St. Paul, Rush County among grant recipients announced by OCRA

Wednesday, July 2, 2025 at 9:40 PM

By Staff report

Lt. Governor Micah Beckwith and the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs.announced the Town of St. Paul and Rush County are among eight Indiana communities to receive nearly $1 million in Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Grants and Planning Grants through the Community Development Block Grant program.

Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation grants will be used to empower these 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.

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.

An Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Grant is awarded to Rush County for $500,000.

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, water utilities, downtown revitalization and broadband readiness.

Comprehensive Planning Grants are designed to aid communities in evaluating assets and identifying opportunities to address current needs in the following areas: land use, government capacity, public services, placemaking, economic development, housing, transportation, agriculture, natural resources and historic resources.

The Town of St. Paul was awarded a Comprehensive Planning Grant of $50,000.