For the first time ever, the City of Centerville has been awarded a grant from the Community Home Investment Program (CHIP). This program is specific for owner rehabilitated or renovated homes and will allow for $50,000 of renovation to be applied to the betterment of eight homes in the city.
“This is really exciting,” said Centerville Director of Marketing Kate Hogan. “We have never had a competitive application before for this CHIP grant because we’d never had a CHIP grant. In the past, they prioritized those that had had one. If you had financial experience and you did all of these things, you could get one. This year, for the first time, they allowed for communities who had never received a CHIP grant to have a competitive edge, so we got our first one.”
The guidelines set in place for homeowners to qualify to receive these funds are very strict and specific. The purpose of this housing rehabilitation program is specifically to assist low- to moderate-income homeowners. It is to help them upgrade the state and the safety of their current residence.
Some of the eligibility requirements set in place are listed as follows. 1) The house must be owner occupied. 2) All property taxes must be paid and up to date. 3) If there is a mortgage on the house, it must be up to date. 4) The home must be located within the specified targeted areas. 5) The age of the housing unit may determine eligibility for assistance. Units built before 1955 may not be eligible. 6) Applicants must fall at or below the income categories for 2021.
Those income guidelines require that a household of one has an income limit of $25,800, a household of two has a limited income of $29,450, a household of three has an income limit of $33,150, a household of four has an income limit of $36,800, a household of five has an income limit of $39,750, a household of six has an income limit of $42,700, a household of seven has an income limit of $45,650 and a household of eight has an income limit of $48,600.
The affected areas are specific only to Scarborough Road, Prairie Blvd., Brandiron Lane, Tumbleweed Circle, Brantley Road, Benjamin Road, Calvin Drive, Morgan Drive, Mason Drive and Archdale Drive. Only homeowners with houses on these precise streets can apply to be one of the eight to be awarded a $50,000 share of the loan to improve their dwellings.
“We are now actively looking for applications,” Hogan informed. “We have to spend all $400,000 within two years, so as soon as we have enough applicants, we will begin moving forward.”
Hogan expects there to be a lot more applicants than will qualify because guidelines will not be followed. It is important that people understand that if they don’t live in the specific areas outlined, if they don’t meet the income requirements, and if they don’t own their home and actually live in it, they cannot be receivers of the grant monies. Additionally, the home cannot be a mobile home (trailer) without a block foundation, a rental property, an heir property or any home that has been assisted in the past through either CDBG or CHIP grants through the City of Centerville. Residents also cannot come to Centerville City Hall to apply.
“The residents will apply for this through our grant specialist, Ms. Sherry Kurtz,” Hogan directed. “The City of Centerville was awarded the $400,000 and residents are applying for funding that we have, but we are using a grant administrator in order to dispense those funds.”
Kurtz is with Grant Specialists of Georgia, Inc. (P.O. Box 6652, Americus, GA 31709) and she can be reach by email at georgiagrantspecialists@yahoo.com or via telephone at (229) 928-5954.
“Sherry is great,” Hogan assured. “She has done CHIP Grants for Byron, Americus and even Perry. She’s got a ton of fiscal responsibility, she has a great reputation with the state and she knows exactly what she’s doing; that’s why we chose to work with her.”
Eligible home rehabilitation using CHIP grant dollars include repairs to bathroom and kitchens, the installation of code compliant smoke detectors, insulation, painting, accessibility, and the repair or replacement of roofs, floors, ceilings, walls, windows, cabinetry, doors, handrails, banisters, plumbing, electrical, HVAC systems, wells, septic tanks and other work approved by the program staff.
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