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Date: 2/8/2018
AGAWAM – Low-income Agawam seniors may soon be able to apply for grants to improve physical aspects of their homes – such as grab bars, handrails and non-slip stair treads – in order to live more safely in their own establishments.
On Feb. 1, around 50 local seniors decorated the Agawam Senior Center cafeteria to listen to Principal Planner of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission (PVPC) Christopher Dunphy speak out about the possibility of an Aging in Place Housing Program for low-to-moderate income seniors. The program would provide an opportunity for qualified senior homeowners, 65 years or older, to apply for a grant to improve the safety of their homes through certain physical repairs, said Dunphy.
“Seniors want to remain in their homes, they don’t want to be displaced,” he said. “This program allows them to remain in their home in a safe and healthy way. If they desperately need grab bars, and qualified contractors to do it, this program can provide that for them.”
The program is one of three projects the City of Agawam, with the assistance of the PVPC, will be seeking funding for through the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development Block Grant program in March. Aside from Aging in Place, the other two projects are the Housing Rehabilitation Program and the Town Hall Architectural Barrier Removal Design.
While the Town Hall project is more of a planning initiative, which seeks to evaluate handicapped accessibility factors associated with the municipal building, the other two focus on improving area housing conditions.
The Aging in Place program would provide grants up to $5,000 per qualified senior household to complete “non-structural modifications,” explained Dunphy, to increase the health and safety of the occupants.
To be eligible, seniors must be 65 years or older and meet the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 income guidelines – for example, for a household size of one person, the annual household income can’t be greater than $44,000, and for two persons, it cant be larger than $51,200. The applicants must also have home safety needs that fall under the purview of the program.
The principal planner said the Commission estimates that up to 30 units could be served at an average cost of $2,500 per unit, if the grant is approved.
“I personally am confident that, if this is funded, we’re going to get to everyone that has a need and applies,” said Dunphy.
The grant will cover improvements that include the installation of grab bars, door levers, slip resistant stair treads, dead-bolts, peep holes, smoke or carbon monoxide detectors and other similar work.
The Housing Rehabilitation program, on the other hand, is more comprehensive said Dunphy. The project would provide up to $40,000 of assistance to qualified applicants of any age who need more extensive repairs. Some of the repairs include lead paint-removal, foundation repairs, electrical and plumbing repairs, heating systems, roof repair or replacement, insulation and more.
Unlike Aging in Place, the Housing program structures a deferred payment loan on a depreciating scale over a fifteen year period, after which time, the loan will be forgiven. There is an active waiting list for these services, said Dunphy, but residents are encouraged to call the PVPC to get on the list or ask for more information.
The PVPC and the Council plan to submit their application for the $800,000 in CDBG funding by March. 2. Dunphy said both of the housing projects would be judged very competitively.
“The key is for me to work with city officials and make sure that we’re demonstrating the need as best we can within this competitive application,” he said. “We’ll frame our argument as carefully as we can to show the state this program can be extremely beneficial.”
The grant application is available to small cities and towns statewide, said Dunphy. Larger cities, also called “entitlement cities,” like Springfield and Holyoke automatically receive CDBG funds from the HUD via a formula, leaving smaller cities like Agawam to apply for the funding through a competitive process.
The PVPC has been working closely with the Agawam Senior Center, which also supports the project.
“I think, in a nutshell, it [Aging in Place] helps us advance our mission statement at the Senior Center, which is effectively to serve all seniors of Agawam and the surrounding communities,” said Executive Director of the Agawam Senior Center Michael Squindo. “If it’s a successfully funded program, it will allow us to help seniors in a different way that we’re not able to do locally. Seniors want to continue living at home, and when you look at financial means, it’s more cost effect for seniors to live at home – both for themselves and for their insurances.”
The Council and the PVPC will find out the status of their application sometime around July.
To learn more about the Aging in Place program, or the other two projects, Dunphy said individuals could reach out to the PVCP or City Council.