Fort Atkinson council OKs $250,000 grant to Habitat for critical home repair program
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Summary
The council voted to grant $250,000 from the city's affordable housing fund to Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha, Jefferson and Rock Counties to run a Fort Atkinson critical home repair program, aiming to fund roughly 12–25 projects over several years depending on matching grants.
The Fort Atkinson City Council voted Feb. 17 to allocate $250,000 from the city's affordable housing fund to Habitat for Humanity of Waukesha, Jefferson and Rock Counties to launch a critical home repair program in Fort Atkinson.
City Manager Hausman told the council the funds stem from extended tax increment district revenues and that staff recommends a grant to Habitat so the nonprofit can serve as general contractor, hire licensed local contractors and manage applications and bids. "With the requested funding from the city, as well as matching funds if we receive them from the community foundation, we would look at about 25 projects over the next several years," Hausman said.
Melissa Sanko, chief executive officer for Habitat, said the program would focus on essential repairs'0 roofs, siding, windows, porches, accessibility and code remediation'0with a typical cap near $20,000 per project. Sanko described the funding model as a sliding-scale grant/loan with 0% interest repayable by ACH over 12 to 36 months for the portion deemed repayable. "We are serving low to very low income homeowners, lots of seniors," Sanko said.
Council members asked about contractor sourcing and eligibility. Sanko and Elena Rodriguez, project manager, said Habitat plans to prioritize local contractors in Jefferson County where possible, obtain multiple bids per project and coordinate eligibility guidelines with the planning commission. Rodriguez said people typically apply by phone or via a form on Habitat's website.
Staff said the city would award the grant to Habitat and would not need to staff program administration; Habitat would report to the planning commission and provide periodic updates. The council approved the resolution by voice vote.
The city manager said if community foundation matching funds are not secured, the $250,000 alone would support an estimated 12–13 projects; with successful matching the program could reach about 25 projects over roughly three years.
Next steps: staff will work with Habitat and the planning commission to draft eligibility guidelines and marketing plans ahead of an anticipated summer launch.