Block grant could help residents fix homes

Applications expected to be available by January

TORRINGTON — Homeowners facing the cost of major repairs to their homes could get financial help in upgrading their residence through a state program that awarded the city a $400,000 grant.

The Community Development Block Grant will help low- and middle-income homeowners who can’t afford needed home improvements. Eligible projects include installation of upgraded heating systems or repair of leaking roofs, according to documents.

“The grant assists residents to stay in their homes,” said Lisa Low, the city’s grant consultant. She worked with Torrington’s elected officials to explain the program at a city council public hearing in March.

Once the application process was was approved, Low then wrote and submitted the grant request to the state Department of Housing.

Funding is provided by the federal Housing and Urban Development program.

‘It’s a rewarding program,” said Timothy L. Waldron, the mayor’s aide, who helps administer the program. “We know it’s very much appreciated (by residents). Some have to put off work if they don’t have the funding.”

Low, the principal of Lisa Low & Associates, in Oxford, said the 2018 program will provide money for improvements for 12 to 14 homes in Torrington. Residents can expect to file applications in January. The projects are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis, she said.

However, if an emergency project is identified, Low said, it will be addressed right away.

“The most common is the heating system. If the furnace is 20 to 40 years old, the homeowner is at risk of being cold in the winter,” she said.

“If there is a septic violation, if it’s failed, the cost to fix it is $25,000,” Low said.

Without the repair, because of code violations, the homeowners could be forced to move.

“That means they could go homeless,” she said.

About a third of the houses in the city were built before 1950, according to Fire Chief Peter Towey. That means, Low said, if structural repairs were put off, “a leaking roof could be hazardous. The roof could fall in.”

To be eligible, the highest household income for a family of four can be $71,900. A household of one would be eligible if the income is not more than $50,350.