Housing Initiatives

Mississippi Home of Your Own (HOYO), an award-winning program of the University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies, received a Governor’s Communities of Excellence Award on Monday, March 26, 2007 during an awards ceremony at the Mississippi State Capitol. Read more information about the award.

Housing Initiatives

The Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) has long believed that people with disabilities have the right to live in their own home with their families and fully participate in their community.  For more than 10 years, IDS has worked with Mississippians with disabilities in becoming home owners or finding permanent housing in their chosen communities.

Mississippi Home of Your Own - assists people with disabilities and their families in locating counseling, supports, and financial assistance that may allow them to purchase and maintain their own homes. Financial assistance, for qualified applicants, can be up to $15,000 per household.

HOME Investment Partnership Program for the City of Jackson - a partnership between IDS and the City of Jackson Department of Planning and Development, Office of Housing and Community Development, Development Assistance Division that helps individuals with disabilities and their families purchase safe and affordable permanent home ownership within the city limits of Jackson.

Home of Your Own City of Hattiesburg Homebuyer Assistance Program – assists consumers with disabilities with housing counseling and obtaining city funds for down payment and closing costs assistance for home purchase within the city limits of Hattiesburg.

HOYO Delta Housing Initiative – provides a concentrated focus on the intense housing needs of individuals with disabilities living in the 21 counties of the Mississippi Delta in identifying and locating safe, affordable housing and community-based supports.  Home ownership is a critical need for one of the poorest regions in the United States and promises to serve as a key element in furthering economic development efforts in the region.

Shelter For All - assists homeless individuals with disabilities and their families across Mississippi—with the exception of Hinds, Madison, Rankin, Warren, and Copiah counties in central Mississippi and Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Stone, George, and Pearl River counties on the Coast—by locating needed resources and supports to help them access permanent housing and achieve self-sufficiency. Services including case management, person-centered planning, and other community support services are provided to homeless individuals with disabilities.

HousingSmart - works to ensure equal opportunities in housing for people with disabilities and to increase home ownership for individuals with disabilities through a wide-ranging education and outreach program promoting fair housing.

Comprehensive Housing Counseling - As a certified housing counseling agency, the Institute for Disability Studies provides education and counseling to consumers across the state. This counseling is provided as one-on-one or group education and is funded through various housing partnership grants.

Home of Your Own Individual Development Account Initiative (IDA) – provides additional down payment funds by matching the savings the potential home buyer will save during a minimum six-month period.

Home Again Phase II Homeowner Assistance Program – Via contract through Enterprise Corporation of the Delta, IDS provides financial counseling services and grant assistance to consumers who were home owners in Hancock, Harrison, Jackson and Pearl River counties to assist with post-Hurricane Katrina recovery.  This grant compensates consumers for structural damage only.

Technical Assistance and Training - reaches out to many factions in the community—realtors, lenders, advocacy groups, local, state, and governmental entities and the general public—to make sure individuals with disabilities and their families can purchase a home or find permanent housing depending on their needs.

Housing Initiatives

Current newsletter Fall 2007
Previous issues
Spring 2007
Fall 2006
Spring 2006
Winter 2005
Summer 2005

MS Home of
Your Own

HOME Investment Partnership Program

Home of Your Own Hattiesburg

Home of Your Own Delta

Shelter For All

HousingSmart

Comprehensive Housing Counseling Affiliate

Home of Your Own IDA

Home Again Phase II

Housing FACT Sheets