The Community Housing Improvement Program, better known as C.H.I.P, is a government grant established for communities offering low to moderate income households help with their home improvements.

We offer the following programs:

The purpose of this program is to rehabilitate a one-family housing unit, which are owned and occupied by low and moderate-income households.

Eligible items for this program include: installation and/or repairs to foundations, roofs, gutters, electrical upgrades, plumbing, furnaces, hot water heaters, insulation, windows, doors, siding, accessibility improvements and lead-based paint abatement.

The purpose of this program is to provide home repairs to one-family housing units, which are owned and occupied by low and moderate-income households.

Eligible items for this program include: emergency repairs, handicapped accessibility, tap-ins, well and septic repairs or replacements, and lead-based paint abatement.

The purpose of the Emergency Monthly Housing Payments (EmHp) activity is to prevent household's inability to pay housing related costs from becoming a crisis, such as eviction, foreclosure, or utility disconnection. EmHp will assist lower income households experiencing undue hardship and threatened with homelessness due to utility disconnection and/or eviction (for mortgage/rents arrearages). Furthermore, EmHp will assist individuals/families who find themselves homeless to move into permanent housing. Through this activity, assistance will be provided on behalf of the eligible household, in the form of a grant to providers of such items or services as rent, security deposits, mortgage payments, and utility payments.

In order to be eligible for assistance, an applicant household must meet all the following criteria:

• Be an "owner-occupant" or "renter-occupant" of a single-family dwelling units (including industrialized/modular units and manufactured units commonly referred to as "mobile homes") or become an "owner-occupant" or "renter-occupant" of a single-family dwelling as a result of EmHp assistance.
• Have a total household income at or below 80% of HUD Section 8 medium family income limited (based on household size).

Any household residing in a single family dwelling, whose total income of all wage earners (18 years or older) must be less than the income guidelines listed below and they must reside in the County or the City of Ashland.

Yes, there are income limits (HUD FY 2010 limits effective 05/14/2010):

Applicants whose total net assets equal an amount greater than $100,000 are not eligible. Items considered net assets include but are not limited to: inheritances, personal valuables, collectables, and payments for mineral rights.

If you have any questions about the programs outlined here, please contact Malinda Freeman from the Ashland City/County CHIP Office at (419) 282-4215 or The Ohio Regional Development Corp. at (740) 622-0529. Our office will make every effort to assist you.