April 19, 2021
By: Dwayne Page
Another informational meeting will be held tonight (Monday) for local families interested in making application for grant funding to help with home repairs.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at the DeKalb County Complex on South Congress Boulevard in the auditorium. Other meetings will be April 26 at the Austin Bottom Community Fire Hall and May 3 and the Keltonburg Community Center. Please wear a mask and maintain social distancing during these events.
DeKalb County has been approved for a $500,000 HOME program grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) to be administered by the Upper Cumberland Development District
County Mayor Tim Stribling said HOME program funding is intended to help families of low income, senior citizens and individuals with disabilities who cannot afford to rehabilitate their homes. If approved, up to 10 homeowners could get help with issues such as leaking plumbing, unsafe flooring, faulty wiring, damaged roofs and more to bring their houses up to code.
Matt Billings of the UCDD said in some cases, families might qualify for a reconstruct if their home is in a condition to where reconstruct is more beneficial.
“It is not based on first come, first served. There is an application process and UCDD will be scoring the applications according to federal guidelines and awarding the grant funds to those most qualified until the grant runs out. No one from DeKalb County will be scoring the applicants,” said County Mayor Stribling.
During the informational meetings, interested persons can get more details about the program and pick up an application. “We will be giving out applications and explaining what documents applicants need to provide. When completed applications should be taken to Mayor Stribling’s Office in the courthouse and we (UCDD) will take it from there. There is a scoring process through the Tennessee Housing Development Agency to determine who the beneficiaries will be,” said Billings.
Grant applications must be filed by the end of May.
The HOME program is funded by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered in Tennessee by THDA. HOME grants must be used for the production, preservation or rehabilitation of affordable housing for low and very low income families and individuals.