Cornwall Ontario — The Ontario Renovates home improvement program has proven to be very popular among residents of Cornwall and Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, and officials expect the heightened interest in the program to continue as a new round of funding becomes available.

To date, approximately 250 homeowners in Cornwall and SDG have received assistance through Ontario Renovates, a home improvement program that aims to assist low and modest income homeowners.

“The goal of the program is to help residents remain in their homes longer,” said Debora Daigle, Manager of Social and Housing Services. “We expect there will be plenty of interest when the next application round for Ontario Renovates opens on Monday, October 6th.”

Through the program, eligible homeowners can receive funding for urgent home repairs as well as modifications to increase accessibility.

The Ontario Renovates program has two different components:

• An Urgent Home Repair component where eligible homeowners can receive a maximum forgivable loan of $16,000 which is earned over a 10-year period. Projects which may qualify under this component include upgrades to heating systems, foundations, roofs and electrical systems.

• An Accessibility Modification component where eligible homeowners can receive a maximum grant of $5,000. Projects which may qualify under this component include ramps and handrails.

In order to be eligible, participating homeowners must have a gross household income of $45,000 or less and the house value must be below $160,000. In addition, the property must be owned and be the sole and principal residence of the applicant(s), and proof is required that property taxes, home insurance and mortgage payments are paid up to date. The property must be located within the City of Cornwall or the United Counties of SDG. Funding is not available for work that is already started or for rental properties.

New Application Round
Application forms for the program will be available as of Monday, October 6th, 2014, and completed applications must be received by 4:00 pm on Friday, October 17th, 2014.

Application forms can be downloaded from the City website as of Monday, October 6th, 2014 (look for Ontario Renovates under the ‘Popular Topics’ section on the main page of the City website). Copies can also be obtained from the City of Cornwall Social Housing Office (as of Monday, October 6th) at 340 Pitt Street (3rd Floor) or by calling (613) 930-2787 ext. 2344 or 2309. Eligible applications will be reviewed and allocations approved on a first-come, first-served basis until the funds for the program are depleted.