Applications for the federally funded Homeowner Rehabilitation Program are now available. Gainesville residents can pick up applications at the City of Gainesville Housing and Community Development Division at the Thomas Center, which is located at 306 Northeast 6th Avenue.
"By the time we got to work, and we started work at 7, there were already three famlies outside when we came in," said Teresa Osoba of the City of Gainesville Housing and Community Development Division. "There's always a lot of families ready to participate."
The federal government has provided a little more than 1 million dollars to the program, which is dedicated to helping repair health and safety violations in homes of those who may not be able to afford it.
Osoba said there are several issues that the program seeks to address, including heating, windows, doors, leaking roofs and plumbing.
The funds will be made available to homeowners who fit the eligibility criteria, which includes being in the corporate city limits of the City of Gainesville. Once an applicant is approved, the repair process begins.
The application cycle is only open once a year, so many families have made sure to apply for the program early. The application process began Monday and works on a first-come, first-served basis until all funds have been used.
Osoba said the benefits of this program are huge for the city because it will help to revitalize neighborhoods.
"The reward (is) knowing that families are no longer living in substandard conditions that they cant' afford to have repaired themselves," she said.