Staff then conducts inspections of properties to be rehabilitated to identify necessary and eligible work items. The Housing Loan Committee makes approval of each applicant and property. Upon approval, staff assists homeowners in selecting a contractor and reviewing bids. Any contractor selected by a homeowner must have acceptable references. Inspections are made throughout the rehabilitation process, and progress payments are made upon completion of work items, with final payments withheld until final inspections are conducted.
All housing loans have residency requirements that are strictly enforced.
Affidavits of residency are sent to loan recipients on an annual basis. In the event of non-compliance, the City will initiate action to recoup the amount owed to the City. The City of Binghamton conducts outreach for its housing programs on a regular basis to ensure that is its reaching low and moderate-income households that are least likely to apply for assistance. It has a mailing list of approximately 100 local agencies that receive information on the City's housing programs and related CDBG, HOME or ESG activities. In addition, the City promotes its programs through additional outreach methods that include attendance at neighborhood meetings, workshops and trade shows, notices in local print media publications, and press conferences.