MOUNTLAKE TERRACE
Carmen Dolan’s house needed some work.
The roof leaked but she couldn’t afford to fix it.
Then she found out about a program that offers interest-free and low-interest loans for home repairs. Best of all, she said, the loan would not have to be repaid until she sells her house.
“It’s certainly a godsend for me,” said Dolan, who’s owned her house along 216th Street SW since 1999.
The Housing Authority of Snohomish County’s Home Improvement Loan Program annually offers money for home repairs to low-income residents of Snohomish County, except those who live within the city limits of Everett and Bothell, which have their own programs.
“What came to mind for me was Mountlake Terrace and all the cinder-block homes,” said Mark Papritz, the program’s construction lead. After World War II, the federal government subsidized hundreds of new houses in the area and Mountlake Terrace now has hundreds of cinder-block homes that were built in the 1950s. Those houses, however, are difficult to insulate, Papritz said.
“Anybody who’s lived in concrete houses knows that in the winter you freeze and in the summer you boil,” he said.
The housing authority program typically provides funds to fix dry rot, electrical and plumbing problems, and improve handicap accessibility, foundations and septic systems. This year, the agency also received about $100,000 in federal stimulus money for weatherization and energy conservation, Papritz said.
To be eligible for loans, recipients must live in the house to be improved and fall within certain income guidelines. For a one-person household the maximum income is $44,800, for example, while the maximum is $51,200 for a two-person household.
“The idea is to maintain moderately affordable housing for everyone,” Papritz said.
Homeowners also must have at least 20 percent equity in their homes to qualify.
Bruce Christopher, the independent contractor helping Dolan fix her roof, said he’s done about 20 housing authority projects.
“Not only is it work for us, it’s really good doing work for people who can’t afford it otherwise,” said Christopher, after pulling old tiles off of Dolan’s roof.
He urged homeowners not to suspect a scenario that’s “too good to be true.” “This is a real program,” he said.
Homeowners can qualify for interest-free or 3 percent loans. Seniors and the disabled may be eligible for deferred loans.
For more information, call Jackie VanAssche, loan specialist, at 425-293-0555 or send her an e-mail at Jackie@hasco.org.
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