Grants designed to create jobs & affordable housing in the communities of Chadron and Walthill
WASHINGTON, DC – September 8, 2009 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded $553,609 to two rural housing programs in Nebraska to stimulate economic development, create jobs and produce more affordable housing. The funding is provided through HUD’s Rural Housing and Economic Development Program. The grants announced today are part of $25 million HUD is awarding to 85 rural housing programs throughout the country.
“These grants will create jobs and produce critically needed affordable housing throughout rural areas of our country that are desperate for both,” said Donovan. “We are committed to an economic recovery that is sustainable and reaches every corner of our country, including rural communities that are so important to our nation’s economic health.”
Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation in Walthill, NE will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development Innovative grant award in the amount of $298,754. This Innovative award will assist the project HOPE of Winnebago Tribe in the expansion of affordable housing. This applicant will also provide construction training, credit counseling, financial literacy, down payment assistance, job placement, energy efficient for about 60 tribal members. Partners working with this project include Housing Opportunity through Preparedness and Equality (HOPE) and HO-Chunk (HCI). The proposal leveraging for this project is $182,000.
High Plains Community Development Corp., Inc. in Chadron, NE will receive a Rural Housing and Economic Development grant award in the amount of $254,855. This Innovative award will assist in construction training for five Chadron Youthbuild students in green technology through substantial rehabilitation and adaptive reuse for an existing church building owned by High Plains. This building will be developed into a single family home for low-income homeownership. Additional construction training using green technology and green material will be provided through owner occupied rehabilitation of 2 homes of very low or low-income homeowners. The program will serve as a demonstration project, and will also provide much needed job training in green construction. Partners working with this project include USDA Rural Development, Nebraska Department of Labor and Nebraska Department of Education. The proposed leveraging for this project is $131,000.
Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED) grants support land acquisition, new home construction, housing demolition, infrastructure improvements and construction training. Other possible uses include homeownership and financial counseling; financial assistance to homeowners, businesses and developers; creating microenterprises and small business incubators; and establishing lines of credit or revolving loan pools to benefit the local business community.
Qualified applicants are local rural nonprofit organizations, community development corporations, federally recognized Indian tribes, State housing finance agencies and/or local economic development agencies. Since 1998, RHED grants have provided nearly $250 million, creating/training more than 41,000 jobs, assisting nearly 6,300 businesses and producing nearly 16,000 affordable homes.
Rural communities will use this funding as seed money to pay the start-up costs for housing or economic development projects. These grants will also help organizations to hire and train their staffs, develop strategic plans and acquire office space and other needed facilities.
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The following local programs are receiving grants under HUD’s Rural Housing and Economic Development Program:
| Nebraska | High Plains Community Development Corp., Inc. | $254,855 |
| Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation | $298,754 | |
| GRAND TOTAL | $553,609 | |