“For residents, we have multiple programs available to them, particularly our housing rehab loan program, emergency home repair grant, handicapped accessibility grant and a lot abatement grant,” Kettering Planning and Development Director Tom Robillard said.
“We also have a first-time homebuyer program available. All those are specifically designed for Kettering residents … depending on income,” he added.
Kettering has a down-payment assistance program to help qualified first-time homebuyers. Recipients may receive up to $8,000, according to the city.
Nearly $150,000 is available for housing rehab loans for qualifying applicants, the budget shows. This program provides low-interest loans to income-eligible homeowners to make repairs, according to the city. It also has deferred loans for qualified elderly and disabled.
Twenty households participated in residential rehab programs in 2023, according to Robillard.
Kettering started the childcare job training program last year due to a “major shortfall” in trained workers, Robillard said.
The number of childcare workers is projected to drop 2% from 2022-32 with an average of about 153,100 openings each year, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows.
“All of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to other occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire,” according to the bureau.
Kettering, Robillard said, is funding 4C for Children, which provides job training for a 10-county area from its Dayton regional office.
Funding that Kettering has available for business loans is sometimes overlooked, Robillard said.
“I think on the economic development part, we do have to work harder at getting the message out that we have these programs available,” he said.
Nearly $42,000 is available this year, Kettering records show.
For more information on these programs and eligibility requirements, go to www.ketteringoh.org/ or call (937) 296-2441.
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