Local communities receive grants to upgrade residents’ homes

Area communities will be receiving more than half of the total funds granted by the state for housing rehabilitation grants.

The Indiana Office of Community And Rural Affairs and Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith announced Thursday that the state was awarding $2.6 million in community development block grant funding to support owner occupied housing rehabilitation grants as well as planning and study grants.

Of that $2.6 million, more than $1.3 million is going to area communities including $500,000 each to Brown and Jennings counties and $350,000 for the town of hope.

Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation grants directly provide funds to low and moderate-income homeowners so they can make needed repairs on their homes.

Funding for the community development block grant programs comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is administered by the Indiana Office of Community And Rural Affairs.