Housing Program
The Housing Program at Granite State Independent Living offers housing and financial information, counseling, and support to people with disabilities who wish to live more independently.
As a HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agency, GSIL’s Housing Program staff is trained to assist with a variety of housing and financial issues, including:
Financial Wellness: Workshops & Counseling
• Developing a Spending & Savings Plan
• Goal-Setting
• Credit Counseling
• Debt Management
Apartment/Rental Counseling
• Finding an apartment
• Fair Housing Laws
• Housing Choice Voucher
Homeownership Preparation: Workshops & Counseling
• Creating a Needs & Wish List
• Financing & Grant Options
• Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)
• Determining Affordability
• Credit Counseling
• Searching for a Home
• What to Expect at Closing
Keeping Your Home: Individual Counseling
• Preparing for Maintenance/Repair
• Refinancing Counseling
• Developing a Spending & Savings Plan
• Debt Management
• Delinquency Counseling
Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)
In addition to the comprehensive counseling and education program, GSIL offers Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) in cooperation with NH Community Loan Fund http://www.nhclf.org/programs/housing/ida/index.html IDAs are matched savings accounts available to eligible low-income individuals to help them purchase a home. IDA participants are required to develop savings goals/plans, accomplish financial literacy training, and prepare for homeownership.
EasyLiving Home of NH
Granite State Independent Living is a member of a Coalition of New Hampshire organizations and individuals working to bring accessible housing to New Hampshire. EasyLiving Home http://www.easylivinghome.org/ is a certification program designed to encourage builders and remodelers of single-family homes to voluntarily implement EasyLiving Home features, which make a home cost-effective, attractive, accessible, visitable and convenient for everyone. The features of an EasyLiving Home are:
• Easy Access with a step-free entrance from a driveway, sidewalk, or other firm route into the central living area;
• Easy Passage with the exterior door providing the step-free entrance and every interior passage door on the main level (including bathrooms) providing 32” of clear passage space;
• Easy Use with no less than one bedroom, a kitchen, some entertainment area, and at least one full bathroom with sufficient maneuvering space--all on the main floor.
For more information about the Housing Program at Granite State Independent Living, please contact:
Sarah Denoncourt, Housing Program Manager
email or sarah.denoncourt@gsil.org