Garbarino leads bill to help volunteer first responders become homeowners

U.S. Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) on July 20 introduced bipartisan legislation that would expand eligibility for certain federal housing programs for qualified volunteer first responders. 

“Long Island relies almost entirely on volunteer firefighters to prevent, combat, and extinguish fires while also providing other emergency services and, according to the National Fire Protection Association’s 2017 U.S. Fire Department Profile, 65 percent of firefighters nationwide are volunteers,” Rep. Garbarino said. “Recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters is critical for thousands of communities, yet local volunteer fire departments continue to find it difficult to meet staffing needs.”

The Volunteer First Responder Housing Act, H.R. 4787, which Rep. Garbarino sponsored alongside six original cosponsors, including U.S. Reps. Frank Lucas (R-OK) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), would expand eligibility for the Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program.

“With a high cost of living making it more difficult than ever to buy a home, the Volunteer First Responder Housing Act would provide a helping hand to those who give their time, at great personal risk, to safeguarding our communities,” said Rep. Garbarino.

The Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program assists approved lenders in providing loans to low- and moderate-income households to build, rehabilitate, or improve a home in eligible rural areas, according to a bill summary provided by the congressman’s staff. The income limit for the program is no more than 115 percent of the median household income.

The Volunteer First Responder Housing Act would allow volunteers to participate in the loan program even if their income exceeds the maximum allowable income level by up to $18,000, the summary says. 

The Good Neighbor Next Door Sales Program is an existing program that gives law enforcement officers, teachers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians a 50 percent discount from the list price of a home located in a revitalization area, states the summary.

The National Volunteer Fire Council and the International Association of Fire Chiefs endorsed H.R. 4787, which has been referred to the U.S. House  Financial Services Committee for consideration.