There are many housing grant opportunities in Texas, although you will spend time investigating them.
If you're looking for money to help buy a home or make improvements or repairs to an existing one, you have a variety of options available in the state of Texas. Typically, these opportunities focus on the poor, the elderly, and the disabled, or else focus on specific kinds of costs, such as home weatherization. With a little investigation, you can find public grant opportunities at the state and local level, as well as from the private sector.
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs has a website which explains many different grant opportunities available for home purchase and home improvement costs. One of these opportunities include the Texas First-Time Homebuyer Program, which is not a direct grant but rather a vehicle to securing a mortgage with exceptionally low interest rates, which can save you thousands of dollars over time. Check the TDHCA website to learn about this and other opportunities.
Benefits.gov
The federal government's welfare programs are a crucial means of income and support for millions of elderly, disabled, low-income, and unemployed people around the country. The government has a one-stop website, Benefits.gov, where you can go to learn about welfare programs, review eligibility requirements, and submit an application for benefits. There is a good chance that your specific home improvement costs, especially if the costs are for crucial repairs or energy-efficient upgrades, would constitute an acceptable use of federal welfare money.
Local Opportunities
There are many opportunities available at the local level, especially if you live in the big cities like Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin. Cities and large towns tend to offer down payment assistance programs, home repair financing, and other opportunities for you to become a homeowner or remedy dangerous or inefficient conditions in your home. Once again, check in at your local library to inquire about home assistance grants, and research your municipal and county government websites.
Private Sector Assistance
With republicans firmly in control of the Texas state legislature and governor's mansion, as of 2011, anti-tax and anti-spending economic policies have shrunk state budgets for housing assistance of all kinds. You may find opportunities with the state that are not currently funded, which makes them of little use.
Fortunately, you're not out of options. Many charitable and nonprofit private organizations offer assistance with all kinds of housing costs. Global groups like Habitat for Humanity and People Helping People, along with local groups like the Center for Housing Resources in Dallas, may be able to fill some of the gap in public policy. Check with your local library, which is usually an excellent source for this kind of information.
Tags: grant opportunities, Community Affairs, Department Housing, Department Housing Community, elderly disabled