CDBG funds approved for township seniors

By Lisa Brody

The Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees approved a grant application of $53,038 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) at their meeting on Monday, November 8.

The CDBG program provides funds for housing, public facilities and public service activities that benefit low-income households and people with special needs. Oakland County receives CDBG funding as an urban county, with participating communities required to join. Christine Tvaroha, senior services director, said Bloomfield Township has worked with Oakland County on the minor home repair program since 2009, and Meals on Wheels since 2014.

To date, there have been 132 minor home repair projects complete, with seven projects completed in 2021, and five projects that are currently active.

Tvaroha said the average age of the homeowners is 79 years old, with the average age of home ownership at 30 years. The average annual income is $25,000. The minimum age for qualification is 60.

Typical repairs are to roof, siding, chimney, porch, driveway, stairs,electrical, plumbing, water and waste, with replacement of furnaces, water heaters, gutters, handrails, and other repairs common, as well as the addition of architectural ramps.

Of the $53,038 from CDBG grants for 2022, $37,127 will go to minor home repairs, and $15,911 to Meals on Wheels, which is the maximum allowable under HUD eligibility, which sets it at 30 percent.

“Year-to-date in 2021, we have served 3,089 meals, with 95 unduplicated clients,” Tvaroha said. Fifty-six of the clients are new, with 92 percent residing alone, and 62 percent over the age of 85.

Trustees approved the 2022 CDBG grant application, 6-0, with treasurer Brian Kepes absent.