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Tennessee Housing Development Agency has awarded a HOME Program grant to Carter County to make much-needed repairs to substandard homes for elderly and disabled residents.

The $500,000 grant will allow Carter County to renovate or rebuild up to 6 single-family homes located within the county. The project will benefit very-low and low-income individuals that do not have the financial resources to make needed improvements to their residences.

“Providing safe, decent housing is important for all Tennesseans, and with the help of these HOME funds, Carter County will be able to ensure these residents can remain in their homes while improving their quality of life,” THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey said.

Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby said the county will use the grant funds to those who need it most.

“I just want to say thank you to THDA for the grant we received,” Woodby said. “This grant will be used in the community to really help out our elderly population, and with the economy making everything so expensive, there’s more need now than ever, so we’re blessed to receive these funds and we’re always willing to bring in these dollars for our community because they can be put to good use.”

The grant is being administered on behalf of the county by First Tennessee Development District. A public meeting will be held in the coming weeks to outline application procedures and grant guidelines. Once applications are received, a priority list will be formed based on the level of rehabilitation work required, as well as each applicant’s socioeconomic factors. Homes that cannot be brought up to code will not be considered for the project.

Each home selected under the program will receive repairs that will bring it up to code. If the hard cost of repairs exceed more than 75 percent of the home’s appraised value, the funds will be used for reconstruction.

Anyone seeking additional information on the program should contact the Carter County Government at (423) 542-1801.