Clay County residents could soon see much-needed home improvements aimed at helping those living in unsafe or substandard conditions.
UCDD Community Development Planner Megan Reagan said the program last served the county in 2019. This year, Clay County received an estimated $540,000 grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency. Reagan said the program is designed to assist low- to moderate-income homeowners by funding repairs that bring homes up to safe living standards.
“This opens up the opportunity for some of the homes that were not able to get worked on before to get worked on now, if they still choose to have that done, or it also opens up opportunity for other applicants to come in and learn about the program,” Reagan said.
Reagan said the need in Clay County is significant, noting the program drew a large number of applicants the last time it was offered.
Reagan said UCDD will oversee the program as the grant administrator, guiding it from early planning stages through completion. Reagan said an inspector will assess each applicant’s home and determine costs for the work that is needed.
“Pretty much make a work plan for the homes to estimate the cost of what is needed to bring these homes back up to code to be safe to live in for these individuals,” Reagan said.
The county commission passed the required policies and procedures for the program earlier this month. Reagan said that was a critical early step in the program’s process.
“That had to happen for us to really get started,” Reagan said. “We are about to start Tier 1 environmental review of the whole county, and then after that, we will begin public meetings to inform the public on the program, as well as begin accepting applications from homeowners.”
Reagan said once the program moves forward, public meetings will be announced to inform residents about eligibility and the application process.
“I’m just delighted that Clay County is the recipient of this grant again, and we’re excited to get some of this work done,” Reagan said.
thanks to a newly awarded state grant