Information for Applicants
The City of Salisbury has partnered with two non-profit organizations, Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County and Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services, to perform critical repairs to owner-occupied homes within the City corporate limits. These non-profits are recipients of the City of Salisbury’s PY 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding, which they will utilize to administrate the application and award process and perform the repairs.
All applicant household and property eligibility criteria outlined in the following pages must be met in to qualify for assistance. If, after reviewing, you are interested in applying and believe you may qualify, please contact either of the two subrecipient agencies at the following numbers for further information.
Contact Information:
Habitat for Humanity of Wicomico County 410-546-1551
Salisbury Neighborhood Housing Services 410-543-4626
Please note: 1) Basic qualification is not a guarantee that your project will be funded 2) Due to the requirements of the Federal grant through which this program is funded, it cannot operate as an emergency repair program and is therefore unable to provide emergency assistance.
Applicant Eligibility Requirements
- Total gross household income before taxes must be below 80% of Area Median Income. All occupant’s income must be counted. Current income limits categorized by household size:
Household size |
Total Income |
1 | $52,500 |
2 | $60,000 |
3 | $67,500 |
4 | $74,950 |
5 | $80,950 |
6 | $86,950 |
7 | $92,950 |
8 | $98,950 |
- Applicant must own the eligible property in fee simple, as joint tenants, or tenants by their entireties; no tenants in common type ownership.
- At least one owner on the deed of record must reside in the property to be rehabilitated.
- Applicant must have the legal capacity to incur obligations under the Program.
- All mortgage payments must be current for the previous three (3) months.
- Applicant must be free of any kind of tax lien or any kind of judgment.
- Bankruptcies must have been discharged for a minimum of 2 years.
- If combined with a loan, collections must be placed on a payment plan per the lender’s requirements, and other negative credit must be addressed in addition to the above-mentioned credit requirements.
- A maximum per property grant amount of $20,000 will apply unless there are extenuating circumstances.
- After receipt of grant, applicant is not eligible again until the 5-year lien term is expired.
Property Eligibility Requirements
Funds may be used to rehabilitate owner-occupied single-family homes. The following requirements apply:
- All property taxes and City issued invoices attached to a parcel I.D. must be current; includes utility and miscellaneous bills.
- Property must be within the City of Salisbury corporate limits.
- The applicant must have clear title to the property.
- Ownership of the property must be in fee simple or leasehold. Property must be titled as sole ownership, tenants by the entireties, or joint tenancy. Tenants in Common type of ownership is not acceptable.
- All existing mortgages must be current for the previous three (3) months.
- The property must be free of all judgments including IRS liens.
- The applicant must insure the property for the entire loan term. Any properties in the 100-year flood plain must have flood insurance; Properties located in a floodway are not eligible for assistance.
- A (5-year) “Notice of Lien” document must be signed and recorded in Land Records by Subrecipient; Subrecipient may use awarded grant funds to cover this cost.
- Owner-occupants must not own any house other than the one to be rehabilitated under the program and must not have substantial assets which would enable the applicant to secure rehabilitation funds from other sources.
Eligible Expenses
Eligible activities include repairs that will bring the house into compliance with City codes. These include but are not limited to the following:
- Repair or replacement of defective mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
- Repair or replacement of defective building components and surfaces, i.e., foundations, roofs, porches and stairways, floors, ceilings and walls, doors and windows, siding and trim.
- Energy conservation activities, i.e., insulation, caulking and weather-stripping, siding, doors, and windows.
- Lead paint hazard reduction.
- Accessibility for disabled persons.
- Incipient repairs and general property improvements of a non-luxury nature.
Ineligible Expenses
Typically, the City will not provide assistance for the following. However, the final eligibility determination will be based on the CDBG regulations.
- Creation of a secondary housing unit attached to a primary unit.
- New construction, substantial reconstruction, or the finishing of unfinished spaces such as attics or basements.
- Remodeling, cosmetic, or “General Property Improvements”.
- Installation of luxury items, such as swimming pools.
- Renovation of dilapidated out buildings.
- Costs of equipment, furnishings, or other personal property that is not an integral structural fixture, such as a window air conditioner or appliances. Appliances are not required by code standards .
- Materials, fixtures or equipment of a type or quality that exceeds that customarily used in the locality for properties of the same general type as the property to be rehabilitated.
- Labor costs for home owners to rehabilitate their own properties.