Lebanon County OKs $750,000 HOME grant application and $100,000 Act 137 match for housing rehab

Lines, executive director of the redevelopment authority, asked the board for permission to apply for $750,000 in HOME program funds and to allocate $100,000 from the county’s Act 137 affordable housing trust fund as a local match. The authority said the funding would operate a housing rehab program for owner-occupants and help clear a waiting list of roughly 80 households seeking assistance.

"We'd like your permission to apply for $750,000 of HOME funding to operate our housing rehab program for owner occupants," Lines said. Staff said the typical per‑home award under the county's whole‑home repairs program has been about $30,000 and that HOME program awards often require a higher per‑household allocation because of program requirements.

Commissioners approved the motion to submit the HOME application and, in a separate motion, approved the Act 137 match request of $100,000. Redevelopment staff noted the local match level has ranged from $100,000 to $150,000 on prior applications and said the requested match is consistent with recent practice.

The presentation also included a notice that the county has finished environmental review for its FY2024 CDBG grant and is in contracting for the FY2025 award, and that adoption of a program‑income reuse policy was required by the state and had already been approved earlier in the meeting.

Next steps: staff will submit the HOME application during the state’s forthcoming application window and, if awarded, will return to the board for any required contracting or program administration actions.