USDA Issues Grants

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USDA Issues Grants

KAMR-TV

September 18, 2003

Major home repairs can be expensive and now some rural areas are getting help. The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development is giving Panhandle Community Services more than $150,000 to help out low income and elderly people in rural areas.

PCS director of weatherization Margaret Wolfe said, "Primarily what we use it for is to put roofs on and sewer systems, and septic systems and do major repairs that weatherization can't."

Wolfe expects about 35 houses should be repaired through this year's money. Over the last 12 years, PCS has received over $1 million from USDA and more than 300 homes have been repaired. "(We get) 400 to 500 applications a year and we have enough funds to provide services to may be 175 to 200 people over the 26 counties."

USDA state director Bryan Daniel said, "We're looking for increased economic opportunity in our rural areas at the same time we're looking for improve quality of life." He says it's very important to make investments in rural Texas to see these areas prosper and grow, "Grants that we make to groups that work with elderly and others to make improvements to their home-roofs, windows, things that we need for weatherization purposes."

Wolfe says the housing grant is only good for towns with populations less than 10,000. She says very few grants are available outside of this grant for homes of low income people. The USDA is also giving out grants to the Dallam-Hartley Counties Hospital District and the City of Tulia.