Cape city receives grant to rehab 10 houses

The City of Cape Girardeau plans to rehabilitate 10 homes in a project funded largely by a grant.

The city has received a $121,330 grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, Iowa, to rehab houses of low-income homeowners, according to Steve Williams, the city’s housing assistance coordinator.

Williams said the grant is a cooperative effort with Wood & Huston Bank. The local bank’s approval was needed to secure the grant, Williams said after the city posted information about the project on its website.

Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri is providing $20,000 toward the project. The city is providing $30,680.

The total price tag for the project, including administrative costs, is just more than $172,000, Williams said.

City staff will hold a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the city council chambers at city hall to answer questions and take applications.

After that date, applications will be taken at the planning services office at city hall, according to a news release on the city’s website.

Under the grant requirements, Williams said, the city has to spend $16,500 on fixing up each house.

Only those homeowners in the City of Cape Girardeau, who meet income eligibility requirements and are 62 years of age or older, may qualify for the program, Williams said.

“A lot of seniors are on fixed incomes,” he said. This program helps property owners meet the city’s minimum property standards, Williams added.

The rehab work is scheduled to be completed by December 2020.

This is the third grant-funded, housing rehab project the city has undertaken since 2012.

By the end of 2020, the city will have fixed up 70 houses at a cost of nearly $582,000, he said.

Previous grants allowed the city to rehab more houses by spending less money per house than is the case with this project, he said.

The rehab project may cover a wide range of improvements, from roofs to windows, Williams said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641