Two Maine nonprofits are receiving Housing Preservation Grants. Bangor-based Penquis and Western Maine Community Action in East Wilton each secured a grant of $84,829.
The organizations plan to use the funds to provide home repairs for eligible low- and very low-income residents in Franklin, Knox, Penobscot, and Piscataquis counties, according to a news release from the USDA.
“At USDA Rural Development, we know how important home ownership is to rural Mainers,” said U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Maine State Director Rhiannon Hampson. “But paying for maintenance and even for urgent repairs can be out of reach for many people, particularly older residents. That is why we are so glad to award Housing Preservation Grants to Western Maine Community Action and Penquis. They know their communities and can put these dollars to work where they are needed the most, ensuring more low- and very-low-income Mainers can live in warm, safe homes.”
USDA’s Housing Preservation program provides grants to sponsoring organizations to repair or rehabilitate housing owned or occupied by low-income rural citizens. Maine’s 2023 grant recipients will work with eligible homeowners across four counties.
Western Maine Community Action, a nonprofit based in East Wilton, provides services to Franklin County residents. WMCA will use the Rural Development funds to rehabilitate eligible owner-occupied homes. The program will focus on immediate health and safety issues and energy conservation repairs for low-income homeowners. Interested applicants can call the agency at 207 645-3764 or email WMCA Housing Director William Crandall at wcrandall@wmca.org.
Penquis is a Bangor-based nonprofit organization incorporated in 1967 to alleviate and eliminate the causes and conditions of poverty. It will use the funds to help low- and very low-income homeowners in Penobscot, Piscataquis, and Knox counties make necessary repairs to their homes. The program will focus on repair work that addresses accessibility, health, or safety issues associated with extremely substandard housing. Interested applicants can learn more by calling the Penquis home repair program at 207-973-3665.
The Housing Preservation Program accepts applications from eligible state and local governments, nonprofits, and federally recognized tribes. Applications are accepted annually through a notice published in the Federal Register.
The next anticipated application period will be in mid-2024. Interested Maine organizations may contact Bonnie Hayes at the USDA Rural Development State Office in Bangor at 207-990-9164 or bonnie.hayes@usda.gov for more information.
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