The City of Cleveland is using $15 million in federal funds to help homeowners fix up their properties and sustain neighborhoods.
This week, it launched pre-approval applications for the citywide ARPA-funded home repair lottery.
Cleveland has the oldest housing stock in Cuyahoga County.
Building new homes and rehabbing others has long been the work of the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity.
“Having a home and a home that's sustainable and safe and in a decent neighborhood is something we all strive for and hope for,” said President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, John Litten.
Now, the organization is helping complete critical home repairs for residents in the Buckeye-Woodhill and Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods, where it's already doing meaningful work.
Currently, the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, Cleveland Housing Network (CHN), and Community Housing Solutions (CHS) are partnering with the city to deploy the ARPA dollars. Some work has already begun.
“There's an instant trust that exists there because they've seen us in the neighborhood doing this work already,” Litten said.
Repair work can vary and includes exterior and interior projects, things like window and roof replacement, plumbing, flooring and HVAC.
In a news release, the city said, “Each organization will facilitate its own programs and will receive pre-qualified projects through the City’s application and lottery process. Generally, home repair programs offer loans and grants of up to $30,000 for work on roofs, HVAC, exterior violations and similar repairs. Because program rules differ, the City of Cleveland team will manage the initial intake and match qualified applicants with the best program to meet their needs.”
Litten said funding home repairs can create a domino effect.
“Crime rates plummet (and) home values increase faster than they normally would,” Litten said. “It helps everybody in the community build equity and value in their homes. That's something they can keep within their family for years pass along to other members."
Last year, the city announced plans to utilize $15 million for home repair programs. $5 million was set aside for the city’s southeast side, where Mayor Justin Bibb identified the need. $10 million is dedicated to citywide work. Online applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Aug. 21. 150 citywide slots will be split amongst the city’s 17 wards.
“We're making sure that they're in a safe sanitary environment. But we're also making sure that folks can go to grandma's house for Thanksgiving, and that the grand-kids can come over and be in a lead free zone, (and) nobody's getting stuck as they are trying to walk up the front porch,” said Alyssa Hernandez, Cleveland’s director of community development.
The city said it realizes the need outgrows current funding, but it’s a solid start to helping residents improve their living conditions.
“We continue to have conversations about how can we grow the pot and make sure that we're getting in (and) attracting additional dollars.... because we view our dollars as a down payment not as the end of the story,” Hernandez said.
Residents who apply for the ARPA-funded home repair lottery will complete what the city calls a universal application. Hernandez said if a resident isn’t selected for the ARPA-funded program, they can potentially get help through the city’s traditional community development block grant programs.
“So that soon as dollars become available, we can reach out to folks and make sure that we get them in our pipeline,” Hernandez said.
The city added that past problems with some residents’ applications falling through the cracks and work not being delivered have been addressed.
"We have new leadership in place. We have new partners in place, and we are dedicated to making sure that we're getting home repair right,” Hernandez said.
