The HOME Investment Partnership Program has a little more than $4 million in its upcoming funding cycle, and Columbus councilmen have begun working to find consensus on what residences will be on the city’s application.
During a special call meeting Tuesday, the council heard from the program’s administrators, Dana Jones and Jackie Cobbins. The program, overseen by the Mississippi Development Authority, is designed to help low-income families that own homes in disrepair. The program pays to have houses repaired or rebuilt at no expense to the homeowner or municipality.
The grant program is competitive, Jones said. Last year, the MDA received more than $34 million in requests through applications from cities and counties across the state. It had enough to award applications for $3.9 million, or 13 out of 68 applications.
“We’re probably going to see the same ones that didn’t get funded (last year) in as well as more,” Jones said. “Being competitive is something you want to strive to do. I know it’s very difficult when you represent such a large group of people.”
A rating points system is used to determine who is awarded funding. A municipality receives more points for having all the residences in its application concentrated in a two-block area. A minimum of two houses and a maximum of five can be in an application.
“Five points in this program can make a difference,” Jones said.
Last year, the city of Columbus applied, submitting requests for funding to repair three homes in the Southside area of Ward 1. The grant was disqualified due to a failure to follow a publication guideline.
The council had the option to update and re-submit the same application it approved last year. Ward 1 Councilman Gene Taylor’s motion to do so failed 2-3 with support coming from Ward 6 Councilman Bill Gavin. Joseph Mickens, Marty Turner and Kabir Karriem of Wards 2, 4 and 5 were against the motion. Ward 3 Councilman Charlie Box wasn’t at the meeting.
Also present Tuesday were the current director of federal programs, Christina Berry, and the two prior directors, Travis Jones and George Irby. Karriem asked where the homes in the previous application were located.
“On both sides of town, Northside and Southside,” Irby said. “In 2001, when we did 11 houses, four of those were done on the Northside and seven were done on the Southside. The last program we had that had the new guidelines for concentrated area, they were done on the Southside.”
“It seems like there’s a pattern of these houses located in certain sections of town,” Karriem said.
Turner said he also identified a dozen homes in his ward in a three-block area that met all the criteria to be in an application.
“They have electrical problems,” Turner said. “They have plumbing problems, they have heating problems and they have foundation problems.”
Karriem then asked Turner why he seconded Taylor’s motion to re-submit the application for the Ward 1 homes.
“If you second the motion, it (doesn’t) mean you have to vote for it,” Turner said.
Mickens added that he wants the HOME program to come to Columbus regardless of where they rebuild homes, but that the council should have more time to identify which ones best meet all the criteria.
“Whether it would be Northside, Highway 45 or East Columbus, we want the program,” Mickens said. “We want to be able to say we did something for the citizens of Columbus, but we also want to be able to share the love around if we can.”
The deadline to apply is Dec. 12, but Berry said she hopes to have the application submitted a week early. A public hearing must be held no more than a week before the application is submitted.
Nathan Gregory covers city and county government for The Dispatch.
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