CHIP
Grants and 100% forgivable loans to help homeowners, landlords, and first-time homebuyers (down-payment assistance) throughout Wayne County repair their homes and neighborhoods. CHIP stands for Community Housing Impact and Preservation.
TAKING APPLICATIONS! Wayne County, the City of Wooster, and the City of Orrville CHIP Partnership, with support from the Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority and the City of Rittman, have been awarded CHIP funding for 2024 and 2025! CHIP continues to take grant applications while funds remain available.
APPLICATIONS BY WMHA
About
The City of Wooster, City of Orrville, Wayne County, and the Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority have created a Partnership to help area homeowners, homebuyers, and landlords in covering costs to upgrade homes and apartments. The program allows Wooster and Wayne County (with Orrville) to extend four specialized grant programs to help limited-income homeowners and home-buyers, and also landlords, in repairing and rehabilitating homes throughout Wayne County. Individuals with incomes up to $48,900 or families of four with incomes up to $69,850 qualify for grant opportunities, as do any landlords committing to certain temporary rent controls.
Programs
Four Programs To Revitalize Your Home
- Grants for low-income households for emergency home repairs (including roof, heating, and septic).
- 100% forgivable loans for low-to-moderate income households to rehabilitate their homes.
- 100% forgivable loans for first-time home-buyers purchasing homes in need of repair.
- Forgivable 10-year loan for landlords providing a minimum 25% match in rehabilitating units for low-to-moderate income residents.
- Qualifying moderate-income for a family of four is $69,850 in Wayne County, or $48,900 for an individual in 2024.
Starting in 2014, the City of Wooster, the City of Orrville, and Wayne County teamed up as a Partnership to apply for and win funding for a Community Housing Impact and Preservation Program, or simply, CHIP. The State of Ohio provides a combination of Federal and State funds to the Partnership for the program.
As in past years, the Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority is the consultant for the City of Wooster and Wayne County Partnership, and is available to help residents, homebuyers, and landlords with any questions they may have about CHIP.
Private Rehabilitation
This program helps homeowners rehabilitating single-family homes with up to $75,000 in funding. A single rehabilitation may entail several projects, such as plumbing upgrades, roof repairs, kitchen upgrades, appliance replacement, removal of lead-based paint, repairs to siding, electrical upgrades, and other repairs needed to make a home safe and secure. Homeowners who qualify will receive a three-year deferred (no interest) loan from either the City of Wooster municipal government or Wayne County government (depending on location) to make the repairs needed to ensure a safe and vibrant home. The loan is forgiven proportionally each year until 100% forgiven.
This exciting program provides a 5 to 15-year no-interest loan for future homeowners seeking to purchase and repair an older home. The program covers homeowners' downpayment, allowing them to seek better terms on their mortgage and purchase their home sooner. Additionally, the program covers the cost of safety repairs necessary to keep the home in working order for years to come. Both applicants and the home being purchased must quality. Applicants must be low-to-moderate income, otherwise qualify for a mortgage (conventional, FHA, USDA, etc), and be willing to complete a HUD-approved 8 hour buyer education course (either in person or online). For a home to qualify, the structure should not require more than $75,000 in safety repairs (some exceptions apply) and units must be priced under Wayne County's median home price. The Homeownership program pays for the downpayment and repairs through a 0% deferred second mortgage, which is fully forgiven over three years (or 33% each year).
Getting Started
The first step is to contact the CHIP Administrator to provide answer a few pre-qualifying questions. You will then be asked to schedule an appointment to review the application materials.
By providing an application, you will be agreeing to abide by the program’s rules and give permission for the CHIP program to confirm your information. You may also need to provide bank statements, mortgage payment histories, and proof of income in addition to social security cards and/or drivers licenses.
The City of Wooster and Wayne County (with Orrville and Rittman) each have a Project Review Committee that will then review and rank all applications. (Note: Funding decisions are made solely by the Partnership and not WMHA.) Home Repair projects are awarded as long as funding allows. A myriad of rules govern which projects may be funded, including the applicant's household income, severity of safety and health issue being corrected, and the current market value of the property. Unfortunately, while best efforts will be made to assist applicants, not every applicant will receive assistance. Early and complete applications are encouraged.
Private Rehabilitation, Homeownership Assistance, and and Home Repair projects are only available to residents who will continue using their home as their primary residence into the foreseeable future.
Landlords must commit to renting their CHIP-assisted apartment units to low-to-moderate income households for a period of ten years.
NOTE: CHIP is federally funded through the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) program and also through HOME funds, both made possible through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD. A portion of the program is also funded by the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, which is supported by the State of Ohio. Additionally, many CHIP program applicants also make contributions to the program.
Savings
Savings with the Community Reinvestment Area Program
Note: Residents, regardless of income, who own homes in certain older neighborhoods in Doylestown, Orrville, Rittman, or Wooster, may be eligible to receive a tax abatement for rehabilitating their homes as part of the Community Reinvestment Area Program.
For instance, a homeowner making a $20,000 investment adding on to their home may save up to $400 in taxes each year for 10 years in some communities, saving $4,000.
- For Wooster property owners, please learn about our Residential CRA Program via the link below. You may also reach our Development Coordinator at 330.263.5250
- For Orrville residents, please contact the City's Planning & Community Development Manager at: 330.263.5250
- For Doylestown residents, please contact the Village's Housing Officer at: 330.658.2181
- For Rittman residents, please contact the City's Community Reinvestment specialist at 330.925.2045.
WOOSTER RESIDENTIAL CRA PROGRAM
Documents sorted by SEQ in Ascending Order within category
Special Thanks
This program is made possible by:
- City of Wooster
- Wayne County
- City of Orrville
- City of Rittman
- Wayne Metropolitan Housing Authority
- Ohio Development Services Agency
- Ohio Housing Trust Fund
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
The Partnership thanks the many communities, volunteers, governments, agencies, and NGOs that assisted to create the program. Additional thanks is extended to Community Action Wayne/Medina, which has generously volunteered in sharing its resources to support certain CHIP projects, the Wayne County Housing Coalition for its time and counsel, and to the many area landlords who contributed to the program.
City of Wooster Development
To learn more about other programs and opportunities for residents and businesses in the City of Wooster, please return to our Development page via the link below.
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