CROTHERSVILLE — Roof replacement, lighting and electrical upgrades, water heater replacement, handicap accessibility and heating and cooling replacement.
Those are among the eligible repairs Crothersville homeowners could receive for their residence if the town is successful in its application for the Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Grant.
The Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs recently announced it is seeking applications from eligible local units of government that would like to be considered for the program funded through the state’s Community Development Block Grant program.
The goal is to empower Indiana communities to directly fund homeowners of low to moderate income to make needed repairs on their homes.
Once Tara Hagan, manager of municipal programs for Administrative Resources association of Columbus, learned about this opportunity, she immediately sent a message to Crothersville Town Council President Jason Hillenburg and Crothersville Clerk-Treasurer Danieta Foster. They agreed to go for this again, as the last time the town applied, it was not awarded funding.
During a recent meeting, the council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing submittal of the grant application. Hagan said the application is due Oct. 28, and she’s nearly 90% done with it. Getting the council’s approval and Hillenburg’s signature were the next steps.
Then at 1 p.m. Tuesday, a public hearing will be conducted at the town hall, 111 E. Howard St., Crothersville, to share program guidelines and give town residents interested in applying for home repairs a chance to ask questions.
Applications will be available during the meeting, and they also can be picked up during business hours at the town hall. Information is posted on the town’s Facebook page.
“There are already 25 people on your waiting list from the last application that wasn’t funded, so we still want to help 15 people if we get that award,” Hagan said.
The town already has earned 25 bonus points on the application since Jackson County included housing in the original Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative plan.
“Having information in the READI plan, just about everything that you need that can count as regional points sometimes for CDBG, it’s always really good to include,” Hagan said. “Those regional plans make a big difference. That’s huge when points really matter in these applications.”
To qualify for home repairs, a homeowner must live in a single-family owner-occupied home within Crothersville town limits, and the home must be insured and on a permanent foundation.
The applicant also must own his or her home or have a current mortgage. No contract sales or rentals. The home also can’t be in the floodplain, and most mobile homes are not eligible.
The homeowner must meet income guidelines, too. Gross income must be below $41,750 for one person in the household, $47,700 for two people, $53,650 for three, $59,600 for four, $64,400 for five, $69,150 for six and $73,950 for seven.
For information, call the town hall at 812-793-2311.