City to hold Aug. 17 workshop for home repair funding program

The City of Olney will hold an Aug. 17 workshop to help local homeowners apply for USDA loans and grants to repair or spruce up their homes, city officials said.

The City’s USDA Outreach Day at City Hall on Aug. 2 was so successful that the Olney Economic Development Corporation [EDC] and Chamber of Commerce quickly organized a second event to help people apply for the USDA’s Single-Family Housing (SFH) Direct Home Loan program or the Single- Family Housing (SFH) Home Repair program, Mayor Pro Tem Tom Parker said.

“The EDC is really going to focus on housing – not only new housing – but improving what we have and making everyone is safe and comfortable in the housing that they currently have,” said Mr. Parker, who is awaiting City Council confirmation of his new job as EDC executive director. “We want to help everybody. The key to creating a good community is homeownership and pride in homeownership is a cement … it is going to make a stronger community all around.”

City Administrator Arpegea Pagsuberon said the City had a surprisingly strong turnout for the USDA event at City Hall last week.

“The city had 17 applicants visit and gather information to apply for the SFH or the SFH [programs],” she said. “The USDA representative mentioned that these events typically don’t gather a crowd but only 1-2 applicants. The City printed out 30 copies of each and they had all been picked up by local citizens.”

Mr. Parker said the outreach event showed that the USDA program is a good fit for many Olney homeowners. “The regional director of the USDA … helped them complete the applications and took them back to be processed. Seventeen people had applied and he believed that 15 were in the running [for funding].”

The grants “are primarily for health and safety” projects, such as installing ramps or walk-in showers, or new roofs, windows, and HVAC, he said. The low-interest loan program would cover “more aesthetic” projects, “almost anything the individual wants provided it’s an improvement,” he said.

The Aug. 17 workshop will be held at 1 p.m. at the Senior Cub Center at 302 S. Ave. B.

“We are going to have a classroom setting,” Mr. Parker said. “We will go through the paperwork together. There will be an orientation and a general overview.”

Applicants also may fill out the paperwork at home and return it to Ms. Pink at the Chamber, who will forward it to the USDA’s Abilene office, he said.