Some Yuba County residents could be eligible to receive money to move out of fire danger zones
LOMA RICA – Nine million dollars in grant funding will be available next month for folks in certain California counties who lived in fire danger zones in 2017.
The idea is to relocate people out of the danger zones with the money. One of those counties is Yuba ZIP code 95901.
People who rented or previously owned there in 2017 could be eligible to receive up to $350,000 to relocate. But, there are stipulations.
"It sounds like an interesting thing to get people out of zones that are really dangerous," said Pete Crane, who works nearby.
The program is called ReCover CA Homebuyer Assistance, funded by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It's an umbrella program with different avenues for people impacted by wildfires.
It will soon offer up to $350,000 as a forgivable loan to homebuyers who lived in ZIP code 95901 back in 2017.
"Almost everybody on our road lost their home except us," said Loma Rica resident Jim Cramer.
That's when the Cascade Fire burned roughly 10,000 acres, killing four people and destroying more than 250 structures.
People renting or living with a family member in the area impacted by the fire, even if the home you were living in wasn't damaged, could apply to the program.
The money must be used to relocate to an area not deemed a high-fire danger zone.
"Which is incentivizing people in a low to moderate income group to be able to buy homes outside of high fire areas by providing them with a substantial amount of homebuyers assistance," said marketing director of Golden State Financial Authority Carolyn Sunseri.
To be eligible, you must be under the 80 percent median income.
However, some people said they worry the program could harm those still living there.
"There's already not a super dense population here as it is. So relocating people could cause property values to drop significantly," Crane said. "I don't see it helping us much up here."
But for those who do qualify, Golden State Financial Authority, which oversees the program, says it could be life-changing.
"Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars on top of what they would normally qualify for in a mortgage loan means the world. It literally means that what they will be paying in a monthly payment will only be what they can afford," Sunseri said.
The grant is forgiven after five years of living in the new home. And GSFA says they've already helped 90 people get into homes with an average of a $300,000 grant.
If you're interested in learning more about the program, there's going to be a workshop in Marysville on Feb. 28 and the Tri-Counties Community Center at 7 p.m.
