Help with home repairs in Minnesota

As this weekend's storms that damaged or destroyed entire towns in Illinois and Indiana have proven, the weather in the upper Midwest can be brutal on our homes.  But even if you haven't experienced devastating storm damage, every home will eventually need repairs and major systems (furnace, roof, etc.) will require replacement.  Informed consumers who take the Center's homebuyer education course, Home Stretch™, or our online version, Framework®, understand that owners should strive to save 1-2% of a home's purchase price EVERY YEAR for future maintenance.

At the Minnesota Homeownership Center, we understand that setting aside funds for future maintenance can be difficult and sometimes repairs or maintenance of major systems can occur unexpectedly.  For that reason, every quarter the Center produces a Home Rehab/Repair Matrix that helps homeowners identify home repair and rehab programs throughout Minnesota that can help with emergency repair, energy efficiency, lead hazard abatement and other general repairs.  Some of these programs are outright grants that cover the cost of the repair/rehab while others are loans, usually with below-market interest rates.  Most of the programs are designed for low- to moderate-income homeowners and have income limits.

The most recent version of the Home Rehab / Repair Matrix is now available and contains information on dozens of programs that can help Minnesota homeowners with repairs or maintenance on their homes.  

For a copy of the complete Home Rehab / Repair Matrix, as well as additional information for homeowners, visit the Center's website, here.

Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership Awarded USDA Housing Preservation Grant

Used under Creative Commons
License.  Photo by  ario_ 

Funding will help maintain housing stock in SW Minnesota


The Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership (SWMHP) has been selected to receive a $69,000 Housing Preservation Grant through USDA Rural Development. The grant will be used to assist 11 very-low and low-income households in the cities of St. James, Sleepy Eye, Winthrop, Gibbon and New Auburn make essential improvements and repairs to their homes.


SWMHP is a member of the Center's Homeownership Advisors Network and offers Home Stretch workshops and counseling, refinance counseling and foreclosure prevention services in dozens of counties in Southwest Minnesota.


The Housing Preservation Grant program provides funding to intermediaries such as town or county governments, public agencies, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and non-profit and faith-based and community organizations. These organizations then distribute the grants to homeowners and owners of multi-family rental properties or cooperative dwellings who rent to low- and very-low-income residents.  


Grants may be used to make general repairs, such as installing or improving plumbing or providing or enhancing access to people with disabilities. Funds may also be used to weatherize and make homes more energy efficient.


To learn more about the Southwest MN Housing Partnership, visit their website at http://www.swmhp.org/.  


Improvement and rehab programs available through the Southwest MN Housing Partnership are included in the Center's "Repair and Rehab Matrix" that we've created as a resource listing improvement, rehab and repair programs in local communities throughout the state.  Programs included in the Matrix include:

• emergency repair, 
• energy efficiency, 
• lead hazard abatement, and 
• general repair. 

Some funds are grants and others are loans, usually with below market interest rates.  Looking for help with repair or rehab on your home?  Visit the matrix page of the Center's website here: http://www.hocmn.org/en/rehab.cfm

Home Repair & Rehab Resources in Minnesota

The Minnesota Home Ownership has created an easy-to-use resource listing affordable home repair and rehab assistance programs throughout the state of Minnesota. Programs included in the resource include:

• emergency repair,
• energy efficiency upgrades,
• lead hazard abatement, and
• general repair.

Some funds are direct grants to homeowners and others are loans, usually with below market interest rates or forgivable terms. The resource outlines dozens of programs available throughout the state and includes information on who to contact and how to apply.

 

Here's a sample of one of the Rehab loans (Zero interest, deferred for 20 years) available to residents of St. Louis, Lake and Cook Counties.  There are several dozen other programs outlined in the printable resource:

 

 

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The complete “Home Rehab and Repair Matrix” can be viewed and downloaded, free of charge, from the Minnesota Home Ownership Center’s website here.