The city of Athens will receive more than half a million dollars to improve low-income housing as a part of an Ohio Department of Development grant to improve more than 70 eligible communities statewide.
The city plans to use the grant, totaling $522,400, to repair 13 and rehabilitate three owner-occupied homes in the city, said Paula Horan-Moseley, Athens’ Service Safety Director.
Funds will also be available to repair rental units, she said.
Athens is working with Habitat for Humanity to build houses for low-income individuals who then will receive the homes at no cost, Moseley said.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development funded the grant, she said, adding that all properties that will benefit from the funds must fall under income requirements set by HUD.
Because the majority of off-campus student housing in Athens charges rent higher than the HUD limit of about $500 a month, the funds will not be available for student housing, Moseley said.
The department awarded a total of $34.6 million in similar competitive grants, according to an Ohio Department of Development news release.
The award winners were chosen based on a rating that evaluated need and on each applicant’s plan to use the funds, said Shana Garrett, spokeswoman for the department. Athens fell in the middle range of the other applicants with a score of 86.6 out of 100, she said.
Other applicants were from areas in need of low-income housing, which reflects Athens’ situation compared to other struggling areas, said Mike Hiler, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Development.
“There is a very big need compared to other areas of the state,” he said.
The award is part of Athens’ goal to make housing available to all types of people as a part of the city’s comprehensive plan, Athens City Planner Paul Logue said.
“There is plenty of housing for middle-income residents, like faculty at the university, but there isn’t much for lower-income people,” Logue said.
Mayor Paul Wiehl said he hopes that these funds will help open more low-income housing in the city.
Athens received the maximum amount of funding possible for the two-year cycle, Moseley said.
“We can always use more money; we’ll always have a need for it,” Moseley said. “I already know we’ll be applying again in two years.”
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