The number of people taking advantage of the first-time home buyer assistance program in DeKalb has decreased steadily.

Active files for the program have dropped from five to 10 to just one or two, Community Services Planner Sue Guio said. Files stay active for anytime between two weeks to three months.

Some of the reasons for the decline in participation is the increase in other government home-buying programs, lack of awareness and the decrease in people meeting the qualifications, DeKalb officials said.

“There is a host of other programs and interest rates have been low,” Assistant City Manager Linda Wiggins said.

DeKalb’s first-time home buying aid program “provides 2 percent of the purchase price through a grant for use on down payments or closing costs,” according to Guio.

The program qualifications include income and the price of the home.

Based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines, the maximum income for a couple to qualify is $54,312. The maximum income is $67,900 for a family of four.

The first-time home buyer cannot purchase a home valued at more than $160,000. The maximum home price for the program was raised this year from $150,000.

The application process is facilitated through the lender, then community development officials meet with the prospective home buyer.

The city wants to help those who would otherwise not be able to buy a house without the help of the city, Guio said.

“We also make sure that people have enough savings for household items,” she said.

As long as home buyers stay in the purchased house for five years, they do not have to pay the grant back. However, if the home buyer leaves before five years, the amount to be recaptured is pro-rated. If he or she leaves in two and a half years, half the grant needs to be paid back, Guio said.

Although the city did not have to dedicate funds to the first-time home buyer assistance program in the 2006 budget, money still is available from previous years.

Some citizens are not aware of the program, despite the advertisements on DeKalb’s local news channel and in the Daily Chronicle.

It is this lack of awareness which could be leading to the program’s poor participation.

Anyone interested in taking advantage of the first-time home buyer assistance program should speak with their mortgage lender, Guio said.