NEWS
RELEASE
United States Department
of Agriculture • Rural Development
3001 Coolidge Rd. • 2nd Floor North • Suite 200 • East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 324-5204 • Fax: (517) 324-5225 •
alec.lloyd@mi.usda.gov
Contact: Alec Lloyd
(517) 324-5204
USDA Seeks Applications for Grants to Repair Rural Housing
Eligible Applicants Include Public Agencies, Private Non-profit Organizations, Federally Recognized Indian Tribes, and Owners of Rental and Cooperative Housing
WASHINGTON, DC – April 29, 2010 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA is accepting applications for grants to help low- and very-low-income rural residents repair their homes.
Housing Preservation Grants are provided to intermediaries such as town or county governments, public agencies, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and nonprofit 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 costs associated with maintaining a home is a major challenge for many rural homeowners. The funding we are announcing today will help low-and very-low income residents in rural areas meet the financial obligation of maintaining and repairing their homes,” Vilsack said. “The Obama Administration and USDA are working to ensure that rural homeowners have safe, decent, energy-efficient places to live.”
Applicants must demonstrate the administrative capacity to assist very low-and low-income rural residents to obtain adequate housing. The grants can be used to weatherize and repair existing structures, install or improve plumbing or provide access to people with disabilities.
Last year, an $86,113.29 grant was given to Clare County Community Development and designated to help homeowners with the installation or repair of sanitary water supplies and/or waste disposal systems.
Michigan received a total of $252,430 in Housing Preservation Grants in the previous fiscal year.
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, through its Rural Development mission area, administers and manages more than 40 housing, business and community infrastructure and facility programs through a national network of 6,100 employees located in the nation’s capital and 500 national, state and local offices. These programs are designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life in rural America. Rural Development has an existing portfolio of more than $134 billion in loans and loan guarantees.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).