Frequently Asked Questions

Income eligibility is determined by the number of members living in your household and the total income. Income can be defined by

1. Gross wages from an employer
2. SSAN benefits
3. Retirement benefits

This total is then compared to the HUD income limits which can be found on page 5 of Income Limits (PDF).

Unfortunately, there are no housing rehabilitation funds available at this time. View other funding sources.

The CDBG program is a competitive grant program that runs on an annual application basis. The Town with the assistance of Breezeway Farm Consulting can apply and must show need, impact, community involvement, and feasibility. If the Town is fortunate enough to be awarded a grant, it usually is notified in the month of July. It then takes several months for the program to start.

Unfortunately, there are no housing rehabilitation funds available at this time.

Contact the Department of Planning and Development staff to express your interest in the grant program. The Department has the applications available and we would be happy to send you one or better yet, stop by our office so that we can better assist you.

Once you have filled out an application staff through the town's consultant, Breezeway Farm Consulting will contact you to set up a meeting to go over your application with you and assess how the program can best meet your needs.

Simply fill out an application and drop it off or mail it to the Department of Planning and Development, 109 Front Street, Department 10, Winchendon, MA 01475. The applications are date-stamped and filed in that order. It is a first come, first served process, unless there is an emergency which will be determined by our Rehabilitation Inspector.

The improvements are mostly to satisfy Sanitary Code violations. These can range from a new roof, septic system, furnace, hot water heater, insulation, windows, doors, egress, electrical and plumbing. Lead paint and asbestos must be dealt with if present in the home.

In the past, (including the FY16 grant round) the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) has required the town to target the area or areas of town that the funding will be applied if successful to better realize maximum impact. This means that the housing rehabilitation or infrastructure projects must be located in a predetermined "Target Area." There is a provision that up to 20% of the funds can be expended outside of the target area for emergency purposes. However, for the FY17 grant round DHCD has eliminated the "Target Area" requirement.

Yes there are several other avenues that a resident can take to find assistance.  Attached is a listing of agencies and contact numbers that are available.

View the Housing Repair Assistance in the Montachusett Region (PDF).

The maximum dollar amount for a single family residence is $30,000 unless lead paint is present, then it increases to $35,000. A two family home (owner/occupied) is eligible for $60,000 unless lead paint is present, then it increases to $70,000.