Beverly's Community Development Grant Manager Stephanie Harrington.Photo: James Rojas/WBZ NewsRadio
BEVERLY, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — A new program has been launched in Beverly to help low-income and senior homeowners.
Applications are being accepted for the city's Homeowner Rehabilitation Program.
It provides eligible residents with the opportunity to upgrade their homes to keep them safe and healthy.
Examples of funded home improvements through the program include bringing a property into sanitary code compliance, abatement of lead-based paint and/or asbestos repair, and repair or replacement of major systems such as heat, plumbing, or electrical.
Stephanie Harrington is Beverly's Community Development Grant Manager.
She's managing the $850,000 grant that is funding the program. "It's difficult for people who are on fixed incomes, or very low-income families, to take on additional debt," she said. "And so the beauty of this program is that they don't have to."
Beverly's Planning and Development Director Darlene Wynne said the grant will allow 12 to 14 homes in Beverly to take advantage of the program. "Once we found out there was a better chance that we were actually going to get it this year we were both excited and a little bit overwhelmed because it is a significant undertaking and a lot to manage."
Wynne said Beverly applied previously for the grant three times unsuccessfully, but the fourth time was the charm.
She said what's most exciting is that the program is providing people with the opportunity to change their lives and stay in their homes.
WBZ NewsRadio’s James Rojas (@JamesRojasMMJ) reports.