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Originally an arm of Lewis County Opportunities, Inc., the community action agency, Snow Belt Housing Company, Inc. was formally incorporated in 1982 as a separate private, nonprofit organization under the Rural Preservation Program. The purpose of Snow Belt is to provide decent, safe, affordable housing for low- and moderate-income persons within the service area of the County of Lewis.
Snow Belt receives $65,000 a year from the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal under the Rural Preservation Program. This amount had remained constant since 1982 when Snow Belt was first incorporated. The RPP provides operating funds for nonprofit organizations that perform housing and community renewal activities in designated low-income service areas. Snow Belt's designated service area is the County of Lewis, which has the second lowest income of any county in the state.
Grant funds are awarded to Snow Belt by federal and state sources under a competitive application process. These funds are used to provide low-income county residents with grants and loans for home repair and home purchase. The economic impact of Snow Belt in the local economy is significant. In 2004, 1099s totaling $589,356 were issued to local contractors and suppliers for housing rehabilitation activities. As the agency receives no county funds, the dollars received by local contractors and suppliers are all generated from outside the county. The economic impact is similar to the impact of tourism dollars, brining in new money rather than re-circulating existing dollars.
Income Limits
The maximum income limits for most of the programs and services may not exceed 80% of the county median income. Income guidelines for some programs may be lower and are set annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Click
here
for Income Limit Table.
The Programs
Programs and services provided by Snow Belt Housing to income-eligible applicants are briefly described below. You may click on any of the program names to learn more.
Application Assistance to Individuals (a) - Assistance is available to individuals in completing applications for USDA Rural Development loans and grants, bank mortgage applications and other types of assistance. These services are available at no charge to the applicant.
Application Assistance to Municipalities (a) - Assistance is also available to local governments for community improvement and revitalization projects. Grant applications have been written to the NYS Affordable Housing Corporation, NYS Division of Housing and Community Renewal, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, USDA Rural Development, and North Country HOME Consortium on behalf of communities in Snow Belt's service area. Municipalities may be charged a small fee for these services.
Home Ownership Assistance Programs - Homeownership Training is offered for those applying for a private bank mortgage. A Certificate of Completion is given at the end of the home study course allowing applicants to qualify for preferred mortgage programs at local banks. Grants for down payment and closing costs are often available for first-time homebuyers, depending on the availability of funding. Successful grant applicants are required to complete a homeownership-training course.
Home Repair Revolving Loan Fund - Loans at 3% interest are available to homeowners for repairs and improvements (up to $6,000). Loans at 7% interest are also available to landlords for repairs (up to $6,500). Landlords must rent to low-income tenants and be unable to secure financing from other financial sources. All applicants must demonstrate repayment ability, have good credit, and be willing to have a second mortgage placed on the property to secure the loan.
Home Improvement Program - Grants for up to 40% of the cost of rehabilitation are available to property owners for necessary home repairs and improvements through the NYS Affordable Housing Corporation. The remaining 60% match must be provided by the owner but can be in the form of personal savings, gifts, loans, or other grants. A mortgage is placed on the property for 2-5 years and does not have to be repaid if the owner resides in the property for the entire term. The maximum grant is $9,000 or 40% of the cost of repair (whichever is less).
Housing Rehabilitation Program - Snow Belt applies for housing rehabilitation grants on a regular basis to assist homeowners throughout the county with repairs that exceed what may be available under the Home Improvement or Revolving Loan Fund programs.
Rental Property
- Snow Belt owns eight buildings containing 22 low-income rental units and manages two twelve-unit apartment complexes for the elderly and handicapped.