From staff reports
The Venango County housing rehabilitation program has been awarded a $400,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement (PHARE) fund.
The Venango County Regional Planning Commission will administer the grant within its housing rehabilitation program.
“This funding will allow us to continue tackling problems that have plagued this county’s housing market for decades by enabling our program to rehabilitate homes that are in danger of becoming a blight to the community,” said Venango County community development planner Joshua Sterling, who administers the county’s housing rehabilitation program.
“By arresting blighting conditions, we can help ensure a safe and healthy housing stock for current homeowners and for the next generation of Venango County homebuyers,” Sterling added. “We deeply appreciate the state’s ongoing support of our efforts in Venango County.”
A report from the Housing Finance Agency says that at least 69% of the $48.4 million allocated in the funding announcement will be used to fund housing projects benefiting households with incomes below 50% of the area median income, according to the planning commission.
Applications for the housing rehabilitation program can be found on the Venango County website at www.co.venango.pa.us/754/Home-Rehab.
The applications are also available by stopping by the county planning office, at the Venango County Courthouse, 1168 Liberty St., Franklin, or by contacting Sterling at (814) 432-9547 or jsterling@co.venango.pa.us.
