Montour County residents may apply for no-cost home repairs

Montour County residents may be able to tap into a $500,000 grant for no-cost housing repairs if they apply to get on the wait list now.

Interested homeowners may call SEDA-COG’s Stacy Anderson at 800-326-9310.

If the application is successful, the HOME Existing Owner-Occupied Housing Program grant may be awarded in early 2020.

Homeowners can now receive up to $65,000 instead of a past limit of $35,000 in home improvements.

Eligible repairs include structural, roofing, plumbing, electrical, heating/furnace, window replacement, radon and lead-based paint mitigation, and energy-related improvements. Also included are modifications for mobility-impaired residents. There is no cost to homeowners who maintain home residency over a five-year period from the date of signing.

The grant program has historically improved the county by investing over $1 million in 36 home rehabilitation efforts.

The homeowner can go through the process hassle-free with SEDA-Council of Governments (SEDA-COG) as project manager, said Teri Provost, director of the agency’s Housing Rehabilitation program.

“Eligible homeowners can enjoy a rehabilitated home at no cost to them while we help them from start to finish, from obtaining a contractor, managing the project, to anything that may arise during or after the rehabilitation process,” Provost said.