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Cowlitz Senior Gives Boot to Cold With Section 504 Home Repair Grant

Outline of NeedDorothy Weaver took advantage of a USDA Rural Development Section 504 lifetime grant of $7,500 to replace her heating system.

 Born in Wisconsin and raised in New York, Dorothy Weaver is no stranger to colder weather. But thanks to USDA Rural Development, the senior Ryderwood, Wash. resident and her calico cat, Tinkerbelle, no longer play roommate with the Pacific Northwestern chill.

“I bought my house in bad shape, although I didn’t know it at the time,” Dorothy recalled when she first moved here 24 years ago. “The house was a mess. I had two types of windows that wouldn’t keep the draft out. My heater didn’t work well. Sometimes it would get so cold in here that it seemed like forever for me to get warm.

How Rural Development Helped

Tipped off by a neighborhood friend who had taken advantage of Rural Development programs, Dorothy applied for assistance and was able to get all the repairs she needed completed with a Rural Development 504 Home Repair grant leveraged with funds from the Columbia Community Action Council, a non-profit organization that provides various housing programs, including repair and weatherization.

 The Result

 Dorothy received the lifetime maximum grant amount of $7,500 to complete major repairs to her home, which included replacing an outdated 125 amp electrical box with a new 200 amp circuit breaker box. The old wall mounted base board heaters were removed and replaced with a new electric forced air heating system with a heat pump for cooling. Additionally, Dorothy’s inefficient single pane windows were replaced with new double pane vinyl windows throughout her modest Cowlitz County home. The end result was a warm house; something Dorothy never believed was possible.

“I couldn’t believe this program” she said, her smile as warm as the temperature in her living room. “I never dreamed that anyone would ever do this for me. “I am very comfortable now and the cat is happier too!” 

To learn more about this and other USDA Rural Development Housing programs,  click here for the Rural Development Area Office closest to you.

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 Last modified: January 06, 2005