The City’s Home Rehab and Energy Efficiency program is here to help homeowners make needed repairs.
The City of Columbia’s Housing Programs Division strives to ameliorate Columbia’s shortage of affordable housing through a variety of programs, including its Home Rehab and Energy Efficiency Program. The program is designed to bring existing homes up to code, making them more livable and efficient, thereby strengthening neighborhoods.
It’s Not a TV Home Makeover Show
The program is focused on encouraging repairs that are manageable and practical, using federal HUD funding and Community Development Block Grants to offer homeowners a zero-interest loan of up to $50,000 to complete eligible repairs. Those include roof repair or replacement, HVAC repair or replacement, plumbing and electrical upgrades, accessibility modifications such as wheelchair ramps, and energy improvements like attic insulation and window or door replacement. The program began in the early 1980s, and despite the pandemic, the program stayed busy in 2020, facilitating the rehab of six homes.
“We serve low- to moderate-income homeowners that are at less than 80% of the area median income,” says Randall Cole, the housing programs manager who oversees the program. “We serve a lot of elderly and people with disabilities, but also a lot of the general public fits into that category, so we serve a broad cross-section of households in our community.”
Eligible homeowners can apply for the program through the City’s community development website, though so many applications have been received that the city is not accepting more until this fall. If the application is approved, the homeowner can choose a contractor from a pre-approved list to work on the project.
“We really put the homeowner in the driver’s seat. We work with them to draw up what they want to do with the home [repairs], what’s eligible,” Randall says. “One important note is that this isn’t like a TV home-makeover show — it’s really to rehab those specific systems that need help. We don’t typically do cosmetic upgrades unless it’s a part of replacing siding or something like that.”
Landscaping, fencing, and additions are not eligible for the program. Addtionally, loans are not provided to homeowners who intend to sell their property once the repairs are complete; in other words, the program is not intended for home flippers.
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