Housing Programs

Housing Counseling Program

Housing counseling is a professional service that helps people make informed decisions about housing. The Counselor will provide guidance on buying, renting, maintaining, or keeping a home, offered at a low or no cost to the participant.

Housing counseling can help with:

  • Financial counseling: Creating a household budget, managing debt, and improving credit to qualify for housing.
  • Rental assistance: Finding affordable housing, understanding leases, resolving landlord-tenant issues, or preventing eviction.
  • First-time home buying: Understanding mortgages, budgeting, improving credit, and navigating the home-buying process.
  • Homeownership education: Learning about the purchasing process, shopping for a home, home maintenance, property taxes, insurance, and the long-term costs of owning a home.
  • Foreclosure prevention: Exploring options if you're behind on mortgage payments, such as loan modifications, repayment plans, or other alternatives. 

Affordable Home Ownership Program (AHOP)

The Affordable Housing Program is affordable for eligible low- to moderate-income families in collaboration with participating lending institutions. This program can provide financing for a mixture of new and existing homes within the city limits of Albany, GA, and is not confined to one subdivision.

Loans under this program will not exceed 95% LTV. The City may provide gap financing with a soft second and closing cost assistance to first-time homebuyers based on availability of HOME funds and if applicable. The homebuyer will be required to contribute up to $1,000.00 towards the transaction and attend a minimum of eight (8) hours of Homebuyer Education. 

The lender will provide first mortgage financing to qualify homebuyers for this program. This program is subject to revisions based on financing criteria set by the lending institution and/or the City of Albany, GA.

Emergency Repair Program (ERP)

The City of Albany’s CDBG Emergency Repair  Program is designed to assist eligible low– and moderate-income households within the City of Albany, Georgia. The applicant must be an owner-occupant and own the property for at least three years.

This program includes emergency repairs to roofing, heating/air conditioning, electrical, and plumbing related to the roof and HVAC. The program may not fully rehabilitate a structure to code. The program utilizes funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) for rehab assistance.   

Consumers can contact Betty Jackson-Burton, Housing Counselor, at 229-302-1240 or via email at bjackson@albanyga.gov for more information or questions. The Housing Division mission is to increase housing stability by identifying rental and homeownership opportunities through financial education and counseling.

 

 

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