Low-income homeowners in Harney and Malheur Counties to receive funding to repair roofs, foundations, and porches
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced a total of $164,343 in U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Housing Preservation grants are heading to assist with badly-needed home repairs in rural Harney and Malheur counties.
“When home repairs are critical to health and safety, we need to come together as a community to make sure they get done,” said Merkley. “This grant heading to Community in Action will provide crucial assistance to low-income homeowners in Harney and Malheur Counties so that their homes stay liveable. I won’t stop working to secure resources for households in every corner of the state to ensure that folks have safe, affordable roofs over their heads.”
“Housing is a human right. And in my 1,065 open-to-all town hall meetings so far in every Oregon county as well as in other community meetings, I hear from families and small businesses about the acute need for quality housing that working people can afford,” Wyden said. “These grants for Harney and Malheur counties will help rural Oregonians with needed repairs that make their homes safe, efficient and comfortable.”
These grants—allocated through the nonprofit Communities of Action—will assist 17 low-income homeowners with rebuild and replacement projects who would otherwise not have the resources to make these critical repairs.
Communities in Action will assist to alleviate health and safety hazards in these homes by supporting the repair or replacement of roofs, structural supports and foundations, or porches; or making alterations to the homes’ interior or exterior to provide greater accessibility.
“Community in Action (CinA) is very pleased to receive USDA Rural Development Grant funds once again. Since 2000, USDA RD funds have allowed CinA to be able to provide improvement to 58 homes in Malheur and Harney Counties. Improvements were in the form of many areas, but all were health and safety related, increasing the livability of homes owned by low-income residents who would not otherwise be able to fund these necessary upgrades. These residents are now enjoying a safer, more comfortable living space. With these additional USDA RD funds, CinA looks forward to helping more residents in Malheur and Harney Counties remain safely in their homes,” said Kris Hurd, Energy/Weatherization Manager, Community in Action.
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