EAST LANSING, Mich. — Hometown Housing Partnership, Inc. (HHP), formerly East Lansing Housing & Neighborhood Services (ELHNS), recently underwent a rebranding process in an effort to reposition itself as an independent non-profit for home ownership assistance in the City of East Lansing.

ELHNS was created in 1993 in an effort to offer homeownership assistance programs to families and/or individuals interested in buying a home in East Lansing. Since its inception, the organization has assisted more than 70 families and/or individuals with moving into new households in target neighborhoods throughout the East Lansing community.

HHP’s recent rebranding process has allowed for the non-profit to further emerge from under the umbrella of the City of East Lansing, to function more independently and take on new, innovative programs and projects. In addition to its new name, the organization has launched a new Web site, www.hometownhousing.org, and now employs a new executive director and construction supervisor. Michelle Reardon steps into the role of executive director for HHP and Lance Queen has been hired to serve as the organization’s construction supervisor on special building projects throughout the community. With the assistance of state grant funding and new partnerships with organizations such as the Ingham County Land Bank, HHP has created a number of new programs, enhanced existing programs and begun new building projects in the City. The organization’s current programs and projects include the following:

Homeownership Opportunity Assistance Program (HOAP)
HOAP offers down payment assistance, rehabilitation funding and lead paint remediation for income-qualified buyers. There are homes available in four target neighborhoods in East Lansing and up to $25,000 in down-payment assistance is available per home.

Avondale Square
Located along the 600 block of Virginia Avenue, the Avondale Square neighborhood revitalization project features beautiful, newly-constructed detached single-family homes and soon-to-come townhouses. Down payment assistance for homes and townhomes in this new neighborhood is available for income-qualified buyers.

Employer Homeownership Opportunity Program (EHOP)
This program offers $5,000 forgivable loans to qualifying City of East Lansing and Michigan State University employees to be used on closing costs of East Lansing homes. The EHOP initiative encourages retention of the East Lansing workforce and reinvestment in East Lansing’s older, historic neighborhoods.

New! Home Purchase with Rehabilitation (HPR)
This program provides purchase and rehabilitation assistance for home buyers that are at or below 80 percent area median income (AMI). These homes will be rehabilitated to home quality standards and will meet the requirements of the Michigan Residential Code. Up to $35,000 is available per home. Other funding sources include private financing secured by the home buyer.

Wolf Court Building Project
HHP is currently building a new 1,600-square-foot, three-bedroom, 2 ½-bath house on Wolf Court in East Lansing. This affordable new housing is available for home buyers at or below 115 percent AMI. The project is the result of an Ingham County Land Bank partnership. In addition to this current build, two more new builds on Wolf Court will be coming down the pike at a later date.

HHP has a continued vision to move East Lansing forward as a more vibrant community with socio-economic diversity, improved housing and stable neighborhoods through its promotion of homeownership, provision of financial assistance to a wide range of household types and provision of affordable housing in target neighborhoods.

“Our programs offer assistance to those interested in buying a house that may need funding assistance to make it happen,” HHP Executive Director Michelle Reardon said. “It is a great time to buy a house. Housing prices are dropping, but our assistance packages have remained the same. The funds are available for those who are qualified to receive them.”

HHP is supported by the City of East Lansing, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, the Great Lakes Capital Fund and Michigan State University. Interested home buyers are encouraged to contact Michelle Reardon at (517) 974-5433 or visit www.hometownhousing.org to learn more.