Federal Grants

Attached to the Neighborhood Services Department, the Federal Grants/Housing Assistance Division oversees federal grants that fund programs benefiting Covington homeowners – including down payment assistance and emergency repairs – and help pay for improvements to infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, and parks.

It does this by engaging the public to help create an annual plan for those grants, primarily from the federal HOME and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs.

Homeowner Repair Program: Gives grants of up to $10,000 to help low-income homeowners with urgent repairs of conditions in their home that pose a threat to the life, health, and safety of people living there, such as certain electrical problems, plumbing issues, malfunctioning AC units and furnaces, leaky roofs, and wheelchair ramps.

You must apply online, and note you must create an account before you apply. If you need help accessing the online application or completing the application, contact Housing Development Specialist Archie Ice at (859) 292-2124 or aice@covingtonky.gov.

• Homeowner Repair Program Guidelines
• Homeowner Repair Program Guidelines (SPANISH)
• Before you get started
• Application Portal
• Previous news release: “City expands home repair program”

Homebuyer Assistance Loans: Gives deferred, forgivable loans of up to $10,000 to help low-income homebuyers with lender-required down payment and closing costs.

You must apply online, and note you must create an account before you apply. If you need help accessing the online application or completing the application, contact CDBG/HOME Program Coordinator John Hammons at (859) 292-2105 or jhammons@covingtonky.gov.

• NKY HOME Consortium (Covington, Ludlow, Erlanger, Independence, Florence, Newport, Bellevue and Dayton) Guidelines.     
• NKY HOME Consortium SPANISH Guidelines
• Before you get started
• Application Portal
• Previous news release: “Down payment assistance raised to $10K”

• CDBG/HOME Annual Action Plan  2024-2025
• Northern Kentucky HOME Consortium HOME-ARP Allocation Plan
• CDBG/HOME Consolidated Plan 2020-2025: The Five-Year Consolidated Plan assesses affordable housing and community development needs and market conditions and makes data-driven, place-based investment decisions. Its planning process serves as the framework for a community-wide dialogue to identify housing and community development priorities that align and focus funding from the CDBG and HOME programs.
• Covington Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023): The City of Covington is accepting public comments by Sept. 28, 2023 on the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report, which details how the City used Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Funds (HOME) allocated for use from July 1, 2022, to  June 30, 2023. At the link is the report. Email comments to jwallace@covingtonky.gov or mail to the Neighborhood Services Department, 20 West Pike St., Covington, KY 41011.

• Notice of Public Comment Period

  The City of Covington will accept public comments on the Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report Federal Fiscal Year 2023 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024).
  
  September 12, 2024 – September 26, 2024

  The draft City of Covington Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) will be available for public review and comment beginning September 12, 2024. The CAPER is prepared by the City of Covington and is submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development. The CAPER details how the City utilized Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership Funds (HOME) allocated for Federal Fiscal Year 2023 (July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024).
  
  Written comments received by September 26, 2024, will be accepted, addressed, and where applicable, incorporated into the document. A summary of comments will be submitted to HUD along with the CAPER on or before September 27, 2024.

  The proposed CAPER and related reports will be available for review online at  https://bit.ly/CAPERDRAFT23-24. Please send comments by email to jwallace@covingtonky.gov.  Written comments may also be submitted to the Neighborhood Services Department, 20 West Pike Street, Covington, KY 41011.

• Covington HOME Consortium Citizen Participation Plan: This plan outlines the process that the City will undertake to solicit community input into the development of the Five-Year Consolidated Plan, the Annual Action Plan, and the CAPER.

• HUD
• CDBG
• HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME)
• Kentucky Housing Corporation
• Fair Housing in Kentucky
• Neighborhood Foundations (City of Newport and Campbell County)
• Housing Authority of Covington
• Catholic Charities
• Brighton Center
• HONK (Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky)