Programs Now Completed in all NCRPC Service Area Counties
Financial incentives in the form of down payment and closing cost assistance were available to eligible home buyers in Clay and Marshall Counties from May to December 2024. The Pilot Home Ownership Programs in these locations assisted in home purchases totaling over $2.7 million, with the pilot programs contributing $162,500.
The North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC), Beloit, Kansas, administered the programs. Four Rivers Housing Opportunities, Inc., a non-profit managed by the NCRPC, provided funding for the initiative. Local partners who contributed to the Clay County Home Ownership Pilot Program included Clay County, Grow Clay County, and United Bank & Trust. For the Marshall County Home Ownership Pilot Program, additional local contributors included Citizens State Bank of Marysville, First Commerce Bank, First Heritage Bank, Vermillion; First National Bank, Frankfort; Guise-Weber Foundation, Marshall County Partnership for Growth, Marysville Community Foundation, R.L. & Elsa Helvering Trust, State Bank of Bern, Axtell; United Bank & Trust, and Western National Bank, Summerfield.
“We appreciated the partnerships and the local support that made these programs possible,” said NCRPC Housing Director Keegan Bailey. “Strengthening rural housing is a key to success for our communities, and this program was one tool to help achieve that.”
First-time home buyers represented 48% of the program participants. The program provided buyers with critical financial resources amid rising material and housing costs.
“The feedback from participants indicated that the down payment assistance was a significant factor in helping them afford a home, and, in some cases, allowed them to make upgrades sooner than originally planned,” Bailey said.
The primary motivations for home buyers accessing the pilot program included job factors, moving closer to family and friends, reduced commuting times, and a desire to experience a rural lifestyle or live in a rural community.
Since 2018, pilot home ownership programs have been completed in all 12 counties within the NCRPC primary service area. Collectively, these pilot programs have assisted in the purchase of 162 homes in the region with an approximate value of $22.2 million. The results of these pilot programs will inform the development of a permanent regional relocation program, pending funding availability.
This article appeared in the Quarter 1 2025 NCRPC Newsletter.
