The cities of Shelby, Galion and Bucyrus will soon be able to offer residents applications for state-funded housing repairs and rehabilitation projects.
The Ohio Department of Development has announced the funding of $1 million for Crawford County and $700,000 for the City of Shelby to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes of low- and moderate-income families.
The funds in Crawford County are to rehabilitate nine homes and repair 14 homes. The City of Shelby’s funds are to rehabilitate six homes and repair 10 homes. The sites of these repairs will be determined by applications.
Crawford County’s funds will be split between Galion and Bucyrus based on applications.
Great Lakes Community Action Partnership will process applications for Crawford County residents. GLCAP housing and energy director Perry Jacobs said his office determines homeowner eligibility and keeps track of the county CHIP funds.
“This gets the ball rolling really fast,” Jacobs said. “We can work through the post office but we prefer online and through email.”
Dale Hartle, president and CEO of Ohio Regional Development Corporation, will lead the processing of Shelby and Richland County CHIP applications.
Hartle said home evaluations determine what work needs done. Each issue that needs fixed, such as a roof repair, water heater replacement or plumbing problems are given a point score.
“All of the people who apply in that first round of applications are given the same opportunity once they’ve met the criteria to be funded,” Hartle said. “Then we take the ranking — the most points means you have the worst home, and those are the ones we begin working with.”
If repair projects have the same point score, Hartle said the state works on a first-come, first-served basis from when the homeowners applied for assistance. All issues found in a home must be addressed for it to be deemed safe and livable.
Homeowners must sign promissory notes agreeing to occupy the home for at least five years after work is completed. If they sell, vacate or transfer the property before five years, homeowners may be required to reimburse the program on a sliding scale, up to their full grant amount.
Mortgage recording and release fees of about $40 each are required from homeowners before and after the rehabilitation work is completed.
Rehabilitations can take multiple months including paperwork, Hartle said. Smaller repairs might take just a few weeks.
These Community Housing Impact and Preservation funds are meant to preserve and improve Ohio’s affordable housing. They are funded by the Ohio Housing Trust Fund, the federal Community Development Block Grant and HOME Investment Partnership programs.
Shelby project coordinator Joe Gies said he expects the City of Shelby to begin working on projects in January. The city may start taking applications in November, but it will not be able to commit funds to any projects before home inspections, environmental reviews and certain paperwork is complete.
The City of Shelby will work with Richland County commissioners to administer the funds. Gies said the funds and applications are open to anyone in Richland County except Mansfield residents, as the City of Mansfield’s Community Development Office directly administers federal CDBG and HOME grants.
“It’s been helpful for our Shelby residents for a good many years and it’s good that we’re reaching out into the rest of the county now,” Gies said.
Matt Echelberry, communications director for the City of Galion, said he encourages anyone within the income requirements to look into applying for the grants if they need home repairs.
“Past programs have benefited a lot of people, not only in Galion, but residents countywide,” he said. “It’s definitely something worth taking advantage of.”
The Ohio Department of Development defines low-and moderate-income households as those earning 80% or below the area median income. These measurements are updated annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The 2022 income limits for Richland and Crawford counties begin at $41,550 for a one-member household and increase based on each additional household member.
Any Richland or Crawford County resident with questions about the CHIP program can contact the Shelby CHIP coordinator at 419-347-6310 or the Regional Development Corporation main office at 740-622-0529.
