CHAMBERSBURG–The Borough of Chambersburg is pleased to announce that Town Council has established a partnership with Luminest Community Development to re-start the Borough Housing Rehabilitation Program. Together, Council and Luminest Community Development secured a $250,000 HOME Investment Partnerships Program Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) to support the program. The Borough operated an owner-occupied housing rehabilitation program from 1992 through 2015 that rehabilitated more than 150 houses.
Luminest Community Development was chosen as a partner based on their strong history of providing affordable housing opportunities in Franklin County and the Borough. They are one of seven non-profit Community Housing Development Organizations in Pennsylvania certified by DCED, organized specifically to provide affordable housing services. They have planned and developed the expertise and staff capacity to add housing rehabilitation to their menu of services, in this case to rehabilitate owner-occupied houses in the Borough where 74% of the housing stock was built before 1969. Luminest Community Development will market and operate the Borough Housing Rehabilitation Program to provide rehabilitation for low and moderate income homeowners anywhere in the Borough, with the goal of rehabilitating five houses before December 31, 2024.
The Borough Housing Rehabilitation Program was created to assist low and moderate income families bring their homes not only into compliance with local codes but also to make them safe and habitable. Program eligibility requirements include:
- The house to be improved is owner-occupied
- The house is located within the limits of the Borough of Chambersburg
- The household’s total gross income does not exceed 80% of the area median income.
- The minimum loan request is $2,000
- The house is not a mobile home
To be eligible for the program, an owner occupied household income cannot exceed the income limits as established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) based on household size.
| 1-personhousehold | 2-personhousehold | 3-personhousehold | 4-personhousehold | 5-personhousehold | 6-personhousehold | 7-personhousehold | 8-personhousehold | |
| 80% IncomeLimit | $46,600 | $53,250 | $59,900 | $66,550 | $71,900 | $77,200 | $82,550 | $87,850 |
Chambersburg-Waynesboro, PA MSA – Effective June 1, 2022
Eligible homeowners will receive financial assistance through a non-interest-bearing loan. A contractor will be hired by the homeowner to complete housing rehabilitation work, to include the examples below.
- Insect infestation extermination (if needed)
- Attic insulation
- Hard-wired smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors
- Structural deficiencies
- Roofing deficiencies
- Plumbing deficiencies
- Heating deficiencies
- Electrical deficiencies
- Creation of safe ingress & egress
- Removal of all blighting exterior conditions
- Elimination of lead-based paint hazards per EPA Standards
If you would like to apply for the Borough Housing Rehabilitation Program, please contact Eric Wagaman at Luminest Community Development at 717-977-3900, X125 or ewagaman@luminest.org, or stop by their office at 82 West Queen Street in Chambersburg, Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
