To help strengthen its neighborhoods, the City of Davenport's Urban Homesteading program is once again taking applications. Each year, it renovates and remodels vacant and abandoned houses, and then sells them at an affordable price.
Heather Johnson, lead financial specialist for the city, says the program has been fixing houses, with grants from the U.S. government, for 30 years.
The Urban Homestead program sells houses each year to low income people, up to 35,000 dollars for a single person, and up to 50,000 for a family of four.
Johnson says the program not only helps the community and the people who buy the houses, but also the workers who renovate the houses.
Since the city holds the mortgages, it tries to choose applicants who are financially stable. Two houses are for sale this year-on Farnam Street and on 16th Street.
Applications are due April 30th and more information can be found on the City of Davenport's website at http://www.cityofdavenportiowa/homestead. Open houses will also be held at both.