§ 54-61. Qualifications of applicants; placement of applicants.

(a)

The commissioner of housing and community development may process applicants for the urban homesteading program. The commissioner of housing and community development shall present to the urban homesteading application review board for approval all those applicants who meet or appear to meet the criteria for urban homesteading as set forth in this section.

(b)

Every successful applicant for urban homesteading must:

(1)

Be 18 years of age or older and demonstrate a degree of personal stability necessary for taking on the responsibility of urban homesteading;

(2)

Possess the technical resources or financial resources or provide documentation to show that the applicant is able to obtain the financial resources or any combination of these resources necessary for completing the rehabilitation required to bring the condition of the urban homesteading structure up to city housing code requirements within the three-year period prescribed by the program;

(3)

Be a natural person;

(4)

Not have previously participated in an urban homesteading program in the city; and

(5)

Be willing to commit in writing to reside in the structure as the applicant's principal place of residence for a minimum of three years, that being the homesteading period for the urban homesteading program.

(c)

When an applicant has been approved as a qualified urban homesteader, the commissioner of housing and community development shall endeavor to place that person into a residential dwelling from the urban homesteading inventory. Placement of this person shall be made in the order in which applicants were approved by the urban homesteading application review board, except that a preferred place in the order of placement shall be given to those approved applicants who are residents of the city and to those approved applicants who have been displaced by governmental action on the part of the city or by other governmental action which resulted in the acquisition of their principal residences for a public project.

(Code 1977, § 8-5024(b), (c))