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To ensure that your home is well protected from winter weather conditions, it is recommended that the following steps are taken in the cold winter season:
- Wrap all exterior piping with heat tape. This will prevent pipes from freezing and breaking when temperatures dip below freezing. (Heat tape can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowes)
- If heat tape installed is already installed, inspect your heat tape to ensure it is still working and properly wrapped around piping from the ground to all exposed water lines under our home.
- Winterize exterior faucets including hose bibs.
- Ensure that skirting is secure on the home but allows for proper ventilation or air under the home.
- In the case of Frozen waterlines use only a hairdryer do NOT use any open flame item (this could cause your home to catch fire) to thaw out your frozen waterlines. When thawing out your frozen waterlines, you must turn on the cold water to your bathtub, leave this on while you thaw out your waterlines. This will allow the ice to move in the waterline and keep pressure from building up in the line while you are thawing out your waterline.
- During winter weather events, be certain to remove snow/ice buildup from around the skirting.
- Use caution when winter weather conditions include precipitation. Snow and sleet can cause dangerous conditions. Use extra caution when navigating through the community both on foot and when driving. Be certain to park in a manner that allows emergency vehicles and plow trucks sufficient space to get through the community.
- For the safety of all residents, vehicles that are improperly parked and/or impeding the ability of such vehicles to drive through the community will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Please note: Residents will be responsible for the cost of the water meter if proper heat tape installation methods are not taken.
In advance, we thank you for your cooperation and appreciate your continued residency.
Horizon Land Management, LLC
The Affordable Connectivity Program is an FCC program that helps connect families and households struggling to afford internet service.
The Affordable Connectivity Program provides:
- Up to $30/month discount for broadband service;
- Up to $75/month discount for households on qualifying Tribal lands; and
- A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet purchased through a participating provider if the household contributes more than $10 but less than $50 toward the purchase price.
The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one monthly service discount and one device discount per household.
Who Is Eligible?
A household is eligible for the Affordable Connectivity Program if the household income is at or below 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or if a member of the household meets at least one of the criteria below:
- Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
- Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating provider’s existing low-income internet program;
- Participates in one of these assistance programs:
- SNAP
- Medicaid
- Federal Public Housing Assistance
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- WIC
- Veterans Pension or Survivor Benefits
- or Lifeline;
- Participates in one of these assistance programs and lives on Qualifying Tribal lands:
- Bureau of Indian Affairs General Assistance
- Tribal TANF
- Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations
- Tribal Head Start (income based)
Check out fcc.gov/ACP for a Consumer FAQ and other program resources.
Two-Steps to Enroll
- Go to AffordableConnectivity.gov to submit an application or print out a mail-in application; and
- Contact your preferred participating provider to select a plan and have the discount applied to your bill.
Some providers may have an alternative application that they will ask you to complete.
Eligible households must both apply for the program and contact a participating provider to select a service plan.
Call 877-384-2575 or find more information about the Affordable Connectivity Program at fcc.gov/ACP
Delaware will use $40M in CARES Act funding to keep people in their homes
With the onset of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, businesses were shuttered and jobs disappeared as stay-at-home orders were issued for public safety.
On Monday, August 10, 2020, Delaware officials announced a $40 million shot in the arm to assist homeowners and renters struggling to meet the demands of bills that continued when jobs didn't. Governor John Carney said the Delaware Housing Assistance Program (DEHAP) and the Delaware Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (DEMAP) will focus on getting funds to individuals who need assistance maintaining a roof over their heads.
Surrounded by Anas Ben Addi, Director, Delaware State Housing Authority, Matt Meyer, New Castle County Executive, State Senator Elizabeth “Tizzy” Lockman, State Representative Kendra Johnson, and Paul Calistro, Executive Director, West End Neighborhood House, Governor John Carney announced the restart of those two important programs.
"Part of our effort has been--a concerted effort by so many--to assist those who have been unemployed, those who are not working the hours that they did before, and don't have the resources to either pay their mortgage or to pay their rent," said Governor John Carney. "We've had several emergency orders which have stopped evictions and foreclosures, and we've had great cooperation from the private sector."
Those in need could be eligible for up to $5,000 in assistance to help make ends meet. The DEHAP program was put on hold temporarily due to demand and funding issues, but the supplemental CARES Act funding will provide the government the opportunity to provide more assistance.
"It was overwhelming," said Anas Ben Addi, director of the Delaware State Housing Authority. "What happened now with the $40 million is we are reopening the program. We're making it a little bit more streamlined, easy to use. So, it's $5,000 assistance for rentals. Who qualifies? Anybody who is a resident of the state of Delaware. There is an income guidelines and, if you fit the income guidelines, you can work with your landlord to submit an application through our online portal."
Applicants must have a maximum household income post-pandemic at or below 60% of the Area Median Income for the county in which they reside. Ben Addi said there's a video available on their site to walk visitors through the application process.
For the DEMAP program, applicants must own their home in Delaware and it must be their primary residence, and they must have a maximum household income post-pandemic at or below 80% of the Area Median Income for their county. For Sussex and Kent counties, that cutoff is $65,520, while in New Castle County it's $77,280.
To fund the programs, the state will use $20 million from its Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding, with another $20 million coming from New Castle County's allotment.
"No one should lose their home, no one should be thrown out on the street, due to the inability to pay their rent or mortgage during a public health emergency," said New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer. "Six thousand applicants applied within the first three weeks [of the program's first run.] The program was, I think it's fair to say, overwhelmed. And it's really impressive leadership when we regroup, we recognize a good program that had a shortfall of funds, and we come together from different governments and we say how do we expand this program to benefit our residents?"
The programs are all about taking care of the First State's families and ensuring they continue to be able to live here, work here, and call Delaware home, Carney said.
"This, indeed, is about Delaware families. It is about the single mom trying to raise her child, uncertain about the opening of schools--we're working really hard on that. It's about families across our state that are living with uncertainty and fear around COVID-19 pandemic. Our obligation as public servants is to address both their health needs, as well as their economic and social needs," Carney said. "This is an important part of that. It's about addressing the fear and anxiety and concern about being able to stay in your rental house, or to be able to pay your mortgage and get to the other side. We will get to the other side. We're going to crush this virus; we're going to flatten that curve; we're going to get healthier; we're going to get our children back to school in front of teachers getting the kind of instruction that they need and deserve; we're going to get people back to work. We're going to get through all this."
For more information, visit DEStateHousing.com's COVID-19 information page.
