LOYALTON’S HOUSING CRISIS has to do with houses needing rehabilitation. Former stately homes, now dilapidated, line many of the streets throughout town. Rusted out vehicles and decaying fencing add to the scene. It doesn’t help home values and/or aesthetics. With declining population and reduced governmental resources available to address housing conditions, it is difficult for folks wanting to invest in their homes and their community as they experience decline. Measures that can help improve housing conditions include having an active code enforcement program and providing for an active housing rehabilitation. The real answer is creating hope in the community and seeing folks stepping up to improve their homes and their lives. Sometimes all this takes is one or two homeowners taking on an effort to rehabilitate their home. Other neighbors see this reinvestment and then they step up with their own improvements. This can then lead to increased housing investment and growth in the community.
Loyalton’s Contract Planner Gary Price says obtaining grants and administering a City rehabilitation program are cost prohibitive and may not be very effective for a community the size of Loyalton. For larger, more urbanized areas in California, where there are more resources, a City housing rehabilitation program makes sense. But, establishing one for a community as small as Loyalton, with less than 500 homes, the costs for hiring grant writers, administrators, finance and building inspection staff is not feasible. However, City and County residents can take advantage of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) housing improvement program that is available now. This program offers grants and loans to homeowners to rehabilitate their homes. Loans may be deferred to when they go to sell, they pay the loan.
What does this program do?
Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, this provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.
To qualify, you must:
Be the homeowner and occupy the house
Be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere; Have a household income that does not exceed the very low limit by county; For grants, be age 62 or older. Loans may be used to repair, improve or modernize homes or remove health and safety hazards. Grants must be used to remove health and safety hazard. Maximum loan is $40,000; Maximum grant is $10,000 Loans and grants can be combined for up to $50,000 in assistance Block grant programs, according to Gary, need development of a program, building inspector and a need for partners.
Gary is currently working on updates to Sierra County and Loyalton's Housing Elements. These planning documents describe housing conditions and provide opportunities to qualify for State grants that can help improve the community. Housing Elements are subject to approval by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). For Loyalton, having an updated housing element provides grant opportunities for things like improvements to the City's water and sewer systems. These types of infrastructure improvements directly link to improved housing conditions and increased capacity to increase housing supply.
As with the County, Loyalton has kept their housing elements current and in compliance with State Law with updates occurring every 5 years. But, there has been concern with all the new housing laws that continue to increase the complexity and cost of preparing housing element updates. With the work recently completed on the County's housing element update, the City is anticipated to use much of that information to help off-set these increasing costs. HCD has also offered to help both agencies in
preparing the updates. These components should reduce housing discrimination and provide equal opportunities for lower income folks with improved access to housing.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend a public workshop with the City Council to kick off Loyalton's Housing Element Update on May 21, at 6 pm at the Loyalton City Hall Auditorium, located at 605 School Street. The City wants public input as to how the community can improve housing conditions so this is a great opportunity to have your voice heard. The current housing element can be reviewed at:
https://www.cityofloyalton.org/housing-element.html
All interested persons are invited to present testimony on the matter at the meeting, and/or submit written comments prior to the meeting. Copies of the draft document are available for purchase or review at City Hall at 605 School Street, Loyalton, CA. Additional information may be obtained regarding this matter and you may also request an electronic version of the document by contacting City Clerk, Kathy Leblanc, at (530) 993-6750 or by e-mail at [email protected]
Loyalton’s Contract Planner Gary Price says obtaining grants and administering a City rehabilitation program are cost prohibitive and may not be very effective for a community the size of Loyalton. For larger, more urbanized areas in California, where there are more resources, a City housing rehabilitation program makes sense. But, establishing one for a community as small as Loyalton, with less than 500 homes, the costs for hiring grant writers, administrators, finance and building inspection staff is not feasible. However, City and County residents can take advantage of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) housing improvement program that is available now. This program offers grants and loans to homeowners to rehabilitate their homes. Loans may be deferred to when they go to sell, they pay the loan.
What does this program do?
Also known as the Section 504 Home Repair program, this provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.
To qualify, you must:
Be the homeowner and occupy the house
Be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere; Have a household income that does not exceed the very low limit by county; For grants, be age 62 or older. Loans may be used to repair, improve or modernize homes or remove health and safety hazards. Grants must be used to remove health and safety hazard. Maximum loan is $40,000; Maximum grant is $10,000 Loans and grants can be combined for up to $50,000 in assistance Block grant programs, according to Gary, need development of a program, building inspector and a need for partners.
Gary is currently working on updates to Sierra County and Loyalton's Housing Elements. These planning documents describe housing conditions and provide opportunities to qualify for State grants that can help improve the community. Housing Elements are subject to approval by the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). For Loyalton, having an updated housing element provides grant opportunities for things like improvements to the City's water and sewer systems. These types of infrastructure improvements directly link to improved housing conditions and increased capacity to increase housing supply.
As with the County, Loyalton has kept their housing elements current and in compliance with State Law with updates occurring every 5 years. But, there has been concern with all the new housing laws that continue to increase the complexity and cost of preparing housing element updates. With the work recently completed on the County's housing element update, the City is anticipated to use much of that information to help off-set these increasing costs. HCD has also offered to help both agencies in
preparing the updates. These components should reduce housing discrimination and provide equal opportunities for lower income folks with improved access to housing.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend a public workshop with the City Council to kick off Loyalton's Housing Element Update on May 21, at 6 pm at the Loyalton City Hall Auditorium, located at 605 School Street. The City wants public input as to how the community can improve housing conditions so this is a great opportunity to have your voice heard. The current housing element can be reviewed at:
https://www.cityofloyalton.org/housing-element.html
All interested persons are invited to present testimony on the matter at the meeting, and/or submit written comments prior to the meeting. Copies of the draft document are available for purchase or review at City Hall at 605 School Street, Loyalton, CA. Additional information may be obtained regarding this matter and you may also request an electronic version of the document by contacting City Clerk, Kathy Leblanc, at (530) 993-6750 or by e-mail at [email protected]
A PRIME EXAMPLE of Loyalton’s “housing crisis” is the former Milton Gottardi home on Mill Street. Milt, a lifelong resident of Loyalton, taught 39 years at the local high school, served on the City Council 36 years,was mayor for 29 years and spear-headed the local museum, for whom it is named.
One can only imagine the volumes of history contained in the former home which had been kept immaculate for decades by the Gottardi family. His obituary stated, “He was the consummate gardener who took great pride in his yard and providing flowers for his church as well as various businesses within the community.”
One can only imagine the volumes of history contained in the former home which had been kept immaculate for decades by the Gottardi family. His obituary stated, “He was the consummate gardener who took great pride in his yard and providing flowers for his church as well as various businesses within the community.”