CDBG funds used for minor home repairs, HAVEN

A White Lake Township program to assist families struggling to pay for essential home repairs is expected to receive about $50,000 in federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds in 2013.

Started by the township in 2002, the Minor Home Repair program has provided more than $500,000 to 153 families to pay for repairs needed to fix health and safety issues, according to Dena Potter, CDBG director for White Lake.

Potter, who has been overseeing the township’s CDBG program for the past decade, said White Lake is expected to receive $65,547 in federal CDBG funds for 2013. The majority of proposed funding for next year will be used to continue the Minor Home Repair program.

Federal CDBG funds are administered by the U.S. Department of Urban Development (HUD). They must be used to fund activities to provide affordable housing, anti-poverty programs and infrastructure development in low-to moderate-income areas of participating communities.

Potter said the number of township families requesting assistance for roof and furnace repairs has grown in recent years.

“Especially the last couple of years with the way the economy has been going,” she said. “I’ve got people who have never asked for help before and it’s very hard for them.”

Potter said some people receiving assistance have gone without water or heat for months before learning about the program.

Since 2002, the program has replaced or repaired 52 furnaces; 40 roofs; 15 wells; five septic systems; 16 water heaters; 11 gutters; five decks/porches; four toilets; 11 bathtubs; one baseboard heating system; one bathroom floor; four home plumbing systems; window replacements at four homes; two doors; and one chimney rebuild.

The township’s 2013 CDBG request also includes $6,200 each for HAVEN and Meals on Wheels, as well as $3,147 for Lakes Area Youth Assistance.

For more information about the township’s Minor Home Repair program, contact Potter at 248-698-3300.