CROTHERSVILLE
Repairs and home improvements are expected to begin soon for residents benefiting from a grant Crothersville received late last year.
The town was awarded $155,570 through the Owner-Occupied Rehab Aging in Place Project grant, which is presented through the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority.
Victoria Dake, who works for Administrative Resources association and is administering the housing program for the town, said the hope is to complete work on seven homes by the end of the 18-month grant period.
“We’re actually way ahead of the game,” Dake recently told the Crothersville Town Council. “We’ve inspected six homes so far to verify that they are eligible.”
Dake said she received homeowners’ income documentation. She also went along with an inspector for lead and home modification assessments and verified the homeowners’ needs.
Since the council unanimously approved and signed documentation, Dake will send the paperwork to the funding agency for approval. It will then go to the Department of Natural Resources to make sure the homes are not historic.
“They typically take about a month to turn those around, so as soon as I have your approval, I’m going to get busy on that and get it to them,” Dake said.
Bidding will be in May, and work should begin shortly after.
In November, Clerk-Treasurer Terry Richey announced Crothersville was one of 12 communities in the state earning the grant. The town received half of the amount it applied for, but officials said they are fortunate because only 12 of the 24 communities around the state that applied for funding received it.
The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority provides opportunities for qualifying Hoosier homeowners to receive assistance to make much-needed repairs to their homes, according to in.gov/ihcda.
The program allows eligible entities to apply for grant funding to complete repairs on owner-occupied residential properties. Funding of up to $25,000 may be used to address conditions in a home that, if left unattended, would create an issue with the integrity of the home or become a detriment to the quality of life for the residents.
The program is designed primarily to assist the elderly, but it also could help those needing handicap accessibility.
“We do a lot of walk-in showers, grab bars, better lighting, those sorts of things,” Dake said.
As long as the homeowner stays in their home for three years, they don’t have to pay any money back, Richey said.
“They are trying to help people to be able to stay in their homes longer,” she said.