A federal program designed to help dispose of foreclosed homes may be available only to a small geographic section of northern Fayette County.

County officials reported last week that newly-announced restrictions on the $1.18 million federal grant are such that only a swath of north Fayette County will actually qualify for funds. The hope was initially to help purchasers with downpayment assistance to help get foreclosed homes off the market.

Pete Frisina, director of planning and zoning for Fayette County, last week explained the formula applied to determine which areas will qualify for the funds.

The federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program is targeted at neighborhoods based on the number of existing foreclosures, the chances of that number continuing to grow and also the ratio of subprime mortgages for that particular area, Frisina explained.

Based on that, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs determined the only area in Fayette which qualifies for the program is on the northern tip of unincorporated Fayette County.

Thus the program will be unavailable to other unincorporated areas or any homes located in municipalities such as Tyrone, Fayetteville, Peachtree City, Brooks and Woolsey.

Frisina said the county would check with DCA and see if the program can somehow be expanded to help the rest of the county.

The coverage area provided by DCA encompasses 109 foreclosed homes to date, Frisina said, adding that there will continue to be more foreclosures in the area.