Help for Rehabbing Houses Available Through the Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program

Owner-occupied Homeowners in Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park, who meet required Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program, or NHRP, eligibility requirements, might be eligible to receive help with necessary rehabilitation items through the Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program.

The program, administered by the Prince William County Office of Housing and Community Development, offers financial assistance to income-eligible owner-occupied residences to help correct health and safety issues and increase energy efficiency.

Eligibility for the program requires that combined gross household income may not exceed 80 percent of the Washington, D.C. median income, adjusted for family size by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A household of four people in Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park making less than $90,000 would be income-eligible to apply for the program. Along with other program requirements, homeowners must have a 12-month record of paying their mortgage on time.

Eligible rehabilitation items include the replacement of existing siding, doors, windows, roofs, heating systems, foundations, carpeting, fencing, landscaping, kitchens and bathrooms. The program also assists in making a home more ADA-accessible.

Prince William County receives funding for the program from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant.

Funding for eligible rehabilitation is provided through a 30-year deferred loan that homeowners pay back when they sell their houses, refinance for cash out or change ownership. When a homeowner sells their house, the county gets repayment on the loan and rolls that money into the program for future clients.

“There’s no money out of anyone’s pocket,” said Community Planning and Development Analyst David Watkins. “Whenever the property is sold in the future, refinances for cash out or equity removal or sold, the county gets its money back.”

While the federal government requires information including recent tax returns, pay stubs, bank statements and a Housing Quality Inspection, the Community Planning and Development staff administering the program can help by answering questions and offering guidance.

Once people apply for the program, the Office of Housing and Community Development Community Planning and Development steps in to help get things started.

“When people apply to our program through the online application portal on the county’s website, we take over the process. We do the intake. We do the income determination. We verify ownership. We go out and do physical inspections of the properties,” Watkins said.

The Office of Housing and Community Development accepts NHRP applications throughout the year.

“There’s no waiting list. People apply whenever,” Watkins said. “There’s no enrollment period, and we have never gotten to the point where we’ve run out of funding.”

Since its beginning over 35 years ago, the program has helped more than 600 homeowners in Prince William County and the cities of Manassas and Manassas Park totaling approximately $25 million.