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Knoxville, TN — Every year, the Knoxville office of Barge, Waggoner, Sumner, and Cannon, Inc. (BWSC) begins working with municipalities in the East Tennessee area on applications for grant funding opportunities under the HOME Program. The federal government, working in conjunction with the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) HOME Program, makes available a set amount of money each year as 100% grants that may be used for rehabilitation of owner-occupied residential housing, replacement of dilapidated housing with new housing, and other related activities.
BWSC provides multiple services to local East Tennessee governments to assist them with the HOME Program administration including program development and application, contractor screening and selection, socioeconomic surveys, participant prioritization, inspections, scopes of work and contract documents, construction administration, and final inspections. Sam Kidd, Construction Representative in the Knoxville office, works with the cities, counties, and the homeowner beneficiaries to obtain funding and then see the rehabilitation projects through to completion.
In 2010, THDA funded ten projects in the East Tennessee Region. This year, $2,606,829 was the total amount provided which funded six projects. Twenty-two municipalities in the East Tennessee Region applied for the grant and BWSC assisted nineteen of those with applications or program administration.
The impact of BWSC’s work and the HOME Program goes beyond the numbers. The HOME Program is akin to an “extreme home makeover” in that it benefits homeowners who desperately need housing that is livable, affordable, and efficient. Many beneficiaries of the program are elderly and living at or below the poverty line on fixed incomes or disability. The houses they occupy are substandard in heating, cooling, plumbing, and livability, often bordering on condemnation. A typical engagement involves demolition of the existing house and construction of a new, similarly sized house that meets Energy Star compliance standards and is structurally sound.
BWSC and local governments are preparing for the 2012 round of HOME grant applications. One of the most significant problems with the program is actually lack of applicants. Many individuals who are eligible either are unaware of the program or do not understand how the program works in terms of funding and financial obligation. For those homeowners who do receive services, the HOME program makes a tangible improvement in their lives by providing warm, safe, energy-efficient housing. It is just another way BWSC lives up to the statement “Creating a better life by design.” |
