City leaders discussed four programs available during a media briefing Wednesday.
“The mission of the whole housing division is safe and sanitary housing,” said housing development manager Logan Penfield.
Money for the programs comes from city’s $10.4 million housing budget.
Two of the programs, the Single-Family Rehabilitation Program and the Mobile Home Repair Program, both offer financial assistance to make repairs on a variety of projects. Both are based on income eligibility guidelines, Penfield said.
The Rental Rehabilitation Program provides low-interest loans to rental property owners for indoor and outdoor repairs.
Finally, the Public Safety Public Down Payment Assistance Program helps public safety employees, including firefighters and police officers, with up to $20,000 or 20% of a down payment on a qualifying house.
Everyone eligible for each of these programs must live within the Sioux Falls city limits.
Penfield said 134 households used these programs in 2022.
“It falls on each citizen in this community to make sure that they take a part in finding the properties that maybe their friends have, or their relatives or the elderly couple own the street that needs new windows or needs something,” said Jeff Nelson, chair of the Accessible Housing Advisory Board. “The citizens can help the city identify those so that we can give help to those people.”
Online applications for these programs will be added this summer. Penfield said the target date for these applications is the second week of July. Currently, people can apply in person or through the mail.
“This is an important thing to make sure people have safe, sanitary and good housing so that the people of Sioux Falls can look around the community, can drive around, and recognize that this community is something to be proud of,” Nelson said.
