Clay County facing project uncertainties and an indefinite timeline for its upcoming low-to-moderate-income housing rehabilitation program.
The program is geared for vulnerable local populations, particularly senior citizens who need structural improvements to remain in their homes. UCDD Planner Megan Reagan said the agency cannot promise all the proposed home sites will receive funding before the state grant is exhausted.
“There is no timeline right now so I can’t give a timeline, and there’s no guarantee that we’re going to be able to get to all eight properties,” Reagan said. “That’s just an estimate when we when we submitted the application, with construction costs the way that they are.”
Reagan said administrators will work on one property at a time, moving through the funding line until the grant is entirely spent.
“A lot of times we see that the homeowners that are impacted by these these projects are elderly, so this allows your elderly to remain remain home and age in place, and have safe and livable residences that meet the needs where they are right now,” Reagan said.
Reagan said a local panel will score applications based on strict needs criteria, factoring in total household income, demographic info, and safety hazards,. Individual repairs will range from minor updates like new windows and roofs to full structural demolitions and complete property rebuilds.
“Some homes need new roofs, there are holes in their floor, they need a ramp for accessibility, they need new showers,” Reagan said. “Sometimes it is so bad that it needs to be demolished and rebuilt.”
Reagan said a structural checklist conducted by an inspector will also influence the overall selection process. Because the initiative is fully financed through a federal program administered by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency, selected property owners face no matching fees.
“It protects homeowners from the out of pocket costs because it is grant funded through a HUD program with THDA, and there is no county match in it whatsoever, it’s 100% funded through through THDA,” Reagan said.
Reagan said public outreach and application openings will begin at the county mayor’s office as soon as the state approves the pending environmental review. The county must fully close out this current round of spending before it becomes eligible to apply for future state housing funding cycles.