Hope and Rushville awarded OCRA grants

The Office of Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs announced 11 Indiana communities will receive $2,680,000 in Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Grants and Planning Grants through the Community Development Block Grant program. 

The Town of Hope is among those to receive a Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation grant used to empower communities to directly fund homeowners of low-to-moderate income to make needed repairs on their homes. While communities awarded Planning Grants will use the funding to develop plans for long-term planning efforts.

The grant is worth $350,000.

Communities awarded an Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation grant will establish a program to help fund low- and moderate-income homeowners make repairs on their homes. Eligible repairs include roof repair or replacement, ADA accessibility, heating and cooling replacement, lighting and electrical upgrades, and water heater replacement.

"I look forward to seeing these communities implement their owner-occupied rehabilitation programs, which will provide a far-reaching improvement to the residents' quality of life," OCRA Executive Director Fred Glynn said. “Congratulations to each of them and to the communities who earned planning grants, an important first step towards long-term change."

The Planning Grant program encourages communities to plan for sustainable community development with the aid of subject matter experts and community input. The applications being funded this quarter address comprehensive planning efforts.

Downtown Revitalization Planning Grants aim to provide a comprehensive strategy for revitalizing the downtown area in rural communities by addressing demographic, economic and social aspects, as well as physical and cultural conditions. The plan serves as a roadmap for leveraging current assets, securing funding sources, and building community engagement to revitalize the downtown business district area and promote economic growth.

One of the Downtown Revitalization Planning Grants was awarded to the City of Rushville for $40,000.