Earthquake recovery efforts to end incident-related displacement, begin rebuilding, and connect impacted residents to resources continue in Rio Dell and surrounding Humboldt County communities.
Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Loans
Low-income homeowners with residences in unincorporated Humboldt County and the City of Rio Dell whose homes sustained earthquake damage may qualify for owner-occupied rehabilitation loans.
These low interest, deferred payment loans are made possible with approximately $2 million in funds received by the County of Humboldt and the City of Rio Dell through the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s CalHome and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs.
The County of Humboldt’s Planning and Building Department is currently accepting pre-applications for owner-occupied rehabilitation loans and has partnered with the City of Rio Dell to administer Rio Dell’s CDBG Program funds.
Homeowners with residences that have been red tagged due to earthquake damage are especially encouraged to submit a pre-application to begin the loan screening process.
The maximum loan amount Rio Dell CDBG loan recipients may receive is $80,000 and the minimum loan amount is $5,000. The maximum loan amount eligible residents may receive in CalHome funds is $200,000, and loans typically range from $25,000-75,000.
For income-based qualifying homeowners, owner occupied rehab loans may be used to remediate health and safety issues, bring homes up to building code standards, repair or replace major home systems, make energy savings-related improvements, make Americans with Disability Act (ADA) accessibility improvements, and repair earthquake, flood, or fire damage.
To be eligible for an owner-occupied rehab loan, you must:
- Earn less than 80% of Humboldt County’s median income adjusted for household size. For a family of four in 2023, that is up to $62,300 a year.
- Be a full-time resident in your home located in an unincorporated area of Humboldt County or within Rio Dell city limits.
- Maintain property insurance and your property taxes must be paid current.
- After rehabilitation, the value of your home does not exceed 105% of the median purchase price in Humboldt County, as defined by the California Association of Realtors.
Owner-occupied rehabilitation loan rates are 3%, simple interest, amortized for 30 years. Loans are secured by a deed of trust with no payments required as long as the borrower remains in the residence, property taxes are paid, and fire insurance is maintained.
Homeowners who are interested in applying for owner-occupied rehabilitation loans must fill out a pre-application form. Completed forms must be emailed to plbl_grants@co.humboldt.ca.us, dropped off in person, or mailed to the following address: County of Humboldt Attn: Housing, 3015 H Street, Eureka, CA 95501.
For more information on owner occupied rehabilitation loans, please contact the Humboldt County Planning and Building Department at 707-267-9402.
For updated information and available resources regarding earthquake recovery, visit humboldtgov.org/earthquake.