Home improvement workshop held in West Orange

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange Mayor Susan McCartney hosted a home improvement workshop for residents of multiple townships earlier this month.
Elvin Pereira, a loan advisor for Essex County, informed residents on how to qualify for aid and assistance for their homes.
The home improvement program is funded through the community development block grant program. CDBG provides deferred loans to low and moderate-income homeowners who occupy a 1 to 3 family home, providing improvements to heating, roofing, plumbing and electrical support.
To qualify for the program, homeowners must provide documents, including their W2’s, income tax transcripts, verification of employment letters and their property deeds, among others. Those who qualify for the program can receive up to $35,000 in support to improve their homes. The loan does not have to be repaid if you stay in the home for 10 years or longer, if you decide to move then you will be required to repay the loan. If you take the loan, but stay in the home more than six years, the amount that you owe decreases by 20 percent every year.

According to Pereira, the program includes a free inspection of your home to determine its condition and how much financial aid you will need to improve the home.
“Once you are approved for the program, within 24 to 48 hours an inspector will show up at your home to assess the condition of your home and determine the cost to repair your home,” Pereira said at the meeting.
The program does not include luxury and optional renovations to your home, according to Pereira.
“If it does not exist in the home we will not create it or add it,” Pereira said. “We will only improve on necessary repairs and fix damage that exists in the property.”
West Orange Council President Tammy Williams asked Pereira questions about how the program works and what residents should do to improve their chances of improving their homes.
“Make sure that you clarify things for the people attending this workshop today,” Williams said at the meeting. “For example, when you say current, that means that you can’t have a past due balance on your bill to qualify for the program.”
McCartney also spoke during the workshop to inform them of another upcoming meeting for home renovations in the near future.
“For those who are attending this workshop you will be invited to the next workshop,” McCartney said. “It will be about energy saving and home improvement for West Orange residents, so look forward to that workshop as well.”
Emergency repairs and services for homeowners will take immediate priority for applicants in the program, for others
it will be based on how quickly you
finish the application process.
“First one, first served, for applicants,” Pereira said. “Emergency situations go to the top of the list, whether it is heating, electrical or a plumbing burst that leads to flooding.”
If you have asbestos or lead in your home, the amount of financial aid that you can receive will decrease by $10,000, according to Pereira.
“If you have lead in your windows or throughout your home, we suggest that you wipe your home down,” Pereira said. “We cannot be responsible for solving your lead problems, as we are a federal program and have limited funding to support you. So, we cannot be responsible for your lead or asbestos concerns.”
If you live in Bloomfield, East Orange, Newark or Irvington, you do not qualify for this program. Those municipalities have a direct partnership with the Department of Housing Urban Development, if you wish to improve your home you need to contact the agency in your city.