(a) A Colonia Self-Help Center may only serve Income Eligible Families in the targeted Colonias by:
- (1) Providing assistance in obtaining Loans or Grants to build, Rehabilitate, repair or Reconstruct a home;
- (2) Teaching construction skills necessary to repair or build a home;
- (3) Providing model home plans;
- (4) Operating a program to rent or provide tools for home construction and improvement for the benefit of property owners in Colonias who are building or repairing a residence or installing necessary residential infrastructure;
- (5) Assisting to obtain, construct, access, or improve the service and utility infrastructure designed to service residences in a Colonia, including potable water, wastewater disposal, drainage, streets, and utilities;
- (6) Surveying or platting residential property that an individual purchased without the benefit of a legal survey, plat, or record;
- (7) Providing credit and debt counseling related to home purchase and finance;
- (8) Applying for Grants and Loans to provide housing and other needed community improvements;
- (9) Providing other services that the Colonia Self-Help Center, with the approval of the Department, determines are necessary to assist Colonia residents in improving their physical living conditions, including help in obtaining suitable alternative housing outside of a Colonia's area;
- (10) Providing assistance in obtaining Loans or Grants to enable an individual or a family to acquire fee simple title to property that originally was purchased under a Contract for Deed, contract for sale, or other executory contract;
- (11) Providing access to computers, the internet and computer training pursuant to the General Appropriations Act; and
- (12) Providing monthly programs to educate individuals and families on their rights and responsibilities as property owners.
- (b) Through a Colonia Self-Help Center, a Colonia resident may apply for any direct Loan or Grant program operated by the Department.
- (c) Ineligible Activities. Any type of Activity not allowed by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. §§5301, et seq.) is ineligible for funding.
- (d) A Colonia Self-Help Center may not provide Grants, financing, or Mortgage Loan services to purchase, build, Rehabilitate, or finance construction or improvements to a home in a Colonia if water service and suitable wastewater disposal are not available.
Source Note:The provisions of this §25.3 adopted to be effective November 1, 2012, 37 TexReg 8500; amended to be effective August 3, 2014, 39 TexReg 5740.