Marin County's Community Development Agency administers three federal grant programs which make grants available to nonprofit and public agencies for projects serving low income people. All three programs are funded by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development. The programs are:

• the Community Development Block Grant Program, known as CDBG
• the HOME Program
• the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program, known as HOPWA.

The Community Development Block Grant Program provides funding for housing, community facilities, and human services. The HOME program provides funding only for housing. There is an annual application cycle for the Community Development Block Grant and HOME Programs, with applications due in December for funding which becomes available in July. Both programs make grants only to nonprofit and public agencies, not to individuals. All projects must serve low-income people. For more information, call (415) 473-6268 and specify whether you want the Community Development Block Grant brochure or the HOME brochure, or both. You may also call the same number to ask to be placed on our mailing list for information about our grant application workshops and our annual application cycle. The competition for funding is intense, but the application is a one-page form that's easy to fill out.

The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS Program provides funding to local agencies for programs providing rental assistance and in-home attendant care to low-income people with AIDS. If you want to apply for assistance, please ask a case manager at any AIDS agency. If you don't have a case manager, you may contact the Marin AIDS Project at 457-2487.

There are many other block grants established by various state and federal agencies. To track down information about other block grants, try calling a local agency which provides services in that category.

Please remember that we make grants only to nonprofit or public agencies, not to individuals. If you are in need of individual assistance, please call the United Way toll-free at 1-800-273-6222 or the Marin Housing Assistline at 491-2345.

There are many sources of assistance for people who need affordable housing in Marin County. The programs include public housing, apartments for seniors and people with disabilities, nonprofit rental housing, shared rental housing, rental assistance you can use in a private apartment, emergency rent or security deposit assistance, and even affordable homeownership. Many programs are small, have long waiting lists, or have special eligibility requirements, but it's a good idea to apply and get yourself on the waiting list. Since there is not enough affordable housing available to meet the need, getting into affordable housing takes time.

Some programs give preference to special categories of people. Some of the categories that qualify for special assistance in some programs are:

• people with disabilities, including mental illness
• people with substance abuse problems
• seniors
• single parents
• people who have lost their housing through no fault of their own
• homeless people
• people living in substandard housing, a homeless shelter, or transitional housing
• people paying more than half their income for rent and utilities
• victims of domestic violence, and
• people living with HIV or AIDS

For further information, please call the Marin Housing Assistline at 491-2345. Tell the Assistline if you fall into any of the special categories. The Assistline can send you a list of affordable housing developments in Marin. Call any affordable project in which you are interested at the end of the month to see if the waiting list is open. Finding housing will take time! You will need to keep making phone calls to get on waiting lists. This won't be fun, but it's worth a try. It will take time to find the right program for you, and you may have to wait until there is a vacancy. Be patient, be flexible, and be persistent.

For information on below-market-rate homeownership, please call the Marin Housing Authority at 491-2550.

Housing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, the presence of children in your family, age, sexual orientation, or disability is illegal. If you think that you may be a victim of housing discrimination, please call Fair Housing of Marin at 457-5025. Fair Housing of Marin is a nonprofit agency which processes fair housing complaints. Their services include counseling, investigation, mediation, and referral to enforcement agencies.

The Residential Rehabilitation Loan Program makes low-interest housing improvement loans of up to $25,000 to qualified low-income homeowners for correction of substandard housing conditions and elimination of health and safety hazards. Examples of eligible work include:

• foundation, termite damage, and dry rot repairs
• plumbing, electrical, and heating system repairs
• roof work
• door and window repair
• stairs, deck, and railing repair
• disaster-related repairs
• energy conservation measures
• remodeling for wheelchair accessibility

Loans may be made for the rehabilitation of owner-occupied single-family houses or for approved "second units" within these homes. Loans are also available for houseboats in approved berths. The program operates throughout Marin County. For further information, please call the Marin Housing Authority at 491-2550.

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