The Schuylkill County Affordable Housing Trust Fund awarded $160,944 to eight projects in the county.
The county commissioners approved the 2016 funding recommendations Wednesday at a work session. Jeffrey A. Feeser, director of housing at Schuylkill Community Action, said the eight projects requested $209,000 in funding.
“The board was able to come up with formulas to provide all eight applicants with funding,” Feeser said. “They have done a very good job in spreading the funding around for countywide programs.”
The Schuylkill County Affordable Housing Trust Fund was established by the county commissioners in 1996 and the Recorder of Deeds office has since collected nearly $5 million for affordable housing programs though real estate recording fees. These programs are defined through the state as “any program or project approved by the county commissioners which increases the availability of quality housing, either sales or rental, to any county resident whose annual income is less than the median income of the county.”
Funding recommendations are made by the Affordable Housing Trust Fund board to be approved by the commissioners.
The Court of Common Pleas received $7,596 for its countywide mortgage foreclosure diversion program. A partnership between the county courts, county bar association and Schuylkill Community Action, the program includes free financial and budget counseling and negotiation with lenders to avert mortgage foreclosure. The court of common pleases requested $10,000.
Schuylkill Community Action received funding for three projects.
Its countywide bridge transitional housing program received $8,000. The program provides case management services, collaboration with referring agencies and assistance in finding and transiting clients to permanent housing. SCA requested $13,000 for the program.
SCA’s county housing counseling program received $15,000. The program provides housing counseling to lower-income people with housing needs. SCA requested $20,000 for the program.
SCA also received $56,000 for its senior or disabled housing repair program. The countywide housing repair program assists lower-income senior citizens with repairs or replacements to major systems in their homes and address accessibility needs for the physically disabled. SCA requested $56,000.
Schuylkill Women in Crisis received $10,000 for its transitional housing for victims of domestic violence. The funding will provide the required match for U.S. Housing and Urban Development-funded transitional housing. The funding will be used for utilities, maintenance, facility upkeep and security. SWIC requested $20,000. Rush Township received $12,882 for its housing rehabilitation program. The funding will allow the township to continue its housing rehabilitation program for low-to-moderate income households that was started in 2008. It will also support a grant request from state Department of Community and Economic Development.
The Schuylkill County Land Bank received $19,317 for the acquisition, rehabilitation and resale of three properties: two in Ashland and one in Delano Township. The homes will be renovated and sold to moderate-income families. The land bank requested $25,000. The first land bank in Schuylkill County, it consists of eight taxing bodies: Schuylkill County, Minersville, Mahanoy City, Shenandoah, Delano Township and the Mahanoy Area, Minersville Area and Shenandoah Valley school districts.
The Schuylkill County Housing Authority received $32,199 to upgrade the Shenandoah High Rise with kitchen and roof replacements and provide American with Disabilities Act improvements. The county Housing Authority requested $56,000.
In other news, the county juvenile probation office is seeking proposals for aggression replacement training for juvenile defenders. The program teaches juvenile defenders to improve self control and anger management. Ken Porter, chief juvenile probation officer, said about $125,000 in funding was set aside in the Children & Youth budget. Porter said that juvenile defenders are currently being sent out of the county for this program and starting a program will keep them local.