Property owners with damage from severe weather last year now have an opportunity to apply for grants for repairs.
In an announcement last week, U.S Department of Agriculture Rural Development Tennessee State director Arlisa Armstrong shared home-repair grants are available to those whose homes were damaged as a result of severe winter storms, severe storms, straight-line winds and tornadoes in 2022.
The homes must be located in a presidentially-declared disaster area within seven west Tennessee counties, including Tipton. Other counties in the designation are Crockett, Fayette, Shelby, Haywood, Lauderdale and Weakley.
The grants are available through supplemental-disaster funding under the Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program. Through this program, people may apply to receive grants of up to $40,675 directly from USDA to repair their homes.
Funds will be available until expended. They may be used to:
- pay for home repair expenses that were a result of a Presidentially-declared disasters in calendar year 2022.
- prepare a site for a manufactured home.
- relocate a manufactured home.
To be eligible:
- applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the low-limits based on their household size and county.
- homes must be located in an eligible rural area.
- homes must be located in a Presidentially-declared disaster areas in 2022.
“When an unexpected crisis impacts our lives, it reminds us of our connection to our communities and to the places we call home,” Armstrong said. “That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA stand ready to help thousands of people across rural Tennessee access the resources they need to rebuild their homes, their communities and their lives. We do this work because we know that rural America is home to millions of people who make up America’s spirit and character.”
For more information, visit: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-programs/single-family-housing-rural-disaster-home-repair-grants.
The Biden-Harris Administration championed the bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, that made this funding possible.
In the coming weeks and months, USDA expects to announce additional funding availability under the bill to help rural people in presidentially declared disaster areas who were impacted by natural disasters in 2022.
This additional funding will assist eligible organizations help rural people repair and improve their homes. It will also help rural communities repair water infrastructure and essential community facilities.
Additional resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance.
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