The household must be located in the Williamsport City Limits, contain a person with a disability, and household income at or below 80% of median incomes. This is gross income, before taxes. For income levels, contact the City of Williamsport Community Development Office or visit our website. All household member income is counted. The property must be insured, and property taxes paid to date.
Extreme delinquency in taxes or other obligations may make you ineligible for funds. Rental units may be eligible if the property owner agrees to participate in the program, provide requested information, and sign all necessary paperwork, including security documents.
There is often a Waiting List because demand exceeds our capacity and funding. We take applications, first in first out, unless there is a serious, health-threatening situation. When you are next on the Waiting List, we send you an introduction letter and application. You must complete the application and allow us to make a determination of your household’s eligibility.
When the final specifications are ready you select contractors to solicit for bids. We require competitive bidding. We must try to get at least 2 bids, so you must select 3 or more contractors. Permits are required and are included as part of the bid price. We mail bid requests to contractors and give them a bid due date. They will come to your home to look at the work. You must cooperate with them. When we have suitable bids, contractors are selected. The low bidder is usually selected. Contracts and security papers are signed. There are some fees for filing and mortgages. We will review these with you. They vary but average $100 to $140. We do not charge for our services, these are fees charged by the County. If your bid is over $5,000, we will try to reduce the scope of work and still provide the needed service, or you can pay the balance yourself.
The Accessibility program has a grant with a 5-year forgiveness period. After 5 years, the grant or money you received is forgiven.
After you sign the final documents, we mail Proceed Order to your contractor, and work on your house can begin. The contractor has his own schedule. We only require that the work be completed within 90 days. The contractor will need your cooperation.
When the work starts, we will perform inspections, but if you have any problems with the work, notify your rehabilitation specialist right away. When the work is complete or if your contractor requests a progress payment, we perform an inspection and if the work is acceptable, we will ask you to sign a release to pay the contractor. We will not pay bills without your approval. We will not pay the final bill until all the work is completed and you approve the payment.
100 West 3rd Street
Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: (570) 327-7500
Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm