Southern Indiana Business Report
INDIANAPOLIS – Three Radius Indiana communities were awarded grants to assist homeowners with needed repairs on their homes.
Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced last month that the city of Bedford, city of Mitchell and town of Bloomfield were among 20 Indiana communities that will receive more than $3.6 million in Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Grants and Planning Grants through the Community Development Block Grant program.
According to a news release, Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation grants directly fund homeowners of low-to-moderate income to make needed repairs on their homes. While communities awarded Planning Grants will use the funding to develop plans for long-term planning efforts.
“Each of these grant programs will contribute to improving the lives of Hoosiers across our state,” said Crouch, Indiana’s Secretary of Agriculture and Rural Development. “I am grateful to the 20 awardees who are committed to investing more into their residents and community development.”
Communities awarded an Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Grant will establish a program to help fund low- and moderate-income homeowners make repairs on their homes. Eligible repairs include roof repair or replacement, ADA accessibility, heating and cooling replacement, lighting and electrical upgrades and water heater replacement.
Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Grants are awarded to the following communities:
- The town of Bloomfield is awarded $350,000
- The city of Mitchell is awarded $350,000
- The city of North Vernon is awarded $350,000
- The city of Tell City is awarded $350,000
- The city of Martinsville is awarded $350,000
- The city of Bedford is awarded $300,000
- The city of Seymour is awarded $350,000
- Henry County is awarded $500,000
“Congratulations to the communities receiving these important grants, these funds are vital to improving the quality of life throughout the Hoosier state,” said OCRA Executive Director Duke Bennett. “I look forward to seeing how these improvements will benefit our rural cities and towns and encourage others to apply when the next round opens.”
The Planning Grant program encourages communities to plan for sustainable community development with the aid of subject matter experts and community input. The applications being funded this quarter address comprehensive planning efforts, water utilities, downtown revitalization and broadband readiness.
Comprehensive Planning Grants are designed to aid communities in evaluating assets and identifying opportunities to address current needs in the following areas: land use, government capacity, public services, placemaking, economic development, housing, transportation, agriculture, natural resources and historic resources.
Comprehensive Planning Grants of $50,000 each are awarded to the following communities:
- The City of Aurora
- The Town of Brookville
- The Town of Goodland
- The Town of Lewisville
Funding for OCRA’s CDBG programs originates from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grant program and is administered for the State of Indiana by OCRA. For more information, visit in.gov/ocra/cdbg/.