Housing and home repair will be the subject of a town hall during the afternoon of Jan. 29 at the Ocean Shores Elementary School.

The question and answer session is open to the public and will be moderated by Doreen Cato, former King County Housing Authority commissioner and current North Beach School Board member.

The program will include guests from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, local contractors and real estate representatives, local banks and mortgage companies, and community and building organizations.

The event is from 1-4 p.m. at the school, 300 Mt. Olympus Ave. SE in Ocean Shores. It is citizen sponsored by the Ocean Shores Block Watch & Disaster Preparedness group.

Some of the information will include home repair programs with financing to very low income and/or elderly homeowners to repair, improve or modernize homes; health and safety hazards (ramps, hand rails, safe baths); utility hookup, installation, assessments and fees.

Also, information will be available on loans and financing, and on how to purchase and/or repair new or existing housing (including manufactured houses; purchase a building site and construct a dwelling; purchase a government-owned home).