Jessica Thompson isn’t often prone to hyperbole.
But she can’t help but gush when talking about a housing rehabilitation initiative, made possible through a $1.4 million grant from Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka.
“We’re just really excited about it,” said Thompson, chief strategy and development officer for Thrive Allen County. “This is going to change a lot of lives, for the better.”
With the grant, Thrive plans to assist at least 50 Allen County homeowners with critical repairs to their houses.
The program is targeted for those who fall within the low-to-moderate income brackets. Special considerations will be given to disabled, elderly and veterans, or those with weatherization issues.
“We’re going to be very intentional about doing homes in as many of the communities in Allen County as we can,” noted Patrick Zirjacks, Thrive’s community engagement coordinator.
He and Thompson are in the midst of notifying the various community leaders throughout the county before applications will be accepted, starting Feb. 17.
The grant is substantially more generous than similar projects Thrive has undertaken in the past through the United States Department of Agriculture. In fact, Thrive has just recently started a new round of USDA projects.
But while the USDA projects are limited both in those who can be assisted (only low-income recipients) and in the dollar amounts — typically less than $10,000 per home — this grant can be much more generous.
The plan is to put at least $3,500 into every project, with the average investment at about $23,000 per home.
Investments include:
— Exterior protection, such as full roof replacements or new siding to prevent structural water damage.
— Energy sustainability, through comprehensive weatherization and installation of new high-efficiency appliances to reduce utility bills.
— Health and mobility issues, such as replacing old, hazardous carpeting with luxury vinyl plank (LVP) flooring, which is substantially easier to navigate if using a walker or wheelchair. Zero-entry bathrooms can be installed as well.
Zirjacks recalled working with a USDA applicant recently, who otherwise qualified, but had to be rejected because the HVAC repairs were too expensive at $16,000.
“We couldn’t help her then,” Zierjacks said. “We can now. I really hope she applies.”
