The city of South Haven is seeking funding from the state to help low-income residents pay for home repairs.
South Haven Assistant City Manager Michael Landis tells us the city hasn’t applied for these Community Development Block Grant dollars since 2018. Under the CDBG program, residents with incomes of 80% of the area median or less could apply for grants of $1,000 to $40,000 for home rehab projects.
“This is a host of rehabilitation options, whether it’s getting a new roof on a building, getting a new water heater, updating some accessibility items,” Landis said.
Landis says he’s worked with the CDBG program in other communities before, and it produces excellent results.
“This is a life-changing rehabilitation item. This is really making a home, bringing it back up to code, bringing it back up to a place where there is not a physical burden of having to take care of something that someone may not have the means to take care of on their own.”
The CDBG dollars come from the federal government and are distributed to communities through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Landis says the city is applying for $400,000 this year and should find out in October if it’s been approved.
The South Haven City Council will hold a public hearing on the application during its regular meeting on September 15.
