Dane County Secures Funding to Help First Time Homebuyers, Seniors, Communities

April 28, 2008
Joshua Wescott, Office of the County Executive (608) 267-8823 or cell (608) 669-5606
County Executive

County to Dole Out Nearly $1.7 Million in Federal Dollars Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk said today more families will be able to achieve “The American Dream” thanks to nearly $1.7 million in federal funding Falk and county officials worked to secure. The dollars will be distributed through the Community Development Block Grant, Home Investment Partnerships (HOME), and American Dream Down-payment Initiatives and come from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. “We work hard to make sure Dane County gets these dollars because these programs are so important to so many people,” Falk said. “This help is both needed and timely given the challenges of the nation’s economy.” Included in the federal funded grants is a combined $125,000 to help prospective first-time homebuyers with down-payment assistance. Among the other projects are $114,000 to help keep seniors in their homes and avoid falling behind on rent payments. Another $319,285 will help residents fix-up their homes and $95,000 will go to Habitat for Humanity to help low-income families build homes. Several communities will also benefit from the federal funding. The Stoughton Area Community Foundation will receive $25,000 to help with the construction of a new Youth Center. $30,000 will go to the Town of Dunn for a tornado shelter, and the Village of Cambridge will get $25,000 to help with improvements to its downtown business district. “I appreciate all the hard work of the CDBG commissioners who had the very difficult task of selecting these award winners from such an impressive group of applicants and projects,” Supervisor Donna Vogel, chairwoman of the CDBG Commission, said. Distribution of the annual grants will follow the recommendations of the CDBG commission and action by the county board, which is expected in the near future. Grants are selected after a competitive application process that includes opportunities for public input. # # #