§ 1474 — Loans And Grants For Repairs Or Improvements Of Rural Dwellings

(a) The Secretary may make a loan, grant, or combined loan and grant to an eligible very low-income applicant in order to improve or modernize a rural dwelling, to make the dwelling safer or more sanitary, or to remove hazards. The Secretary may make a loan or grant under this subsection to the applicant to cover the cost of any or all repairs, improvements, or additions such as repairing roofs, providing sanitary waste facilities, providing a convenient and sanitary water supply, repairing or providing structural supports, or making similar repairs, additions, improvements, including all preliminary and installation costs in obtaining central water and sewer service. The maximum amount of a grant, a loan, or a loan and grant shall not exceed such limitations as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. Any portion of the sums advanced to the borrower treated as a loan shall be secured and be repayable within twenty years in accordance with the principles and conditions set forth in this subchapter, except that a loan for less than $7,500 need be evidenced only by a promissory note. Sums made available by grant may be made subject to the conditions set forth in this subchapter for the protection of the Government with respect to contributions made on loans made by the Secretary. (b) In order to encourage adequate family-size farms the Secretary may make loans under this section and section 1473 of this title to any applicant whose farm needs enlargement or development in order to provide income sufficient to support decent, safe, and sanitary housing and other farm buildings, and may use the funds made available under clause (b) of section 1483 of this title for such purposes. (1) In addition to other duties specified in this section, the Secretary shall develop and conduct a weatherization program for the purpose of making grants to finance the purchase or installation, or both, of weatherization materials in dwelling units occupied by low-income families. Such grants shall be made to low-income families who own dwelling units or, subject to the provisions of paragraph (2), to owners of such units for the benefit of the low-income tenants residing therein. In making grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to the weatherization of dwelling units occupied by low-income elderly or handicapped persons. The Secretary shall, in carrying out this section, consult with the Director of the Community Services Administration and the Secretary of Energy for the purpose of coordinating the weatherization program under this subsection, section 2809(a)(12) of this title, and part A of the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 [42 U.S.C. 6861 et seq.]. (2) In the case of any grant made under this subsection to an owner of a rental dwelling unit the Secretary shall provide that (A) the benefits of weatherization assistance in connection with such unit will accrue primarily to the low-income family residing therein, (B) the rents on such dwelling unit will not be raised because of any increase in value thereof due solely to weatherization assistance provided under this subsection, and (C) no undue or excessive enhancement will occur to the value of such unit. (3) In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary shall (A) implement the weatherization standards described in paragraphs (2)(A) and (3) of section 413(b) of the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 [42 U.S.C. 6863(b)], and (B) provide that, with respect to any dwelling unit, not more than $800 of any grant made under this section be expended on weatherization materials and related matters described in section 415(c) of the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 [42 U.S.C. 6865(c)], except that the Secretary shall increase such amount to not more than $1,500 to cover labor costs in areas where the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, determines there is an insufficient number of volunteers and training participants and public service employment workers, assisted pursuant to title I of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act [29 U.S.C. 3111 et seq.] or the Community Service Senior Opportunities Act [42 U.S.C. 3056 et seq.], available to work on weatherization projects under the supervision of qualified supervisors. (4) For purposes of this subsection, the terms “elderly,” “handicapped person,” “low income,” and “weatherization materials” shall have the same meanings given such terms in paragraphs (3), (5), (7), and (9), respectively, of section 412 of the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 [42 U.S.C. 6862].