By Courtney Dentch
About 50 people watched last Thursday as Neighborhood Housing Services of Jamaica held a lottery at the Central Branch of the Queens Borough Public Library to set the order for families hoping to get up to $30,000 from a state grant to buy a house.
“Some of you will be able to get $30,000 to help you with the purchase of your first home,” said Cathy Mickens, executive director of the Jamaica-based group.
NHS, a non-profit organization that helps people buy homes and obtain mortgages, got a state grant from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to help first-time homebuyers, Mickens said. Applicants can get up to $30,000 toward the cost of a home, she said.
“Housing costs so much these days,” she said. “We're trying to help underwrite the costs.”
NHS held the lottery to establish an order for the hundreds of applications they received for the grants, Mickens said. NHS will start at the top of the list and meet with applicants to determine if they are eligible for the funds, she said.
“We have to make sure they're mortgage ready,” Mickens said.
Applicants must meet the income thresholds set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development – roughly $35,000 a year for one person, $42,000 for two people – have two years of employment, a good credit history and a minimum of $3,000 in savings, Mickens said. As NHS goes down the list, eligible applicants will be called in to meet with a mortgage counselor, she said.
Applicants who pass the mortgage-readiness tests will receive a letter of commitment saying they qualify for the grant. They will have 60 days to secure a mortgage and then 90 days to shop for a home, Mickens said.
The grant limits applicants' search to Community Board 10 in South Ozone Park, CB 11 in Bayside, CB 12 in Jamaica, CB 13 in Queens Village and CB 14 in the Rockaways, she said.
Once a house has been selected, the amount will be determined for the grant, Mickens said. NHS has enough funds to provide 14 people with $30,000 grants, but the cost of the house and the applicant's ability to pay the mortgage will set the actual award, she said.
About 50 people gathered to watch their envelopes picked from the pile. One woman tried to steer the person pulling applications toward hers, shouting “pick some large ones.” Another woman added, “yes, please pick some large blue ones.”
Monica Johnson of Brooklyn recommended that her sister, Gwyn Moody, call NHS as she started to look for a home.
“They were very helpful when I got my home,” Johnson said. “I told her to call and see what they can do.”
Moody, who is hoping to find a home in Springfield Gardens, entered the grant drawing and got a spot in the top 40.
“Now I will be thinking about it,” she said. “I wasn't looking yet, but now I will.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at news@timesledger.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.
