Georgetown, Del., March 28, 2023: The affordable housing fight is going another round.

Sussex County’s Community Development & Housing office on April 3 will begin taking applications from individuals and groups in search of affordable housing options, either through rentals or homeownership. The program, known as the Housing Trust Fund, is one way the County is working to promote access to and preservation of affordable housing.

Approximately $4.1 million in funding – most by way of the federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) relief package to Sussex County – will be available to applicants in this newest round, the second since the program launched in spring 2022. The County awarded $3.3 million in the Trust Fund’s inaugural round, assisting nearly three dozen homebuyers, as well as supporting the preservation or creation of more than 150 new affordable units.

“The Housing Trust Fund has been tremendously successful, so much so that we stopped taking homebuyer applications after just a few months,” Community Development & Housing Director Brandy Nauman said. “The affordable housing demand is certainly out there. Our program showed that, and this newest round will help us to continue to meet some of that need.”

Under the program, qualified individual applicants can apply for forgivable loans up to $30,000, while developers, groups and others working toward increasing the affordable housing stock can apply for up to $500,000 grants with the promise their projects will serve a defined customer base. All applicants must meet various income eligibility requirements and other criteria.

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

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