BY RUSTY BARNETT
CARTER COUNTY MAYOR
I want to start off by thanking everyone for the chance to serve as Carter County Mayor. I am humbled by this opportunity.
As you may have recently seen in the news, Carter County has been awarded a $500,000 HOME grant from the Tennessee Housing Development Agency to help local residents repair their homes to bring them up to code and correct any health or safety concerns with the residence. This is a wonderful program that will benefit our community and I am pleased that Carter County is able to be a part of it.
Through this program, residents who meet the low-to-moderate income guidelines, reside permanently within Carter County, have proof they have owned their home and the land it is located on for at least a year, and are up-to-date on their property taxes can qualify for grant assistance in repairing their homes. The grant will cover home repairs such as handicap accessibility issues, roof repairs, window replacements, and a variety of other repairs that will make the homes safer and more energy efficient.
All of the home repairs through the program will be completed by contractors in our area which will help keep that money in our local economy. The repairs will be completed at a minimal cost to homeowners who qualify for the grant.
I am very excited about this program and the opportunity it provides residents in our community who are in need of assistance. I also want to thank the staff at First Tennessee Development District for helping us obtain this grant funding and for administering the grant as we begin working with homeowners in our community.
Applications are reviewed on an individual basis and staff from First Tennessee Development District will be conducting individual interviews once applications begin to come in. The applications will be scored based on program criteria and projects will be placed on a priority list based on those scores. Funding for the program is limited, so unfortunately there may be homeowners who qualify but may not receive any assistance funding.
First Tennessee Development District will be hosting a public meeting about the qualifications for the grant and what all types of repairs the grant covers on Tuesday, Jan. 29, at 10 a.m. in the courtroom here at the Carter County Courthouse. Applications for grant funding to complete home repairs will be distributed at the meeting.
I urge anyone who is interested in applying for this grant to please attend the meeting so you can get the information you need to apply.