LANSING, Mich — LANSING, Mich. — A 65-year-old Lansing woman has fulfilled her dream of homeownership through an Ingham County down payment assistance program funded by a state grant.
- The Ingham County Down Payment Assistance program helps qualified residents with up to $30,000 toward a home purchase.
- The program is funded through a $15 million grant from the state of Michigan.
- First-generation homebuyers receive priority for the assistance, which is offered on a first-come, first-serve basis.
WATCH: Lansing woman achieves homeownership dream at 65 with county assistance
"I feel very very fortunate to be able to have a brand new home and have it made to my specifications. So I'm really excited about it!" Evans said.
The Ingham County Housing Trust Fund program provides direct assistance to home-buyers using funds from a $15 million state grant. Under the program, a single-person household earning less than $56,480 can qualify for up to $30,000 in down payment assistance.
"They were able to get me to a place where I qualified for a mortgage, and then they started looking for money for me, and I was able to become a recipient of the money that was available, so here I am. So in May, I officially became a homeowner," Evans said.
The loans are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority given to first-generation home-buyers.
Ingham County Treasurer Alan Fox said he advocates for the program because of the impact it has on individuals.
"We in politics often get caught up in big numbers, and we don't see the faces. The faces, the names, the stories of the individual people. There are the ones who drive us all, they are the reasons we do this, we're improving lives one at a time," Fox said.
The grant aims to strengthen Lansing neighborhoods by increasing homeownership opportunities.
"We have more individual families running houses, we have stronger neighborhoods, we have stronger communities. We have the sort of thing that makes Lansing reach its potential," Fox said.
For Evans, the program made possible what once seemed out of reach.
"I just want them to know that home ownership is actually possible. Even at 65 years old and even with health challenges and even as a retiree, that home ownership is possible," Evans said.
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