HUD
No. 04-15 Patricia Campbell (817) 978-5974/5965 | For
Release Wednesday June 2, 2004 |
HUD SECRETARY JACKSON ANNOUNCES MORE THAN $11.7 MILLION IN DOWNPAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS IN TEXAS
American Dream Downpayment Act to Provide Up to $10,000 to Eligible Individuals and Families
FORT WORTH - Hundreds of low-income families living in Texas communities can now realize the dream of homeownership because of $11,734,341 million in American Dream Downpayment Initiative (ADDI) funding announced today by Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson. (See chart below.)
"The single greatest obstacle to homeownership is the downpayment and closing costs," said Jackson. "This program will give first-time homebuyers downpayment assistance grants up to $10,000 or six percent of the home's purchase price, whichever is greater. Not only will these grants help to defray the upfront costs of purchasing a first home, they can also be used to help offset the costs of rehabilitating the property."
To
be eligible for this assistance, individuals must be first-time homebuyers interested
in purchasing one- to four-family housing, condominium unit, cooperative unit
or manufactured housing. In addition, individuals who qualify for this assistance
must have incomes not exceeding 80 percent of area median income. If you are interested
in
obtaining downpayment assistance through this program, local information is
available on the Internet.
Jackson
said, "During the Bush Administration, a record number of new homeowners,
specifically minority families,
have achieved a home of their own. I encourage
Congress to fully support the President's request to continue this important new
homeownership tool so even more Texas families can realize their American Dream."
Community | American Dream Funding |
Amarillo |
$113,564 |
Arlington |
$236,438 |
Austin |
$661,065 |
Corpus Christi | $166,018 |
Dallas | $1,164,409 |
Denton | $51,438 |
El Paso | $325,092 |
Fort Worth | $413,482 |
Garland | $108,772 |
Houston | $1,729,269 |
Irving | $173,037 |
Laredo | $83,373 |
Lubbock | $163,035 |
Orange Regional Consortium | $35,998 |
Pasadena | $54,644 |
Plano | $66,753 |
San Antonio | $731,835 |
Waco | $115,023 |
Bexar County | $60,467 |
Brazoria County | $88,775 |
Dallas County | $83,541 |
Fort Bend County | $55,614 |
Harris County | $436,671 |
Hidalgo County | $105,749 |
Montgomery County | $55,720 |
Tarrant County | $202,461 |
State of Texas | $4,252,098 |
Texas
Total | $11,734,341 |
The American Dream Downpayment Act will be administered under HUD's HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). Since its inception, the HOME Program has assisted more than 300,000 families to become homeowners, 55 percent of which are minorities. Information about The American Dream Downpayment Initiative is available on theInternet.
June
is National Homeownership month - a month-long educational outreach effort designed
to provide important homebuying information and financial tools, particularly
to minority families. The Census reports that, for the first
time in our nation's
history, more than half of minority families own their own home. But minority
homeownership
rates still fall well short of the national homeownership rate of
nearly 70 percent. In June 2002, President Bush
issued The Homeownership Challenge
to close this 'homeownership gap' by adding 5.5 million minority homeowners
by
the end of the decade. Since then, more than two dozen organizations are working
to create more than $1 trillion in mortgage financing for minority homebuyers.
HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development as well as enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.
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