Robbinsville – Graham County has received three grants – totaling $1.35 million – to build five houses and perform major home repairs for several qualified low-income individuals.
A $500,000 grant was awarded to the county by Dogwood Health Trust, coupled with $100,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act and $750,000 from a Community Development Block Grant from NC Commerce.
“This was truly a team effort to receive the full grant request of $500,000,” said Becky Garland, finance officer for Graham County. “We leveraged the combined talent and effort of Southwestern Commission, County Manager Jason Marino’s expertise in building, and my finance background and history of working with these funders. We are so happy that 15-20 low-income individuals or families in Graham County will soon be able to live in a safe and well-maintained environment.”
The $500,000 grant from Dogwood Health Trust will enable the county to complete the housing projects that were slated with the $750,000 Community Development Block – Neighborhood Revitalization Grant awarded in 2018 before the pandemic, she said.
“Following the steep increases in building costs that resulted from COVID, Graham County felt it was necessary to apply for additional funding to ensure that the slated projects could be carried out to completion,” Garland said. “We are also hopeful that there may be funding left over to expand the project as time and resources permit.
“In addition, the County Commissioners set as one of their American Rescue Plan Act funds priorities to help leverage these two grants. This will further help with completion of these projects in alignment with the priorities set forth by the U.S. Treasury for the ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funding. We are very grateful to the Dogwood Health Trust’s commitment to Graham County’s residents.”