Alpena County Home Improvement helps homeowners, prepares for new opportunity
ALPENA, Mich. — Alpena County Home Improvement has already begun funding projects with their Neighborhood Enhancement Program grants.
The county was given $37,125 from NEP grants, which come from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. The Home Improvement Department divided the grant into two homes selected by their neighborhood as well as Home Improvement.
The homeowners had spoken to Alpena County before regarding their needs, and the grants are funding exterior repairs for them.
“These were two homeowners that I knew that needed repairs,” said Thea Lucas, the Home Improvement Director. “They had contacted our office before, in which we had assisted one home in particular with electric and plumbing and the other home with a furnace.”
Lucas says there could be more grants available for homeowners in the future. Alpena County Home Improvement is currently applying for a grant from Rural Development and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). She hopes to make these available for residents to apply for in the next few months.
“The grant comes here to the Alpena County Home Improvement office. We have an application process and a phone screen that begins the process,” Lucas said. “We make sure that they do live in Alpena County, that they’re insurance and taxes are paid up, and that they do qualify as far as an emergency need plus income guidelines.”
For more information, you can visit the Home Improvement Department’s website here, or contact (989)-354-9664.
