the webpage.***  Also, Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan is reaching out to families in need this Hanakkah season.  If you wish to give, or are in need, call (248) 661-5700. 

In general, try the Salvation Army near your home to find out more about Christmas assistance in your area, or  try calling 211 if you live in an area that has 211 telephone assistance.

Housing Grants and Incentives in Detroit

See this newest one, only through October 31, 2013.

My hometown, Detroit, has had a hard-knock time in the last 50 or so years, with falling population, mismanagement, and industrial exodus.  But public and private resources are trying to change that.  On one hand, efforts are being made to get people to stay put: Citizen's Bank just announced a program of grants totaling $1.6 million to homeowners in five Detroit neighborhoods:
east English Village, Boston Edison north end/Virginia Park, north Rosedale Park, Hubbard Farms.
The money can be used for exterior improvements.  Another, available for homeowners in targeted neighborhoods throughout the city, deals with health and safety hazards, particularly lead abatement.  It is a grant or forgivable loan of up to $15,000; $24,950 if lead abatement is involved.  It can include problems such as furnaces, roofs, plumbing, and electrical problems.  See the city's website, or call 313-224-3461.
Clearcorp also offers grants for lead abatement for Detroit homeowners: grants of up to $8000 for owner occupied houses, $4000 for rental properties, assessments of lead damages, and other services.  Call 313 924 4000 for more information.

Other first time homeowner help is from the state of Michigan.  The Michigan State Housing Development Authority targets homebuying in  the following areas of Wayne County: Detroit, Ecorse, Hamtramck, Highland Park and River Rouge.  That means there is a generous limit on the amount that you can earn and still get first homebuyers assistance.  A two person household can have income up to $77,000 a year and still be eligible for downpayment assistance.  Here's the page on the state's homeownership assistance programs.

Another place to check is the Detroit Housing Commission, which has a homeownership program, requiring a year's employment (unless elderly or disabled), income within requirements, and $1,000 of savings.  

 
Other efforts are aimed at getting people to move back.  One is Project 14 (the name derives for police code for "situation normal."), which attempts to get police to move back to the city.  It tries to kill two birds with one stone: abandonment of neighborhoods by the professional classes and police, and vacant homes. Homes are bought, police can choose from the homes, (if they meet income requirements), a contractor is hired and repairs and upgrades are made.  It's along the lines of other programs created federally and in many localities to attract professionals to underserved areas.  Call 313-974 6869 for more information. 

Some of the companies that have made a commitment to staying in downtown Detroit (Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan, Compuware, DTE, Quicken Loans and Strategic Staffing Solutions) have incentives for their employees to rent or own homes in Detroit as well.  If you buy or rent within the downtown or near-downtown area, you can get a $20,000 forgivable loan towards a home purchase, a $2500 reimbursement for the cost of rental for the first year, and $1000 for the second, and matching funds of up to $5000 for home renovations of $10,000 or more.

See Live Midtown for incentives in the mid-town Detroit area.

Finding More Microlenders in the United States

I’ve written about microfinancing and microgrants for for-profit outfits before, but wished to add news about an established group and its activities in the United States. Kiva is a nonprofit organization that has given aspiring business people in economically developing countries a chance to get microloans, while giving people in affluent countries a chance to loan them the money.  What is less known is that they have partnered with nonprofits in to provide microloan opportunities for business microloans in the U.S.

Kiva’s partner page lists their partners around the world, but you can limit by world region.  In North America, they partner with ACCION, a nonprofit that loans in the Texas and Louisiana areas, as well as ACCIONAmerica, which loans across the United States, the Opportunity Fund,(California)  and Grameen America.  Check out these organizations if you are interested in getting a microloan, or Kiva if you have an interest in financing a microloan for up-and-coming business people in the United States, as well as other countries.

Kiva is also working with ACCION America to work in specific cities.  The first was Detroit, and its first round of financing has already been distributed.  More financing will be available in the future, so check it out if you are interested and in the Detroit area.  And stay tuned for more microfinance opportunities in other cities.

Communities and Their Promise to Educate Their Kids

Several cities now offer public school graduates in their community the chance to attend college without the burden of tuition or debt.  One of the pioneers is Kalamazoo,Michigan.  Starting in 2005, kids who attended Kalamazoo Public Schools could get tuition paid for 65-100% of costs to Michigan public colleges and universities, depending on how long (one to thirteen years) that they attended Kalamazoo Public Schools, regardless of GPS.  It’s funded entirely by private donations.

Now the city of Detroit is following suit.  In 2009, it was first offered to graduates of Cody High School, and expanded the following year to graduates of Cass Tech, Central, Cody, Douglass, Pershing and Trombly High Schools.  For the classes of 2011-2014, it has been extended to all graduates.  Seniors must apply early in their senior year.

In Toledo, the UT Guarantee holds the offer of tuition guarantees at the University of Toledo for all Toledo Public School graduates who are Pell-grant eligible and have GPA of 3.0 or better.  Recently, the university extended that offer to public school students across Ohio and in Monroe County, Michigan, just north of Toledo. 

Universities and communities in other parts of the country have such programs, too.  Georgia Tech has the G Wayne Clough Promise Program, in which incoming freshmen from anywhere in Georgia can receive aid from the scholarship program and other sources to create a debt-free scholarship to attend that school.

In Denver, the Denver Scholarship Foundation has a program for Denver High School students who have attended the schools for the last 3 consecutive years, have at least a 2.0 GPA, and demonstrated financial need.  In Long Beach, California, a partnership between that school district, Long Beach Community College and California State University has resulted in, among other things, a free first year attendance for Long Beach High School grads at LBCC for their first year.

Awesome Source of Financial Assistance in Detroit and Southeast Michigan

While hunting around for help for a family member in Michigan, I called a county agency in southern Michigan.  She didn't know about any help in purchasing a car, but she suggested I google "Julie's List."  I did, and was very happy I did.  Anybody who needs financial help in southeast Michigan will be happy to find it, too. 

Julie's List is the brainchild of Julie Kennedy-Carpenter, and is run by her and some friends, and has all manner of resources listed: medical services, children's services and resources, clothes, caregiver support, housing, transportation,  and utilities.  It has public and private resources, money saving tips, and you can sign up to get updates on significant developments and events, like the Blessfest next weekend  in Taylor, Michigan for people in need of financial help and employment.  Oh, and they listed several programs for car purchase and repair.

But even if you're not in the Detroit area, it might be worth taking a look, because it includes some statewide and national sources of help, too.  For instance, it lists the NIH website for nationwide sources of dental health assistance, and the Christian Credit Counselors.  Because if you are including everything that can help people in an area, it means you include national stuff, too.  So you should definitely check out Julie's List if you need help and live in SE Michigan, but look at the categories on the left-hand side of the page on the chance that a national resource may be useful to you, too.

Find Loans--and MAYBE Grants--To Fix Up Your Home

When thinking about where to find low-cost money for home fix-ups, think logically. If you have been reading this blog for any period or time, you know that nobody gives out free money for nothing (in fact, hardly anybody gives out free money, period). There is always something that a nonprofit group or government wants to happen as a result of giving away the money, or loaning it at below-market costs. So you have to think, what group wants my home fixed up? It's somebody who wants to have better housing stock within a particular area, or for a particular population group, or for a particular purpose, like making homes more energy efficient.  Here are the usual suspects:

1) City and state housing agencies. In cities large enough to have a housing or development department, there is usually a keen interest in keeping the housing stock safe and up to date. Often, the city is eligible for federal grants, which they use to create a pot of money to lend (at a lower cost than the banks) or create no-interest loans or even outright grants (usually reserved for the very poorest people). Contact them and ask if they have such a program. It will almost certainly be restricted by income, but the income levels might be higher than you think. It may be limited to particular neighborhoods, too. State housing authorities are another possible source of funding. While they always have home ownership programs, sometimes they have home loan programs, too.  This is a list of some of the local housing authorities, and all of the regional and state housing authorities. Remember that a local "housing authority" may merely be in charge of public housing, not private housing development (as is the case in Toledo, Ohio).  Call and ask if that's the case.  If so, try your local city government for possible programs.

3) State and local departments for the aged. These agencies may arrange loans or grants for repairs to senior’s homes. Here’s a site that will give you state and some local information.  Here's a site for a home repair program offered by the city of Detroit.

4) Community development corporations. These are nonprofit organizations created to improve some particular, defined area—a city, county, or part of one of those. If you live within a CDC area, you may be eligible for a loan or grant IF they have the money. Remember those federal grants I spoke of? They will give out the money till it’s gone. There is no nationwide directory of CDCs, but there is a directory by state.  The link for Ohio is dead, but I found a live one here.

5) IDA-giving organizations. These organizations create programs where they match your savings to create a pot of money that you can use for some defined purpose. Again, the availability depends on their resources, and if the source of their funds matches your need. They may only use funds for the purposes that they told the government they would use when they applied. And you will not immediately get the money—you must save over time. But it’s worth looking into.
6) Historic Home Funding--This website by the National Trust for Historic Preservation gives you some ideas of where to go if you primary residence is of historic value and needs preservation/rehabilitation work.  Also, see this list links for state and local sources.
7) The Department of Agriculture. They're not just about cows and crops, but rural development, too.  If you live in a rural area, and are very low income, you may be eligible for a loan or grant to rehabilitate your property.
8) Disabled veterans may be eligible for money to help purchase an accessible home or retrofit their current home.
9) A Community Action Agency. I’ve discussed these before. They are agencies set up to help the poor, and once again, you have to live within their service area. Check here to see if you live in a CAA. They may also provide free weatherization services if you have a low income.
10) HUD. While they don’t loan money, they do insure loans for home improvements. This could be worth considering if you have a hard time getting an affordable loan any other way.
10) If the improvements are meant to create energy savings, check this site to find energy incentives in your state.
11) Here's a couple of organizations that help low-income people fix their homes.