What is the HOME program?
The HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program provides loans and grants to support affordable housing in a variety of ways that benefit people below 80% of the Area Median Income. The current maximum income per household to qualify for receiving HOME funds is outlined below.
HOME is a federal affordable housing program overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under Title II of the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990. The federal regulations governing the HOME program can be found at 24 CFR Part 92.
HUD allocates HOME funds to the Washington County HOME Consortium (Consortium), which is composed of the City of Beaverton, the City of Hillsboro, and Washington County. The HOME program is administered by the County's Office of Community Development (OCD), although the City of Beaverton selects projects separately from the rest of the Consortium and has its own application process.
The HOME program was established in 1990 to:
City of Beaverton HOME
The City of Beaverton conducts its own selection process. Applications for the Beaverton HOME funds will only be considered if the project can demonstrate significant benefit to Beaverton residents. [Additionally, if an applicant jointly seeks HOME funds for a project located in Beaverton, that applicant must meet County joint funding protocol.]
Applications are available from the Mayor's office in August each year for the Program Year beginning on the following July 1. The Mayor and City Council select HOME projects for funding, in accordance with the program Priorities and Selection Criteria for that Program Year. Funding decisions are generally announced in February. Contact the CDBG/HOME Coordinator at (503) 526-2533 or email blockgrantmail@ci.beaverton.or.us for more information.
Washington County HOME
The Consortium allocates non-Beaverton HOME funds annually through a competitive County-wide application process. Interested project sponsors submit an application, which is reviewed for eligibility by OCD staff and then evaluated and ranked by the Policy Advisory Board. Selection criteria include consistency with the Washington County Consolidated Plan, proposed income targeting, commitment of additional financial resources, and sponsor's evident capacity to successfully complete the project. Contact the Washington County OCD at (503) 846-8814 for more information.
Application documents (PDF):
Housing Priorities and Selection Criteria
2008 HOME Packet Outline
HOME Project Application Guidelines
HOME Program Application & Exhibits
HOME Application Checklist
Who can apply for HOME funds?
Nonprofit and for-profit organizations alike are eligible to apply for Washington County Consortium HOME funds. Typically, HOME recipients are housing development organizations, social services providers, or advocacy groups with some experience developing or rehabilitating housing for low-income residents.
An eligible project must be located in Washington County and projects applying for Beaverton HOME funds must be located within the City of Beaverton. In the case of projects which meet a county-wide need, sponsors may apply to both Washington County and the City of Beaverton for HOME funds.
What can HOME funds be used for?
HOME funds can be used for:
HOME-assisted rental housing may be privately or publicly owned, can be one building on one parcel or several buildings built on one or more contiguous or scattered sites, and can have any combination of unit sizes and styles.
HOME-assisted homeownership units must be the principal residence of the proposed low-income buyer; may be a single-family home, a 2-4 unit property, a condominium or cooperative unit, or a manufactured housing unit; and must meet HOME resale restrictions.
Ineligible uses of HOME funds include: operating reserve accounts, improvements to public housing, homeless shelters, land banking or matching other funding programs (in most cases).
For information on operating grants for designated Community Housing Development Organizations, contact the Washington County OCD at (503) 846-8814.
General HOME program requirements
HOME assistance is generally made available in the form of a secured loan, typically a 30-year 3-percent amortized mortgage. Where the applicant can demonstrate that the success of the project requires it, the City may consider requests for assistance under other loan terms, including grants, deferred loans, shared equity or other arrangements.
HOME funding comes with significant federal restrictions and requirements. The most significant of these are:
In addition, all HOME-assisted housing must meet applicable local building and development codes and standards.
