affordable housing


affordable housing

Housing for people whose income is a certain percentage below the median income for an area, as determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). National and local governments provide incentives and cash assistance to developers to build new affordable housing or rehabilitate older apartment buildings or other projects and offer housing at rates deemed affordable for the area.

Currently, HUD has three affordable housing programs.They are

1. HOME. Provides grants to state and local governments to fund their programs to meet the housing needs of low-income and very low income families.

2. SHOP. Provides funds to nonprofit organizations to acquire home sites and develop or improve the systems for delivery of sweat equity and volunteer-based homeownership programs for low-income families.

3. HOZ. Provides funds for communities to reclaim vacant and blighted areas and create home ownership zones of mixed income, pedestrian friendly neighborhoods.