Upper Cumberland Habitat for Humanity is opening its Critical Repair Program to provide essential home maintenance for low-income residents.
Grants and Repairs Coordinator Stacy Nash said the program targets existing homes in Putnam, Overton, White, and Dekalb Counties that require urgent financial assistance for structural needs. Nash said the organization focuses on necessary repairs such as roofs, HVAC units, plumbing, and electrical systems rather than cosmetic improvements.
“The need is so strong around here for the four counties that we serve, we serve Putnam, Overton, White, and Dekalb County,” Nash said. “There’s so many people who cannot afford to get repairs needed on their homes because it’s paycheck to paycheck. Those who are on disability, you know, single parents, as well as just, you know, a single household, it’s hard to make ends meet.”
Nash said the program is open to homeowners aged 18 or older who have lived in their residence for at least one year within the four-county service area. Nash said the application windows for the program occur during the first two weeks of August and the first two weeks of February each year.
“It can make a major impact,” Nash said. “We’ve done in the last year we’ve done like 15 houses and most of them have been roofs and HVAC units and things that have been, you know, major needs. And these people would have lost their homes, one home, you know, if we didn’t have, if we hadn’t fixed the railing around their porch, they was going to lose their insurance because of it.”
Nash said the organization utilizes a selection committee to review applications and identify the homes with the most significant needs. Nash said Habitat for Humanity manages the subcontractors who perform the work, which is fully covered by grants and donations so the homeowner pays nothing.
Nash said the program is primarily funded through the USDA Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant, along with contributions from Publix and Spark Goods. Nash said the current funding of approximately $80,000 must be managed carefully because individual projects can cost between $10,000 and $15,000.
“It keeps them in their home,” Nash said. “It keeps them from becoming homeless or having to, you know, get rid of the home that maybe they’ve lived in their whole life.”
Nash said she plans to reapply for the Housing Preservation Grant and other annual funding sources to continue the program.
