News photo by Josh Jambor Pictured is the Alpena Township Hall and Fire Station along U.S.-23 in Alpena Township. The board voted unanimously at Monday’s meeting to apply for $1.275 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding.

ALPENA – The Alpena Township Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution at Monday’s board meeting authorizing an application for $1,275,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to support a homeowner rehabilitation program that would assist dozens of single-family homes for low- and moderate-income residents.

The funding, if awarded by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, would boost housing improvements in the township, according to the board. The resolution authorizes submission of the grant application and designates Alpena Township Supervisor Abbi Kaszubowski to sign all related documents on behalf of the township.

Sarah Kopko, an independent grant writer who presented the proposal to the board, provided details on the long-standing federal program. She said that the funding has been available for over 50 years.

“This is funding that’s been around since 1974 and it’s a federal program that allows communities to access funding to help support rehabs in homes that are single family homes within the community that are at the area median income of 80% and below,” Kopko said.

Kopko said at the meeting that the township is seeking an application that would grant $1,045,500 in project funding. This amount would include $229,500 in administration funding, totaling $1,275,000 to run the program.

“This, at an average investment of $20,000 per home, would allow you to rehab approximately 52 homes,” she added.

Eligible improvements include essential repairs and upgrades.

“This funding can be used for things like water heaters, furnaces, siding, roofing and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance,” Kopko explained.

Kopko cited income eligibility guidelines using Alpena County area median income figures, which includes the following:

– A single individual who makes $48,850 per year

– Two people who make $53,550 per year

– Three people who make $60,250 per year

She added that the eligibility requirements do not consider children living in the home, unless the child is over the age of 18.

“A family of three, where one of the children is 14 years old, that person would be counted as an individual but would not be required to show income,” she said.

To meet the property tax requirements, the home must be up to date on its taxes or have a payment plan that has been agreed upon to be eligible for funds, according to Kopko.

She added that any home improvement that could trigger lead-based paint hazards, or if a project costs more than $25,000, a lead abatement must be completed. Kopko also addressed lead-based paint hazards common in older homes.

“The person would decide whether or not they want to do lead abatement and if they don’t you might remove windows and cap your spending at $25,000,” she added. “You cannot do lead abatement only activities,” Kopko added.

The application and review process involves multiple steps, according to Kopko. There is a third-party administrator who will help decide what guidelines will be for projects under the program.

“Then you post those guidelines online, and you are given application materials as well so that individuals can come in-person and pick up a paper application or complete the application online,” Kopko explained.

“The third-party administrator then reviews and confirms the information provided,” Kopko added. “Once that’s all done, the confirmed individual that has passed all the tests can be pushed over to the community where a deciding body (typically three people) confirms the application can move forward for a site visit.”

Kopko also took time to praise local leaders for seizing the opportunity to utilize these funds.

“I want to thank Lenny Avery with Target Alpena and Lake Huron Development Corporation,” she said. “He was very adamant after seeing so much MSHDA funding that had not been spent in your region. Categorically, your region has never spent its allotted funding from MSHDA for any of the activities it’s available for.”

“We came to Abbi at the last minute and said, ‘There (are) funds available, and you should really consider pursuing this application,’ and despite not having a lot of time to get the letter of intent completed, she saw that there was a need in her community, and she went for it,” Kopko stated. “With those two people we were able to make it happen.”

Kaszubowski shared her hopes for the program, stating that it will be a good opportunity for the community.

“This MSHDA CDBG grant is a tremendous opportunity to help our community make critical improvements to homes, which directly impacts and improves their quality of life. The funding resources will allow us to provide help to up to 52 home owners and I’m hopeful that the success of the program will lead us to more grant funding in the near future.”

All board members voted yes on the resolution. The township will now submit the formal application to MSHDA. If approved, the program would provide critical assistance to eligible homeowners for necessary repairs, potentially improving housing quality and stability in the community.

Josh Jambor can be reached at jjambor@thealpenanews.com.