SVdP asks eligible homeowners to start by completing a needs assessment form.
Homeowners in the Oakridge-Westfir areas who need help to make health- and safety-oriented home repairs are sought to complete a simple assessment form for the Regional Housing Rehabilitation Loan Program (RHRP).
St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County (SVdP), through the RHRP, is working with Lane County to apply for grant funding from the state to make available for needed home repairs in the rural Oakridge-Westfir area. The SVdP-administered program uses grant funds to provide financial assistance — in the form of low-interest, payment-deferred loans — to help eligible homeowners make necessary repairs so they can live safely in their homes.
This program focuses on essential repairs, not home remodeling. Common areas of focus include roofs, foundations, plumbing, electrical, heating systems, insulation, siding, windows and doors, paint, septic/drain fields, dry rot, and accessibility issues.
“This is not too good to be true; it’s not a handout, but a hand up,” says RHRP Program Manager Andy Clay. “Over the years, hundreds of homeowners have benefited by using some equity in their home to make needed repairs without impacting the monthly household budget.”
The first step is for Oakridge-Westfir homeowners who are income-eligible (see chart below) to submit information using a needs-assessment form on SVdP’s website. The fillable PDF forms can be downloaded at bit.ly/svdpRHRP, completed, and emailed to [email protected] or mailed to St. Vincent de Paul, RHRP Dept., P.O. Box 24608, Eugene, OR 97402.
More information is available by calling Andy Clay at (541) 501-0894 cell.
Gross Annual Income Limits for RHRP Program (as of May 2023)
Household size/Maximum income:
1 / $47,250
2 / $54,000
3 / $60,750
4 / $67,450
5 / $72,850
6 / $78,250
7 / $83,650
8 / $89,050
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.