Ortonville- Furnace broken? Roof falling in? Septic system fail?
It sounds like a really bad week, but if you are a village resident and facing even one of these crises, there may be help available.
The village is offering four $1,000 grants to residents who need an emergency home repair. The program is offered with the help of Community Development Block Grant funds. Each year, the village receives $8,000 in CDBG funds. This year, for the first time, the village is using $4,000 to help residents directly with home repairs. The remainder will be used for public services ($2,400) and planning ($1,600).
Resident must show proof of home ownership and income qualify based on the 2010 HUD guidelines. A family of four, for example, cannot have a household income exceeding $55,850 annually. An individual living alone can not make more than $39,000 in a year.
‘Emergencies? must jeopardize the immediate ‘health and safety? of the home. Examples of repairs that may qualify include, but are not limited to replacement/repair of furnaces, water heater, septic fields, wells, and roofs, staircases, and porches that are in immediate danger of collapsing.
All repair requests submitted will be verified and inspected by the village building inspector and the village will then request bids from contractors to do the work in a short timeframe.
‘If your septic fails, it may cost you $10,000, but we can give you $1,000,? said Village Clerk Heidi Barckholtz. ‘We are excited to try this and glad to be helping the community directly.?
For more information, call Barckholtz or Village Manager Larry Brown at 248-627-4976.