Grants Available for Housing Repairs in Northwest Neighborhood

The Lake Wales City Commission, serving as the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, has set aside up to $68,000 for a new Legacy Housing Rehabilitation Program.

This program is designed to pay respect to the seniors living in the Northwest Neighborhood by doing exterior improvements to their homes. These improvements include repairs or replacements of the roof and painting the outside of the home.

In addition to the improvements, each home will receive a raised planter to grow herbs or flowers, provided by the Roosevelt Academy Roosevelt Academy construction program Aetna Healthcare will donate funds toward the project and provide healthcare to the residents if needed.

The qualifications are: the individual must be 65 years old, the home owner, and live in the Northwest Neighborhood. The awarded amount is up to $15,000 and will be paid directly to the assigned contractor from Keystone Challenge Fund, which is receiving $2,000 for each project it manages.

Program funding is limited and the deadline to apply is June 14.

For more information or if you are interested in applying please contact: CRA Coordinator, Darrell Starling 863-678-4182 Ext 252, [email protected], or mail application to 201 W. Central Ave.

Keystone recently broke ground for two affordable homes on B Street and announced plans to build a third and rehabilitate another in the same block north of Lincoln Avenue. The first phase is Keystone Challenge Fund's commitment to assist Lake Wales in getting started with the Legacy Program while it finishes the B Street Beautification Project. After the B Street project is completed then Ron Kidd, who was the rehab manager for the City of Lakeland for 25 years, will take over and manage the future Legacy rehabilitations.