Notice for All Programs:
CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority, Inc. is committed to making all of our programs and services accessible to everyone, in order to meet or exceed the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For those requesting assistance that require ADA accessibility, please inform the staff member at the time of scheduling, in order to ensure your appointment is scheduled at a location that meets your accessibility needs.
Programs
The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) provides free energy conservation measures to income eligible households. Since its inception in 1976, more than 5.5 million households have experienced energy-efficiency, financial and health and safety gains through the Program. The Program specifically focuses on assisting low-income people – income cannot exceed 200% of the federal poverty income guideline level. Preference is given to the elderly, people with disabilities, and families with children.
For more information about the Weatherization Assistance Program, contact Weatherization at 706-945-1616 or weatherization@csraeoa.org
ATTENTION: Please note, an appointment is required for any current or future clients needing to speak with a WAP employee or to drop off paperwork as our employees may be in the field.
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is a Federally-funded program that helps low-income households with their energy bills. LIHEAP can help you stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer. By doing so, you can reduce risk of health and safety problems (such as illness, fire or eviction). The federal government does not provide energy assistance directly to the republic. Instead, LIHEAP operates in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and the U.S. territories.
*Note: The availability of the LIHEAP assistance is not guaranteed. Often most of the Federal LIHEAP funds are spent during the winter.
For more information about the LIHEAP program, please contact our EAP Office at 706-724-0701.
CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority (EOA), in partnership with Augusta Housing and Community Development and the local Continuum of Care for the Homeless, receives funding from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide a Centralized Intake & Assessment facility for residents of Augusta-Richmond County who experience housing instability and find themselves in need of service. The Marion Resource & Referral Center provides a single, centralized point of access for community members, Partner Agencies and interested volunteers to coordinate the efforts to address homelessness and housing instability in the local community. The main goal of The Marion Barnes Resource & Referral Center is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the community’s crisis intervention strategy and response capacity for persons experiencing homelessness as well as persons at-risk of experiencing homelessness.
For more information on The Marion Barnes Resource & Referral Center, please contact our office at 706-724-8588.
*Definition of the Homelessness by the Department of Housing and Urban Development
CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority, Inc’s Community Action Centers(CACs) provide emergency assistance to meet urgent needs of low-income individuals and families, including food, eviction prevention, utility assistance, rental assistance, prescription assistance, rapid rehousing, landlord mediation, personal care items, and resource locating/referrals. Staff members coordinate and establish to social programs to assure effective delivery of services for the low-income population.
Some services are only offered when funds or items are available. Some services may not be available in all areas.
A matched savings program for first-time home-buyers in Burke, Columbia, Richmond, McDuffe, Warren and Wilkes counties. Eligible participants attend Home Buyer Education and Home Maintenance Training while earning a $2 match for every earned $1 saved toward down payment and closing costs.
For more information about the “Way Home” Program, contact Nicole Lovett at nlovett@csraeoa.org
We are currently not accepting new applications for this program. Please continue to check back for updates.
1.) Home Buyer Education Workshops and One-on-One Pre-Purchase Counseling are designed to educate families about the process of buying a home. Workshops are 6-8 hours each and are available in our 13-county services area. Local speakers, such as bankers, real estate agents, and EOA staff present information on budgeting and money management, credit reports, the mortgage loan process, first time buyer programs, and responsibilities of home ownership. Participants receive a certificate of completion that meets the home buyer education requirements of DCA and HUD. Participants requesting individualized assistance receive one-on-one pre-purchase counseling sessions as a follow up to the group workshops.
2.) Foreclosure Intervention Counseling is designed to assist homeowners in danger of foreclosure due to delinquent mortgage payments. In one-on-one sessions, counselors explore the reasons for defaults, verify arrears, conduct a budget analysis with the homeowner, and serve as a liaison between the homeowner, their mortgage company and their loan servicer in attempt to resolve the delinquency. Assistance in applying for workout options (such as loan modifications) and financial assistance through programs such as Home Safe Georgia is also provided.
3.) Financial Literacy/Budgeting/Credit Counseling includes educational workshops, individual computer curriculum, and 1:1 budget counseling to assist persons in becoming more aware of financial matters, decreasing the likelihood of predatory lending and identity theft, and improving the participant’s ability to manage resources to increase self-sufficiency.
For more information or to participate in any of the HOPE Programs, please contact:
Penny Parrish, HUD Certified Housing Counselor at (762) 222-8594 EXT 2 / pparrish@csraeoa.org
Nicole Lovett, HOPE Program Coordinator at (762_ 222-8594 EXT 1 / nlovett@csraeoa.org
Click Here to Attend our Virtual Homebuyer Education Workshop
Home Possible is renovating houses that will be sold to low-income working families who also receive homebuyer education/pre-purchase housing counseling via our HOPE Program. Homes will be renovated to be lower maintenance, have higher energy efficiency, and will be affordably priced for low- to moderate-income families. For more information contact Deborah Jones: (706) 922-8343 or email at the button below:
We are currently not accepting new applications for this program. Please continue to check back for updates.
Foreclosure continues to plague homeowners all over the country and the 13 counties we serve have not been immune.
The Foreclosure Intervention Program assists homeowners in working with their lender for workout options due to delinquent payments. A trained counselor assists the homeowner in gathering all pertinent information required by the lender for most workout options. Workout options include loan modification, repayment plan, special forbearance, short sale, and deed-in-lieu. While the process of achieving a solution can take quite some time, our foreclosure counselors have been very successful in helping homeowners keep the dream of home-ownership alive.
For more information about how CSRA Economic Opportunity Authority, Inc. Foreclosure Intervention program can help, please contact Penny Parrish at 706-922-8354 or pparrish@csraeoa.org.
Foreclosure Intervention Brochure
The mission of the Supportive Services for Veteran families (SSVF) Program is to provide supportive services and limited financial assistance to low-income veteran families.
- All Veterans served must be residents of the following counties: Bulloch, Burke, Candler, Columbia, Effingham, Emanuel, Glascock, Greene, Hancock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Johnson, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Washington, Warren, and Wilkes counties in Georgia.
- Veterans must be in jeopardy of losing their housing or currently homeless to receive this assistance or in need of assistance in applying for VA benefits and services or mainstream benefits.
- Veterans must be at or below 80% of Area Median Income(AMI) and able to maintain stabilization of the household after receiving SSVF assistance.
- All Veterans served must have an honorable discharge from the Armed Forces or was discharged or dismissed from the Armed Forces by reason of the sentence of a general court-martial.
For more information, please contact Khristy Murray at 706-364-6548 or kmurray@csraeoa.org.
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) is a federally funded HUD program that offers a variety of housing solutions (rental, mortgage, utility assistance and Permanent Housing Placement/Deposit) and Case Management support services for low-income persons living with HIV/AIDS.
If you or someone you know may benefit from this program, please refer to our “Request Assistance” Tab and ensure you choose the correct option (HIV/AIDS) when completing the request form.
If you should have any questions about the HOPWA Program, please email hopwa@csraeoa.org.
Counties served: Emanuel, Glascock, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, Screven, Taliaferro, and Wilkes