SUNDERLAND — Town officials heard from a representative of the Franklin County Regional Housing & Redevelopment Authority about a program to help financially eligible town residents with home repairs.

“Some of the things homeowners would be able to do include new roofs and new windows,” said Pam Parmakian, director of community development with the housing authority, during a Selectboard meeting Monday. “The biggest qualification for the program is that homeowners need to be income qualified.”

The program, which is called the Community Development Block Program, is applied for by region, not individual towns. So far, Deerfield, Whately and Conway have also expressed interest in applying for the grant.

To be competitive, Parmakian said, towns need to demonstrate a need for the funding. To do that, the town will need to submit an application that includes information on the number of residents who would be eligible for the program.

Participants are determined based on financial need, and apply to the program through the Franklin Regional Housing Authority. After participants are accepted to the program, Parmakian said the housing authority assigns a specialist to make the best decisions throughout the process.

“If you wanted to get lead out of the windows, or out of paint, they could do that,” said Selectboard Chairman Thomas Fydenkevez, “especially if it’s health and safety, they can do that.”

Parmakian said funding for repairs comes through interest-free loans that don’t need to be paid back unless the home changes ownership.

“It’s not just for seniors, it’s also for young families, just starting out,” Fydenkevez added. “Maybe you need new stairs in the basement, or a new bathroom. It goes on and on and on.”

A vote on whether or not to sign up for the program was tabled Monday until the next Selectboard meeting because only two out of three selectmen were present.

The next board meeting will be held Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the town office.

You can reach Andy Castillo at: acastillo@recorder.com
or: 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo