Habitat program available for hurricane repairs
City, non-profit partner up
Low-income families in Southwest Florida still working to repair their homes after Hurricane Ian may be eligible for assistance from the local arm of a nationwide nonprofit.
Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties is currently accepting applications for its Hurricane Recovery Home Repair Program. The program is designed for low-income residents who own their homes in Lee County. Examples of repairs may include but are not limited to roof repair or replacement, siding, drywall, painting, windows and doors, air conditioning, well and septic, electrical, plumbing, and more.
“At the core of our mission, we are a housing ministry above everything, said Director of Communications at Habitat for Humanity of Lee and Hendry Counties, Cece Schepp. ” So, when we saw the aftermath of Hurricane Ian — and experienced the aftermath as staff and we also lost our office building and restore locations — we still came together and worked in our warehouse to find a solution and thought about ‘How do we help families in this moment?’ Through this program is the way that we developed that.”
The city of Cape Coral has teamed up with Habitat in the effort.
City spokesperson Lauren Kurkimilis said Cape Coral’s role in this partnership is the provision of funding under the State Housing Initiative Partnership (SHIP) program, and providing oversight of compliance with program rules.
“Through partnerships with organizations like Habitat for Humanity, we are able to help residents ensure they have a safe and stable place to call home,” Kurkimilis said.
Schepp said the city of Cape Coral has “continued to support and partner with us, especially throughout the years. We’re grateful to have that help for hurricane-impacted families.”
Habitat will use state SHIP funding from the city of Cape Coral in the amount of $526,444 to support the hurricane home repair program in the Cape.
“The city of Cape Coral is committed to the well-being and resilience of its residents and has chosen to partner with Habitat for Humanity to further promote a more resilient, compassionate, and united community in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian,” Kurkimilis said.
Schepp said Habitat of Lee and Hendry also put together a hurricane program for Hurricane Irma in 2017.
“Because of the severity of Hurricane Ian, we took the foundation of that program and revamped it,” Schepp said. “The impact on our community was very different, especially with the damage and destruction of Hurricane Ian. We have designed the program for low-income homeowners in Lee County.
“We know how important safe, decent, and stable housing is, and so that’s really where that urgency came from — our personal experiences and also from knowing what the need was going to be.”
Eligibility requirements include:
• Property owner(s) must be listed as applicant or co-applicant.
• Home must be a single-family house.
• Household must meet income guidelines. These limits are based on the household income of all residents 18 years and older.
• An eligible homeowner must have owned the home pre-Hurricane Ian and the damage(s) to the home must be caused by Hurricane Ian.
Habitat has a goal to serve 100 homeowners over the next year in repairing homes from Hurricane Ian damage.
There have already been 18 homes that have seen restorations completed, with 33 ongoing currently, and 62 applications in different phases of the program.
“We are regularly accepting applications and working on them,” Schepp said, adding that Habitat is partnering with low-income homeowners throughout Lee County.
Habitat also is accepting donations to assist the non-profit in helping as many families as they can recover from Hurricane Ian locally. All gifts made to Habitat’s Hurricane Recovery Fund will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $1 million, thanks to the generosity of The Edwardson Family Foundation and an anonymous donor.
For more information on Habitat’s Hurricane Recovery Home Repair Program, including additional eligibility requirements and contact form, visit habitat4humanity.org.
To reach CJ HADDAD, please email cjhaddad@breezenewspapers.com