Mississippi Home of Your Own Community Grant Workshop Set for Gulfport

Mississippi Home of Your Own (HOYO) will sponsor a free community grant workshop on Fri., Sept. 29, for any residents in Harrison and surrounding counties interested in learning about the requirements for obtaining up to $22,000 in down payment grant assistance to families who want to purchase their first home.

Families must have a family member with a disability. The workshop will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Handsboro Community Center at 1890 Switzer Road in Gulfport.

In its 20th year of service to Mississippi families, HOYO is an award-winning program of The University of Southern Mississippi Institute for Disability Studies.  HOYO empowers people with and without disabilities to reach their individual dreams of owning and maintaining their own homes. Since 1997, HOYO has assisted more than 685 families in 65 Mississippi counties in becoming homeowners.

Forgivable deferred loans based upon need are currently available to eligible borrowers with disabilities in designated areas of the state through HOYO. More information about these grants will be available at the workshop.

HOYO focuses on creating a support system that identifies potential homebuyers, analyzes their housing needs and financial capacity and prepares them for homeownership. Applicants of the HOYO program must attend homebuyer education seminars to be considered for financial assistance in purchasing a home. The next free homebuyer education workshop for the Gulf Coast is scheduled for September 30.

For more information about this free community grant seminar, call Heather Steele at the Institute for Disability Studies at 1.888.671.0051 or 601.266.4097. Registration is not required.