News from: The City of Coachella

The City of Coachella’s Home Enhancement Program (HEP) recently opened doors for 8 qualifying families to update their single-family residences in dire need of repair, at no cost to them. This program was made possible for Coachella residents through a combination of funding from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program and The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), and in partnership with the County of Riverside. Projects that fall under eligibility for the program include minor roof repairs, broken/missing windows, exterior paint, fence repair, among other exterior improvements.

To qualify for this Program, applicants must meet a low-income threshold and their residences must meet one of the following criteria: show health and safety issues, a need for exterior improvement, weatherization and deterioration. A stipulation to the contract also states that a lien will be put on the property for a period of 5 years to prohibit homes from being sold immediately upon repair.

“Residents may not know about some of these programs, and we all need to take advantage of what is offered by the city and the County,” stated Coachella resident, Maribel Orellana. “We applied for the Home Enhancement Program because we saw it as a good opportunity to help us repair the roof and to beautify our home,” she added.

Current residences approved for this program are in varying stages of completion and have cumulatively amassed $245,104 in repairs. The maximum investment per property according to HEP’s guidelines is $50,000.

To view testimonial videos regarding the Home Enhancement Program experience in Coachella, please visit the following link on the City’s YouTube Page, at https://youtu.be/-Mh4GSCl9D0.

ABOUT THE CITY OF COACHELLA

The City of Coachella was incorporated in 1946 and is a 29-square mile municipality of approximately

41,941 residents located in eastern Riverside County, in a region collectively known as the Coachella Valley in Southern California. Coachella is about 97 miles north of the U.S. -Mexico border and about 2 hours from Los Angeles. For more information, please visit the City’s website at Coachella.org.