The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing money to rehabilitate housing in rural Utah.
The $100,000 is part of the USDA’s Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant program. It will go toward expanding access to housing repairs for rural, low-income Utahns through Orem-based Mountain Country Home Solutions and the Uintah Basin Association of Governments.
The program has been around since the 1940s and covers projects like roof repairs and mold treatment.
“We want to preserve homes to be healthy and safe and sanitary,” said Utah State Director for USDA Rural Development Michele Weaver. “And I think that really goes a long way with also helping homeowners to be able to afford their homes better. You get energy efficiency and you’re saving on health bills that way.”
The money can’t go toward aesthetic improvements to housing. That means things like fresh paint or landscaping are out of the question.
“We really want to improve the efficiency of the home and take care of things that are not making the home safe,” Weaver said. “So something like new appliances would not likely be an acceptable cost.”
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aim to inform readers across the state.
