Sussex prepares for last round of housing grants

The last round of Sussex County’s low-income housing development grants will open Monday, April 1, when the county’s community development and housing department will start accepting applications from groups that develop new or preserve existing affordable housing.

The program, known as the Housing Trust Fund, is one way the county promotes access to and preservation of affordable housing. Developers, groups and others working toward increasing the affordable housing stock in Sussex County can apply for up to $500,000 grants.

Meantime, direct settlement assistance funds continue to be available for individual Sussex County homebuyers through the Housing Trust Fund. Under the program, qualified households can apply for forgivable loans up to $30,000 for help with downpayment and closing costs.

 Up to $2 million will be available to applicants in the latest round, the third since the program launched in spring 2022. In all, the county has allocated nearly $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Trust Fund since its inception, assisting nearly 65 homebuyers, as well as supporting the preservation or creation of more than 175 new affordable units.

 “The response to the Housing Trust Fund has been enormous, and we look for that to continue with this latest round,” said Community Development & Housing Director Brandy Nauman said.

 For more information on the program, go to: www.sussexcountyde.gov/housing-trust-fund.