West River Eagle

Home safe homedetectors




August 12, 2015 – Some say the electric feeling of buying and moving into your own home never wears off. When you own the floors you’re standing on, the walls surrounding you and the roof over your head, you also own great satisfaction from the hard work that resulted in your home becoming yours.

  Yet, just as it was hard work to achieve the American Dream of homeownership, being re­sponsible for maintaining and, inevitably, repairing your own home can be just as much hard work. USDA Rural Development’s Home Repair Program is an af­fordable way to keep your home safe, accessible and energy ef­ficient.

 The program provides very-low income rural homeowners with a one percent-interest fixed-rate loan of up to $20,000 for essential things like leaky roof repairs, improving accessibility, or even upgrades to heating and cooling systems to make a home more en­ergy efficient. Seniors age 62 and older, who cannot qualify for a loan, may be eligible for a grant of up to $7,500, or a loan and grant combination to make needed repairs and improvements.

 Last year alone 38 South Dako­ta rural homeowners were able to make necessary improvements to their homes they did not realize they could afford. Some installed new smoke and carbon monoxide or replaced old insula­tion. Some widened doors and added ramps. More importantly, these South Dakotan’s renewed the pride they felt the day they bought and moved into their own home.

 One homeowner from Dupree discovered they were able to af­ford to make the bathroom hand­icapped accessible, replace storm doors, and fix broken windows with a 504 Home Repair loan and grant.  They worked with the South Dakota USDA Rural Devel­opment Office in Pierre to make it happen, and you can, too.

  Being a homeowner is hard work and a big responsibility, but you have a partner who wants you to succeed. USDA Rural De­velopment wants to keep rural American homes safe, accessible and energy efficient. We also want to help homeowners pre­serve the pride in their homes. To learn more, call (605) 352- 1132 and visit with Janell Telin, Single Family Housing Program Director or email janell.telin@ sd.usda.gov.

JOINT OPINION EDITORIAL                                                                                           by /s/ Tony Hernandez

Tony Hernandez, USDA Rural Housing Service Administrator

  Tony Hernandez administers USDA Rural Development’s hous­ing and community development programs.

Bruce Jones, Rural Develop­ment Acting State Director



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