How can I get a grant to provide affordable rent to people with disabilities?

Question

Hi, I have some investment capital but I want to purchase a 4 unit building and convert it to a disability accessable apartments with low income rent affordability. Can I get a grant to pay for any of purchase of the property and the renovations that would be necessary to provide this kind of housing. I am disabled and want to live in one of the units.

Has anyone done something like this? Can something like this be done? What are all the angles. Any info is greatly appreciated!

Answer 1

i really think that an undertaking like this needs a full time husky budget like only some government or government subsidized charity can maintain.

so you could approach a local government representative with your proposal and see if it flies. anybody that i know with a dream like yours gets an eight year run-a round, at least.

good luck....this is your reality check.

Answer 2

The Housing and Urban Development in their Grants Available page makes it clear that they do not provide grants to individuals -- hence no grants for a person to buy a home http://www.hud.gov/grants/index.cfm

"While HUD does not offer direct grants or loans to individuals, we do work through local governments and non-profit organizations to make financial assistance and counseling available."

You can go to the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) http://www.cfda.gov and Grants.gov http://www.grants.gov - these are two FREE sites created by the federal government to provide transparency and information on grants. Browse through the listings and see if you can find any grant that would support your purposes.

Even if you buy books on "how to get grants" or list that supposedly has information on grants -- all of them are mere rehash of what CFDA has, albeit packaged differently.

Note though that these grants generally support non-profit organizations, intermediary lending institutions, and state and local governments. Most of the federal grants are given to specific target groups with specific requirements (e.g. minority business owners involved in transportation related contracts emanating from DOT - Grant#20.905 Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Short Term Lending Program. Individuals especially for personal purposes are not eligible for federal grants.

Grants are also often given to non profit groups or organizations involved in training or other similar activities (grant 59.043 Women's Business Ownership Assistance that are given to those who will create women's business center that will train women entrepreneurs

If you organize yourself as a non profit organization, you stand a better chance of getting government grant than as a for-profit business