The Northeast Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund has $50,000 to $60,000 it can lend to City of Decorah residents who are either first time home buyers or are low-income families who need financial help to pay for home improvement projects.
Program administrator Lori Brockway at Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission in Postville says the program has already spent $37,000 on projects in Winneshiek County and a total of $192,000 on 22 projects in Allamakee, Clayton, Howard and Winneshiek Counties.
The money for projects in those areas has been spent now. But because the City of Decorah has made a matching contribution of $16,000 to the program and because only two City of Decorah projects have been done so far, Upper Explorerland is actively looking for projects within Decorah.
Brockway says the projects must serve households with incomes less than 80 percent of the statewide median family income. Depending on family size, that means annual incomes of from $34,950 to $65,900.
Complete program rules, as well as applications, are available at: www.uerpc.org. You can also call the program at (877) 474-7551.