Feb. 1, 2024 – Tennessee Housing Development Agency has awarded a HOME Program grant to the city of Lafollette to make much-needed repairs to substandard homes for elderly and disabled residents.
The $600,000 grant will allow Lafollette to renovate or rebuild up to four single-family homes located within the city limits. The project will benefit very-low and low-income individuals that do not have the financial resources to make needed improvements to their residences.
“Providing safe, decent housing is important for all Tennesseans, and with the help of these HOME funds, Lafollette will be able to ensure these residents can remain in their homes while improving their quality of life,” THDA Executive Director Ralph M. Perrey said.
Lafollette Mayor Cliff Jennings said the city will use the grant funds to help improve the quality of life for its residents.
"I want to say thank you to THDA for cooperating and partnering with the City of Lafollette for this much-needed housing," Jennings said. "We want to continue to support our citizens and support obtainable housing for everyone."
The next step for county will be to hold public meetings to outline application procedures and grant guidelines. Once applications are received, a priority list will be formed based on the level of rehabilitation work required, as well as each applicant’s socioeconomic factors. Homes that cannot be brought up to code will not be considered for the project.
Each home selected under the program will receive repairs that will bring it up to code. If the hard cost of repairs exceeds more than 75 percent of the home’s appraised value, the funds will be used for reconstruction.
Anyone seeking additional information on the program should contact Lafollette City Hall at (423) 562-4961.
The HOME program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is administered in part in Tennessee by THDA. During the most recent funding round, THDA awarded 11 competitive HOME grants statewide totaling $4.9 million.
HOME grants must be used for the production, preservation, or rehabilitation of affordable housing for low and very low-income families and individuals.
