Fond du Lac city officials are exploring a grant program designed to restore single family homes that have been cut up into separate apartment units. Community Development director Diane Benson says staff will propose spending $100,000 annually on the community housing program. “A lot of our older housing stocks have been converted to two and three family units and over time when these units are not reinvested in they experience more wear and tear, and so the value continues to decline,” Benson told WFDL news. Benson says under the program a home buyer would be eligible for a $20,000 forgivable loan to restore multi-family housing units back to single family homes. Benson says its about reinvesting in our neighborhoods. “So we’re looking to make small changes and instead of having these properties that have not been reinvested in eventually become the subject of raze or repair orders, which also negatively impacts the neighborhood, we’re giving home buyers the opportunity to reinvest and take on some of these projects.” Benson says more than 600 properties have been identified in Fond du Lac that would be eligible for the program.
