The Lawrence Housing Authority’s home rehabilitation program got a lift from the city’s Community Development advisory board when the board agreed to bolster the stalled program with a badly needed $25,000 loan.

American gasoline and grocery store prices fell in April, holding the nation’s overall inflation increase to 0.4 of 1 percent, making the probable annual rate 5.1 percent. It was the best monthly performance since the preceding July. The inflation rate for 1980 had run 12.4 percent.