The HOME Program Provides Safe, Decent, Affordable Housing

The Madison County HOME Program is designed to develop viable communities by promoting integrated approaches that provides:

• decent housing,
• a suitable living environment and
• the expansion of economic opportunities for low and moderate income persons.

Utilizing partnerships among federal, state and local governments, and the private sector, including lending institutions, non-profit organizations, the program facilities:

• Construction of new single and multiple family housing,
• Rehabilitation of existing homes and multi-unit housing facilities, and
• provides tenant-based rental assistance.

The HOME Program attempts to empower low and moderate income residents in Madison County by assisting in:

• providing safe,
• suitable housing,
• helping to give residents a voice in the future of their communities; and
• assisting in the development of the management skills of existing organizations so they can achieve greater production capacity. 

Eligibility for the Madison County HOME Program is open to non-for-profit and for-profit organizations, local governments, public agencies and CHDO’s.

Madison County HOME Program Summary
HOME funds may be used for the following activities to develop rental housing:

•       Moderate and substantial rehabilitation
•       Acquisition and rehabilitation of existing units
•       New construction
•       Other reasonable and necessary activities related to affordable housing development

HOME funds may be used to perform the following home-ownership related activities:

•      Moderate and substantial rehabilitation
•      Acquisition and rehabilitation of existing units
•      New construction 

Affordability Requirements
HOME-assisted rental units must adhere to the rent and income limits described below for the following terms:

The period of affordability is enforced by way of resale or recapture provisions that are disclosed at the time of application. Resale provisions require owner occupancy and restrict any subsequent sale to an income eligible household during the period of affordability. Recapture provisions require owner occupancy and requires repayment of direct buyer assistance for default of provisions under the applicable period of affordability.

In order to ensure that rental units remain affordable, the HOME Program has a two-tiered structure for rent and income limits as follows:

Low HOME Rent and Occupancy Standard: At least 20% of the HOME-assisted units must have rents that do not exceed the “Low HOME Rent”. These units must be occupied by families who have annual gross income that are less than or equal to 50% of the area median income; and

High HOME Rent and Occupancy Standard: The remaining HOME-assisted units (up to 80% of the units) must have rents that do not exceed the High Home Rents. These units must be occupied by families who have annual gross incomes that are less than or equal of 60% of the area’s median income.

HOME-assisted home-ownership activities must adhere to long term affordability provisions for the following terms:

• Equal Opportunity
• Environmental Review (NEPA)
• Affirmative Marketing
• Fair Housing
• Displacement & Relocation
• Accessibility
• Labor (Davis-Bacon)
• Acquisition
• Lead-Based Paint (Title X)
• Debarment