Centre County is anticipating a grant in excess of $1 million from a statewide program for housing habitability, energy and accessibility needs.
The Whole-Home Repairs Program, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Economic and Community Development and funded through the American Rescue Plan Act, allocates money to each county, but counties must apply for the grants by Jan. 31, Deputy Human Services Administrator and Director of Adult Services Faith Ryan told the Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.
Centre County’s allocation is expected to be $1.36 million, and the commissioners unanimously approved the grant application.
The program provides funding “to address habitability and safety concerns, provide measures to improve energy or water efficiency and make units accessible for individuals with disabilities,” as well as for construction-related workforce development, according to the DCED.
Funding can be made available to homeowners whose household income does not exceed 80% of the area median income.
A key to the program, Ryan said, is its flexibility. The Office of Adult Services is working with other county agencies and nonprofit partners to shape how the funds can best be used.
“What we’re looking at here in Centre County is starting the program by really kind of identifying what the needs are,” Ryan said. “That’s what’s really unique about this program. There’s a lot of flexibility to take the time through the Office of Adult Services to see what the needs are both through existing programs and waitlists and also through programs through our department and other human services departments such as aging, children and youth, veterans affairs, transportation and [mental health/intellectual disabilities].”
Board of Commissioner Chair Mark Higgins said the grant amount is significant — “an order of magnitude larger than we normally see” — and is expected to be received quickly.
Once needs and capabilities are identified, the county will be able to move forward with selecting sub-recipients, Ryan said. She added that the Office of Adult Services will have case workers and case managers working with partner agencies and helping people who call in to determine if they qualify for assistance or if there is another program that might help.
“We do know there is quite a need out there for our homeowners,” Ryan said. “For a department that’s been running a major rental assistance program, we know that since the beginning of the pandemic we’ve had so many homeowners reach out to us with various needs, whether it be home repair or just mortgage assistance. Mortgage assistance, of course, is not a part of this but we do just want to recognize how much of a need there is out there for that portion of the county.”
The funding might mean that someone who would otherwise have to move can stay in their home, Commissioner Amber Concepcion said.
“We know certainly for folks who may have accessibility concerns being able to make an investment in accessibility to their home might make the difference of being able to stay in their home rather than needing to move into an assisted living space,” she said. “I’m eager to get this program outlined and framed out so we can make the most impact possible with those dollars.”
Added Commissioner Steve Dershem, “In particular, our senior population I think will benefit greatly from these programs. It will be an opportunity to address not only the accessibility issues but also make sure the houses are safe and warm in the winter.”
For the workforce development aspect, Ryan said the county expects to work with the Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology, Career Link and builders’ associations, among others.
“I think the real beauty of this is that it is construction,” Dershem said. “We’re going to be actually improving people’s domiciles and their houses. …There are a lot of houses out there that are in disrepair and this will be the opportunity to do not only the accessibility thing but also to make them habitable, maybe situations that folks aren’t able to stay in their home if they don’t do something dramatic.
“The challenge, of course, is going to be finding all the contractors to do all the work and therein lies the real work, to organize that.”
The number of households that will be eligible under the 80% AMI cap (around $50,000) “is actually a pretty good-sized number,” Higgins said, and the program will benefit housing now and for the future.
“So to Steve’s point, we can take a lot of people’s homes that they have been living in for a while that they don’t quite have the skills or the funds to keep up anymore and not only will it be benefiting them but that residence will be available for future generations,” Higgins said.
