DANBY, NY (607NewsNow) — Through funding from the New York State Office of Community Renewal and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, the Town of Danby has announced its launch of its Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program.

The Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program aims to help low-to-moderate income homeowners with improving weatherization, structural issues, getting residences up to code, enhancing accessibility if necessary, and upgrading living conditions.

Maximum income levels for participation are dependent on the number of members in a household and range from $66,100 for a household of one to $124,650 for a household of eight. Average project assistance ranges from $30,000 to $40,000, with the maximum award reaching up to $75,000 per home.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must:

• Own and occupy a single-family home within the Town of Danby.
• Meet income eligibility requirements (at or below 80% of the area median income).
• Be current on property and school taxes, mortgage payments, and insurance.
• Reside in a home determined to be substandard and in need of rehabilitation.

The program provides technical assistance including property inspections and needs assessments, development of work scopes and cost estimates, contractor bidding and selection support, and construction oversight and inspections. Structural repairs, roofing, electrical, heating upgrades, plumbing, insulation, accessibility modifications, and remediation of health and safety hazards such as lead-based paint are all eligible improvements through this program.

The Town of Danby has hired Thoma Development consultants to administer the program. Contractors who are interested in completing rehabilitation work under the program should contact the program administrator, while residents interested in applying are encouraged to contact Thoma for more information. They can be reached by phone at (607) 753-1433, or in person at 34 Tompkins Street, Cortland, NY 13045.