CONTACT: Weldon Freeman
(202) 690-1394
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 12, 2010 – – – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is accepting applications for grants to help low- and very-low-income rural residents repair their homes.
“The costs associated with maintaining a home are a challenge for many rural homeowners and the funding we are announcing today will help low- and very-low-income residents in rural areas maintain and repair their homes,” Vilsack said. “The Obama Administration and USDA are working to ensure that rural homeowners have safe, sanitary, energy-efficient places to live.”
Housing Preservation Grants are provided to intermediaries such as town or county governments, public agencies, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and non-profit and faith-based organizations. The grants are then distributed to qualified homeowners or owners of multi-family rental properties or cooperative dwellings who rent to low- and very-low-income residents. The grants can be used to weatherize and repair existing structures, install or improve plumbing or provide access to people with disabilities.
“Since 2001, USDA Rural Development has invested nearly $1.5 Million to help improve and ensure safe and affordable housing in rural Wisconsin through the Housing Preservation Grant Program”, said Stan Gruszynski, State Director. “These dollars are direct investments in our communities and local economies and a means to strengthen the rural housing infrastructure.”
For example, the Chippewa County Housing Authority, in Chippewa Falls, Wis., has been selected to receive a $77,000 grant that will enable the authority to repair the homes of 18 very-low income families and also fund a lead paint reduction program.
USDA may award up to $10.1 million in competitive grants through the Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) published in the April 27, 2010 Federal Register. The grants to be awarded are part of USDA Rural Development’s annual budget and are not funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
USDA Rural Development’s mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. As the lead federal agency for rural development needs, USDA Rural Development administered nearly $744 million dollars this past year to rural Wisconsin communities. Funds are used to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technological infrastructures. For more information on USDA Rural Development programs visit USDA’s web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/wi.
