UB faculty and staff interested in buying a house through UB’s new H.O.M.E. loan program can get more information during orientation sessions being held on Dec. 15.

The sessions will take place from 9:30-11:30 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. in 100 Allen Hall, South Campus. Representatives from West Side Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. and loan specialists will give informational presentations every 30 minutes during each two-hour session, and also will be available to discuss the program individually with prospective homeowners.

The UB H.O.M.E. (Home Ownership Made Easy) program is offering interest-free, deferred loans of up to $5,000 or $7,500 to UB employees who buy homes in the neighborhoods surrounding the South Campus, including University Heights. A significant portion of the loan will be forgiven by the university after five continuous years of owner occupancy.

The program is being funded on behalf of UB by the UB Foundation, which has made an initial investment of $100,000. A matching $100,000 is being provided by West Side Neighborhood Housing Services, a charter member of NeighborWorks America, a national organization specializing in community revitalization and development.

For more information on the UB H.O.M.E. program, visit the program’s website or call 716-885-2344.

UB H.O.M.E. is the newest of several initiatives launched by UB in recent years to help stabilize, revitalize and improve quality of life in the neighborhoods near its South Campus. UB H.O.M.E. will build upon the UB Home Loan Guaranty Program, which from 2003-09 helped 22 UB employees purchase homes in University Heights.