At its Oct. 16 meeting, the Select Board unanimously approved changes to the municipally-administered Home Rehabilitation Program. 

The changes increased funding availability by up to $50,000 per project, simplified the program’s terms and conditions, and streamlined the application process for households. 

The program, which uses funds from the Community Preservation Act, was established to help low to moderate income households make necessary code, health, safety and energy improvements to their homes. 

Up to now, the program has supported nearly 100 residential rehabilitation projects in Dartmouth, but the program has seen less use in recent years. Assistant Town Administrator Chris Vitale said the town has only received a couple applications a year in recent years, but a town of Dartmouth’s size should receive as many as 10 or more. 

Earlier this year, the Town of Dartmouth evaluated the program to determine opportunities to increase program utilization and reduce the administrative burden for eligible households.  

Vitale has been taking the lead on the project, as he helped work on a similar project when he worked for Bristol town government. 

One big change is to the program’s loan terms: owner-occupied units will now receive a 100 percent interest free deferred payment loan, as opposed to investor-owned units, which will receive 50 percent interest free deferred payment loans. 

Another change aims to make proving eligibility easier. Instead of needing to document monthly expenses, the applicant will now just need to demonstrate that they fall within the federal government’s definition of low to moderate income for the region. 

Applications for new projects will be available starting Nov. 15. Applications will be accepted through the Town’s online platform at https://dartmouthma.portal.opengov.com/categories/1080.

For more information about the Dartmouth Home Rehabilitation Program, residents are encouraged to visit the Town website at https://www.town.dartmouth.ma.us/811/Dartmouth Home-Rehabilitation-Program-DH.