MANSFIELD — Benjamin Franklin once posited that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
That’s the idea behind the latest program funded by the Richland County Foundation and administered by the Richland County Land Bank.
The Richland County Land Bank is preparing to launch its Thriving Home program after being approved for $750,000 in funding from the Richland County Foundation.
The program will provide grants of up to $25,000 to applicants who meet income eligibility requirements for approved home improvement costs. The funds will be enough to help at least 30 homeowners over the next three years.
The land bank will receive $375,000 from the foundation’s general fund and $375,000 from the Robert and Esther Black Family Foundation Fund, a donor-advised fund at RCF.
“We’ve been talking about the importance of housing for years,” said Allie Watson, president and CEO of the Richland County Foundation.
“By encouraging a homeowner to make improvements to their home, we can help elevate an entire neighborhood. Over the next three years, we can impact multiple neighborhoods across Richland County, which can improve the whole community,” she added.
Land bank 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.
The goal is to prevent at-risk residents from becoming homeless and assist owner occupants who may not qualify for other low income rehab assistance programs, according to the land bank’s funding application to the Richland County Foundation.
The program will allow the land bank to continue supporting low income homeowners as the land bank winds down its work on the state’s Lead Safe program.
Lead Safe was administered locally by the land bank and provided funds for certain income-eligible residents to make home improvements that remediated the presence of lead, like window and exterior door replacements.
The Ohio legislature appropriated $150 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for the Lead Safe program in 2023. Those funds have since been spent. Lawmakers did not include additional Lead Safe funding in this summer’s biennial budget.
The land bank is using up the last of its $1.358 million allocation, with 28 local property owners benefitting from the program.
Who is eligible and how can funds be used?
Owner occupants living in Richland County are eligible if they earn no more than 120 percent of the area median income. Owners will be required to cover 15 percent of the total rehab cost and Mechanics Bank will offer a five-year, fixed-interest rate loans to recipients.
While homeowners can apply for Thriving Home funds to address lead safety issues, Hamrick said this program won’t be limited to just lead remediating projects.
Eligible repairs can be aimed at reducing utility costs, improving energy efficiency, enhancing health and safety and/or reducing blight.
More specifically, funds can be used for windows, exterior doors, siding, roofing, fascia and soffit, gutters and downspouts, porch repair, tree trimming and removal and/or garage repair or demolition.
Hamrick said she hopes to finalize the application and have it available by the end of January. Since the land bank will be receiving funds during the next three years, there will be three rounds of applications over that time period.
For updates on the program, keep reading Richland Source or visit the land bank’s website.
