MANSFIELD — Two single mothers on the southeast side of Mansfield will get help with home repairs through a new Richland County Land Bank initiative.
The Thriving Home program provides up to $25,000 each for approved home improvement costs to eligible Richland County homeowners. Beneficiaries are required to cover 15 percent of the total rehab cost.
The program is being administered in three rounds, with $250,000 in funding available during each round. The program is being funded by the Richland County Foundation.
The land bank sought applications for the program’s first round earlier this year and approved its first two grant recipients Wednesday.
One grant of around $9,425 will go towards porch repair, a French drain and tree removal.
The other, a $21,250 grant, will allow the homeowner to replace windows, doors, gutters and downspouts, fascia and soffit, plus a repair to the porch and remove a tree.
After accounting for owner matches and land bank contributions, the two applications represent a $37,037.25 investment in home improvements for the two properties.
Executive Director Amy Hamrick said the goal of the Thriving Home program is to stabilize Richland County’s housing stock by funding home improvements that keep houses from falling into disrepair.
Eligible repairs can be those that reduce utility costs, improve energy efficiency, enhance health and safety and/or reduce blight.
Owner-occupants living in Richland County are eligible for Thriving Home if they earn no more than 120 percent of the area median income and live in a home built prior to 2001.
The land bank has received close to 80 applications so far, project manager Kerry Nelson said.
Hamrick said she is reviewing applications and will likely present more to the land bank board for approval at its next meeting.
Hamrick said the land bank is still accepting applications for emergency situations, but is recommending all other applicants wait until the second round of funding is released in January.
Applications are being reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis. Hamrick said she’s unsure if applicants who are not awarded funds during this round will have to reapply for the second round.
“We’ll send them a letter if they have to reapply and let them know at least,” she said.
