Sowing Seeds of Hope, a community and economic development organization, has received about $338,000 in federal grant money for the creation of a self-help housing initiative in depressed Perry County.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s office of rural development announced Aug. 15 that the grant would be used to administer loans for homes to be built for low-income families who will help with the construction themselves.
“This is great news for Perry County,” U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (Ala.) said in a news release.
The grant will fund four employees and a portion of the salary for Executive Director Frances Ford.
Applicants to the program must still qualify for a loan, which comes in addition to the grant.
More than 140 applications from local residents have already gained acceptance to the program, and planners expect to build 20 custom-designed homes within two years.
“Many of the applicants are living in substandard homes at this time, and all of a sudden they are going to be living in new homes — energy efficient homes that are affordable,” Ford said. “At the end of the two-year period, we will have 20 new homes, and that will make an impact and a difference.”
The work of Sowing Seeds of Hope is accomplished with the aid of volunteers from various groups across the state, including Samford University in Birmingham, Judson College in Marion and several Alabama Baptist churches.
This is the first time in almost 20 years that a self-help grant has been awarded to an Alabama organization. (ABP)
Share with others: