With mortgage rates still about 6% and housing prices near record highs, buying a first home might seem impossible for many, but a down payment assistance program for first-time buyers can be a game changer.

Some banks are offering a pause on payments on certain loans, waiving late fees and providing no-interest loans.

The tribe estimates it spent up to $2 million on relief in the wake of the powerful storm. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday that it will make disaster assistance funds available to the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe to help with recovery from a derecho that struck the area in June.

Members of the AFSCME union who help those in need of food assistance say the federal government has put them in an impossible position.

The city of Tempe opened a Disaster Assistance Center to help hundreds of residents impacted by the Oct. 13 microburst, offering access to a dozen organizations that provide aid ranging from food and shelter to utility assistance and construction help.

As temperatures outside begin to drop, people are starting to crank up the heat inside their homes. Still, as the federal government shutdown drags on, that could be a challenge for some people who rely on a federal program to pay their heating bills during the winter.

The government shutdown has come as colder weather descends upon the Northeast and heating assistance programs began to ramp up for the season.

The late state budget and federal government shutdown is jeopardizing food assistance programs, organizers said. These programs rely heavily on government funding and without it, they could suffer. “It’s a big deal,