When the roof leaks, the wiring has a few problems and the budget to fix them is nonexistent, life is the pits and there’s no bowl of cherries in sight.
Sadly, there were even more health and safety hazards in Ann Bowman’s small home a few blocks from mine.
A senior living on Social Security and a small pension, Bowman simply had no spare money to pay for repairs.
She does, however, have a very smart daughter who gave her the book “Free Stuff for Seniors” by Mathew Lesko. Inside, she found an entry about loans and grants available to low-income homeowners through the United States Department of Agriculture.
It took time to work through the process, but she didn’t have to do it alone. Trudy Teter, a USDA housing specialist, went to Bowman’s home.
“I was just hoping I could get a low-interest loan so I could get the roof fixed,” Bowman said. “But Trudy was really thorough. She went through my house and found several health and safety hazards that needed to be fixed – like the hot water heater needed rewiring and the floor covering was loose and unraveling so it was easy to trip and fall.”
In the end, Bowman didn’t get the loan she’d hoped for. As a low-income senior, she was eligible for a grant, Teter told her, enough to cover most of the home’s immediate problems. There was still more paperwork, but they worked it out together.
Bowman was able to select her own contractors for the repairs. None were paid until Teter inspected and approved the work.
“That was a real plus,” Bowman said. “I didn’t worry that someone would do part of the work and then leave with my money.”
The USDA offers the program to low-income homeowners in Snohomish County. Loans cover repairs for health and safety hazards, home weatherization, utility hookups and accessibility accommodations for people with disabilities.
Your annual income is the most important factor. In Snohomish County the maximum income to qualify is $27,250 for one person and $31,150 for two.
You are allowed to deduct medical expenses to reach the adjusted rate. That includes health insurance premiums, prescription drugs, dental expenses and co-payments.
You must also have a good credit history and a stable source of income, and you must be unable to pay for the repairs from other assets or normal financing. The loan interest rate is 1 percent.
Yes, there’s lots of paperwork. When did anything from the government not involve paperwork? But Ann had records of her medical expenses and she had help throughout the process.
The loans are open to all low-income rural homeowners. However, as Bowman learned, people age 62 or older who don’t have the ability to repay the entire loan may be considered for a loan-grant combo or even a grant up to a lifetime limit of $7,500.
Grant money can only be used to repair or remove health and safety hazards or to provide accessibility accommodations for folks with disabilities. For Bowman, the grant made her home safe again.
She calls it a flat-out miracle. I think of it as one way my tax dollars at work really make sense. Good stuff.
If you want more information, check with the USDA office serving Island, Skagit and Snohomish counties. It’s in Mount Vernon at 360-428-4322, ext. 4. Or, online, check out the Web site www. rurdev.usda.gov/wa.
Linda Bryant Smith writes about life as a senior citizen and the issues that concern, annoy and often irritate the heck out of her now that she lives in a world where nothing is ever truly fixed but her income. You can e-mail her at ljbryantsmith@yahoo.com.
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