HOPE — At least seven houses in Hope owned by low- to moderate-income families or individuals may receive needed home repairs without any expense to the owner.
While seven completed applications have been submitted for the Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation Program, applications have been distributed to an additional 10 Hope families or individuals, according to Victoria Bechert, manager of municipal programs for Administrative Resources Administration.
Many more completed applications are expected to be turned in before the Friday, Aug. 27 deadline, Bechert said.
Administered through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OKRA), this pilot program was created “to empower Indiana communities to directly fund homeowners of low-moderate income to make needed repairs on their homes,” the OKRA website states.
Eligible activities include:
Roof repair or replacement
ADA accessibility up to the threshold of the home
Heating and cooling replacement
Lighting and electrical upgrades
Water heater replacement
The Hope Town Council has passed a resolution that authorizes council president Jerry Bragg to sign the community grant application to OCRA, which commits the town to paying the 10% match for each selected project.
“Homeowners won’t have to pay anything,” Bechert said.
Details of the program were discussed on Aug. 11 in front of a full house at the Hope Town Hall, Bechert said. During that meeting, homeowners were informed their application will be scored on a variety of factors that include the town’s distress factors (unemployment, median household income, etc.) and the design of each individual project, the website states.
OCRA will review the level of grant assistance requested for each request, and will consider the appropriateness of the project’s scope, level of demonstrated need, and the financial resources of the applicant, the website states.
If the state agency determines that a lesser amount is appropriate, it may be necessary to revise the application before it is considered for funding, according to the website.
Those who turn in an application are reminded that a minimum of sixty (60) days should be allowed for the initial review by OCRA.
