Allen County has received a $45,000 USDA grant to go towards housing preservation. The grant is being dispensed via Thrive Allen County to rehabilitate or remodel low and very low income homes.
This is the second grant of its kind that Thrive has received for housing preservation. “We’re just finishing up the first grant,” Thrive’s Patrick Zirjacks told county commissioners Tuesday morning. “This is really the same grant as before. Unfortunately it’s not quite as much money, so we have to be a little more selective.” The first grant was $73,000 and helped rehabilitate 11 homes in Iola.
Zirjacks explained the first grant was specifically for residents in Iola. The second grant will be open to anyone living in Allen County. “We’re hoping to help somebody from every town in the county,” he said.
The grant’s mission is to help take care of health and safety in the home. “This isn’t going to cover anything like exterior painting,” noted Zirjacks. Some of the items it will cover include hot water heaters, grab bars, zero-entry showers, wheelchair ramps, and roof replacements. “I love doing water heaters and some of my favorite projects to do are walk-in showers because that’s a big safety one for elderly people,” he added.
The grant is specifically for low or very low income households and Zirjacks encourages those who think they may fall in that category to apply. “That ranges widely depending on how many people are living in the household,” explained Zirjacks. “There is no set number of what defines low or very low income. It does not hurt to give us an application and let us decide for you, as long as you’re aware it’s a little bit different for everybody.”
Commissioner David Lee stated he was worried that people would be discouraged from applying if the application process is too cumbersome. Zirjacks assured him that is not the case. “The actual application itself is just two pages,” he said. “Of course, our navigators can always help fill those out. If they need help, we’re happy to do that.”
Using USDA guidelines, a committee will look over applications and make the decision on who receives funding. This includes making sure the applicant is current on their taxes, owns the home and that they’ve occupied it for at least a year. “The big one is income,” he noted. “It should be relatively easy to figure out.” Decisions will be based on budget and need.
In the grant, Thrive stated they intend on helping six people in the county. “My goal is to help more than that,” said Zirjacks. This will depend on the size of the projects. Smaller projects like hot water heaters are fairly inexpensive, noted Zirjacks, ranging from $1,000 to $1,500. “We can do many of those as opposed to roofs, which are about $10,000,” he said. “That doesn’t mean I won’t do roofs. They’re a real basic necessity, but I just can’t do as many as I did last year.”
Anyone interested in applying for grant funds can get an application at Thrive or by calling Zirjacks at (620) 365-8128. “I’m not opposed to taking someone an application either,” added Zirjacks. “At some point, I’ll need to look at their home anyway and the projects they want done.”
IN OTHER NEWS, Donita Garner and Kayla Knavel with Hope Unlimited presented a proclamation to commissioners in recognition of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month. “Over the last year, we have taken in 632 hotline calls, but we have actually increasingly seen more people contact us through social media and our texting line,” Garner said. “We have used 2,605 bed nights in shelter. That means one bed, per person, per night, has been designated for a person.”
Hope Unlimited has remained full for almost the last two years. “This is why we have our project going on for our capital campaign to have a new shelter program,” explained Garner. “We’re really excited about that.”
The organization has had 59 shelter residents, 234 outreach clients, and 170 sexual assault clients in the past year. “That is a major increase. We’ve seen a huge increase in sexual assault victims over the last year and actually since COVID,” said Garner. “Increasingly, we are seeing those numbers rise as people are becoming more aware of the help we provide and are reaching out to us.”
Garner asked commissioners to join Hope Unlimited in their efforts by proclaiming October 2024 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Commissioners approved the proclamation with a unanimous vote.
Terry Call updated commissioners on the promotion of the half-cent sales tax. “The Iola Register has delivered yard signs to the clerk’s office and they are ready to go,” said Call. Lee noted he knew some individuals who have agreed to have the signs in their yards. In addition, Lee announced he will be sitting at the bandstand on the courthouse lawn this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. to answer any questions about the tax. “I believe in it and hopefully it saves the taxpayers money,” he added.
