Emergency Assistance Program

The Emergency Assistance Program provides assistance to homeowners in Montgomery County outside the cities of Dayton or Kettering, to repair substandard housing conditions. The substandard conditions may only include those existing items that present an imminent danger to the health, safety, or welfare of the household. Emergency assistance shall be provided based on availability of funds and the nature of the emergency.

The level of assistance is limited solely to the amount required to address the emergency. The maximum amount is either $3,000 or $5,000 depending on the household income of the homeowner. Applicants may apply only once every 24 months for assistance and any existing accounts must be in good standing with CountyCorp. Applicants whose homes have multiple emergency needs that exceed the Emergency Program’s maximum amount of assistance may not qualify for assistance or the homeowner will have to secure additional funds from other sources.

Guidelines

Conditions for Repairs or Replacement

Only the work necessary to correct substandard, unsanitary or deteriorated conditions that have been identified by CountyCorp’s Construction staff or Program Manager are eligible. The Program shall provide repair or replacement of components that affect the livability of the home where one of the following conditions exist:

• Hazardous or malfunctioning heating system (system must currently exist).
• Lack of hot or cold running water due to deteriorated or defective supply lines.
• Leaking waterlines and/or gas lines or dangerous conditions in plumbing and/or gas systems.
• Defective sewage system.
• Improperly functioning bathroom plumbing fixture(s) when only one bathroom exists or all are inoperable.
• Leaking or inoperable water heaters.
• Exposed and dangerous electrical wiring.
• Leaking roofs affecting the main structure or other systems, such as electrical.
  

Work needed for outbuildings, garages, driveways, fences, porches, or decks are not eligible.

Eligible Households

Applicants must not exceed annual household incomes as follows. Please note the income is total household income of all adults 18 years of age or older living in the home. CountyCorp offers two levels of Emergency Assistance depending on income. Incomes are the maximums derived from the median income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is determined by the total number of occupants in the home. To be eligible, the household cannot exceed 50% of the area median income (AMI).

Up to $5,000 is available if your annual household income is 35% or below the AMI:

Up to $3,000 is available if your annual household income is 36% up to 50% of the AMI:

The applicant must be the owner of the property and occupy the unit in which the condition exists.

Applicants cannot own more than one property or residential building.

The property taxes must be current or the homeowner must be on a verifiable payment plan with the Montgomery County Treasurer’s Office. In addition, the applicant’s mortgage must be current or an executed modification plan must be provided with a statement that the homeowner is paying as agreed.

Financing

For households who have an income at or below 35% of the area median, the maximum amount of assistance is $5,000. The funds are provided as a grant.

For households earning from 36% up to 50% of the area median, the maximum amount of assistance is $3,000. This is structured as a loan with $25 monthly payments required. The loan is at 0% interest and the owner is required to pay the funds back to CountyCorp. For cases where funds are leveraged with other programs that also require a monthly payment such as the Dayton Fund, CountyCorp will defer our $25 monthly payment requirement until the other source is repaid. The funds are required to be repaid when the borrower/owner no longer resides in the home as their principal residence.

Households with income above 50% of the median income are not eligible for Emergency Assistance.

If a loan is provided, CountyCorp will prepare and record a mortgage for the amount of assistance.

CountyCorp will not subordinate to future new financing. The owner must repay the funds in full. The Emergency Assistance loans are not assumable.

Fees

Specification/Inspection Fee $200 (only if a loan)
Recording Fees $56 (only if a loan)

Eligible Properties

• Residential structure must be located in an area that is zoned appropriately
• Owner occupied only
• Single-family homes
• One to four family structures as long as the owner resides in the unit needing the assistance
• Condominiums

Mobile homes are not eligible.

Application Process

The Emergency Assistance Program is administered by CountyCorp. In addition to inquiries from homeowners, referrals are welcomed from agencies who are working with households in need.

The homeowner must complete the Emergency Assistance Application.

The following information must be provided by the homeowner:

1. Income documentation for all persons in the household, 18 years and older: last two and most recent employment pay stubs, bonuses, social security award letter, welfare payments, alimony, pension, print out from Job and Family Services for Child Support, etc.
2. Current Mortgage Statement showing amount due or past due amount. CountyCorp checks public records to verify that there are no open foreclosure actions against the property. If delinquent, the applicant must provide an executed modification plan with a statement that the homeowner is paying as agreed.
3. Copy of Deed to Property
4. If property taxes are delinquent, homeowner must provide a copy of a “current delinquent contract” from the Montgomery County Treasurer’s Office.

CountyCorp staff will review the applicant’s income and related information to determine the client’s eligibility. CountyCorp reserves the right to seek third party verification for income, ownership and those residing in the household. Credit reports may be requested.

Falsification of income and other required information is grounds for disqualification and may result in criminal prosecution.

Work in Process

CountyCorp staff will inspect the property and evaluate the overall condition of the home and the need for repairs/replacement according to the Emergency Assistance Program Conditions for Repairs or Replacement. CountyCorp will develop a Scope of Work to provide to contractors and the homeowner. CountyCorp, with the cooperation of the homeowner, will obtain bids for the work to be performed, and a contractor will be selected by the homeowner to provide the services. The contractors are pre-screened by CountyCorp prior to providing any services for programs we offer.

Any changes to the work will be documented through a Change Order and approved by CountyCorp Construction staff prior to work being performed.

The contractor is responsible for any permit/inspections and a final inspection will be made by CountyCorp’s Construction staff. CountyCorp strives to complete all work within 7 business days from the date of eligibility.

All warranty for work is between the contractor and the homeowner. CountyCorp does not warranty work. If the homeowner does not feel that the contractor lived up to the warrantee obligations, they are advised to work through the Better Business Bureau and request binding arbitration.