Tuesday, August 6, 2024 — Cleveland — Applications are open until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, for the City of Cleveland’s ARPA-funded home repair programs. Homeowners are invited to fill out a simple, universal online form to begin the pre-approval process for home repair, home maintenance and home rehabilitation assistance.
After the pre-approval period ends, applications will be reviewed by the Department of Community Development to establish basic eligibility. Due to the high demand for these programs, 150 eligible applicants will be selected through a lottery process to help ensure a fair and equitable distribution of projects across the city. Applicants must be owner-occupants with current property taxes and applications must be submitted through the online form. City staff are unable to process applications in-person or over the phone.
Last summer, Cleveland committed $10 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to citywide home repair programs with an additional $5 million specifically intended to accelerate neighborhood revitalization through home repair as part of Mayor Bibb’s Southeast Side Promise. The City also received a $2.5 million philanthropic grant from KeyBank in August 2023 to amplify the investment in these programs.
“For the past 11 months we have been working diligently behind the scenes to lay a foundation that sets these critical programs up for success,” said Mayor Justin M. Bibb. “We know the need is great and we are committed to maximizing these resources and working with partners to accelerate our ability to improve the quality of housing in Cleveland.”
Since the enabling legislation was established, the City has awarded grant agreements to five nonprofits — Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity, CHN Housing Partners, Cleveland Restoration Society, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Cleveland and Community Housing Solutions — that will receive funding to administer loans and grants to assist low-income residents with home repair.
Each organization will facilitate its own programs and will receive pre-qualified projects through the City’s application and lottery process.
Generally, home repair programs offer loans and grants up to $30,000 for work on roofs, HVAC, exterior violations and similar repairs. Because program rules differ, the City of Cleveland team will manage the initial intake and match qualified applicants with the best program to meet their needs.
“Councilmembers hear from residents every day about the urgent need for resources to help them maintain their homes,” said City Council President Blaine A. Griffin. “Addressing housing insecurity has always been a priority for Cleveland City Council. From the Lead Safe Ordinance, the Home Repair Assistance we championed to Right to Counsel, we have advocated for quality housing options.”
As of today, 27 properties that were already in the queue for city home repair programs have been repaired through Habitat for Humanity and Community Housing Solutions and 33 wait-listed properties are currently under contract or have repairs in progress.
In addition, 150 Southeast Side homeowners have been invited to pre-qualify for ARPA home repair assistance based on the results of Cleveland’s recently completed citywide property condition survey and their location in the Southeast Side Promise investment area.
“We know the need is greater than the dollars we have, and not everybody will receive support this time around. This is why we established the lottery process to ensure that all eligible applications have the same shot at being selected,” said Cleveland’s Director of Community Development Alyssa Hernandez. “In addition, we are actively working on increasing our capacity, both internally and with contractors, to expedite federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to help Cleveland residents with home repair assistance.”
The city expects to complete the process of reviewing eligibility and notifying those selected through the lottery process by September 30, 2024.
