Housing rehab program going strong after first three years

Nancy Grabko, Lake and Cook County Joint Housing Initiative coordinator, is pleased with the success of the housing rehab program launched three years ago. On Tuesday, May 10, 2011, she told the Cook County Board of Commissioners that, averaged over three years, every dollar levied on behalf of the program has brought in $16.08 in grants.

Fro Grabko, however, it’s not just about dollars generated. “This program really makes a profound impact on the lives of the people who receive it,” she said. Eighteen owner-occupied Cook County homes have been rehabbed, receiving things like new heating, electrical, and plumbing systems, roofing, siding, and windows. Seven households in Creechville were also given assessment rebates in order to hook up to the City of Grand Marais’ water and sewer system as required.

Household income must be below certain levels to qualify for the program. Over 80 are currently on a waiting list.

Funding has come from multiple sources such as Minnesota’s Small Cities Development Program, the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board, the Minnesota Housing Partnership, the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund, and the Northeast Minnesota Housing Consortium. The Cook County-Grand Marais Economic Development Authority (EDA) levy has been providing $34,000 a year toward the program.

Nancy said she would like to see the program expand to help people whose sewer lines are failing but who don’t have the money to fix them. A failing system can cause a family to have to move out of a house, she said. A half century ago in Silver Bay, Erie Mining built many houses on slabs, with sewer lines underneath those slabs. Those are now failing, she said, and the problem can cause moisture damage inside the houses. Fixing the problem costs about $13,000 and can require jackhammering through a slab foundation as well as excavating the yard.

Grabko said obtaining grants is becoming more and more competitive. She asked the board to consider allowing the EDA to levy $10-20,000 more each year to use as matching funds for grants that require them. Commissioner Jim Johnson suggested that she talk to the EDA about adding that to their annual levy request.

Johnson thanked Grabko for all her work. “We’ve only touched the tip of the iceberg here,” she said. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but I think we’re on the right path.”