Cass County Homeowners can Receive Grants for Energy-Efficient Home Improvements
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Cass County’s Land Bank Authority has been awarded $500,000 in the second phase of the Michigan Housing Opportunities Promoting Energy Efficiency (MI-HOPE) program by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA). The funds will enable the Land Bank to assist about 20 Cass County homeowners in upgrading their homes to become energy-efficient.
The MI-HOPE program is a new addition to the Cass County Land Bank’s initiatives aimed at helping homeowners in Cass County. The Land Bank, which was modeled after the state land bank authority, strives to enhance current properties or facilitate productive reuse of land to boost the local economy.
Hope Anderson, the Cass County Treasurer and Land Bank Authority Chair, said that the Land Bank has played a critical role since its establishment in moving properties to productive reuse and supporting a range of community and economic development activities. Anderson said that the Land Bank is continually seeking opportunities to bring these benefits to the community.
The Village of Cassopolis was the recipient of the MI-HOPE funds in the first round of funding last fall, and the village has recorded success in helping homeowners with the program. Emilie LaGrow, the Cassopolis Village Manager who serves on the Cass County’s Land Bank Authority, knowing the positive impact of the program, assisted the County in applying for round two funding. In the second round, the City of Dowagiac was also awarded a $300,000 grant. Because two Cass County communities were also awarded funding, the grant dollars allocated to Cass County will be used to help homes outside the Village of Cass and City of Dowagiac.
Anderson said that over 70% of homes in Cass County were built before 1990, and the focus is to rehabilitate the aging housing stock, assist elderly residents to age in place, veterans in need of energy-efficiency upgrades, and make home repairs possible for residents on a fixed income. The competitive housing market has made the rehabilitation of existing homes more critical than ever.
MI-HOPE serves households meeting specific qualifications in upgrading roofs, exterior doors, windows, insulation, heating, ventilation and cooling systems, water heaters, lighting, appliances, and wiring. In addition to the $500,000 awarded by MSHDA, Midwest Energy and Communications pledged an additional $10,000 to the efforts for MEC customers, bringing the total funding to $510,000.
Bob Hance, MEC President and CEO, expressed his support for the Cass County Land Bank Authority’s efforts to help residents improve their homes energy efficiency, saying that MEC knows firsthand the impact that such improvements can make. Hance noted that the grant would enable homeowners to complete projects that would have otherwise been impossible.
Homeowners who are interested in applying for the program can visit arp.michigan.gov/p/home. This initiative is an excellent opportunity for Cass County residents to improve their homes’ energy efficiency, making them more comfortable and cost-effective to run while also contributing to the county’s overall economic development.
