Baldwin County received a federally-funded $400,000 Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP) grant this year.
The purpose of the CHIP grant is to provide safe and affordable housing in Georgia. Locally, the funds are being used to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes in the census tracts and blocks in the unincorporated areas identified in the grant application. These areas can be identified by visiting the Baldwin County Georgia website and clicking on the CHIP tab under the community section.
On Sept. 13, interest meetings began for residents interested in applying. Since then, pre-inspections for the first round of homes to be rehabilitated are beginning to occur. For a citizen to be eligible, they must be able to provide a property deed with their name on it. Gross household income must also be less than 50 percent of the average median income for the county. The applicant must be a homeowner in the census tract block groups specified on the website. All applicants must also have and maintain fire insurance and have property taxes paid up to date. Eligibility priority will be given to anyone over 60 years of age or who is disabled.
If a house is picked to be a part of the CHIP grant, the home will be rehabilitated, not reconstructed. As per eligibility, any property being rehabilitated must not exceed 95 percent of the median property values for the area.
The CHIP grant was obtained through the support of Georgia College and State University, local organizations and residents. According to a GCSU press release, data collected by Georgia College students was used to support Baldwin County’s designation as a Georgia Initiative for Community Housing community, which also supported the efforts in receiving this grant.
GCSU continues its support to fight against blighted homes (like the ones being rehabilitated), as stated in its press release.
On Oct. 6, at the Collins P. Lee Community Center on Harrisburg Road in Milledgeville, GCSU hosted a property title seminar with an attorney and financial advisor on hand to give free legal advice about deeds, inheriting property and probate. This seminar was a way to help educate residents so they may understand what a ‘blighted’ home is and how they may qualify for grant money to salvage or demolish unsightly homes they own.
“We’re working together to solve this,” said Dr. Damian Francis, assistant professor of public health and director of the Center for Health & Social Issues in the press release. “During our assessment, we found the needs that residents wanted addressed things like housing, crime and physical infrastructure in their community.”
Francis and his students were the ones who worked for two years to collecting data that supported Baldwin County’s designation. According to the press release, in 2020, students assessed more than 100 homes in the Oconee Heights neighborhood checking for things like foundational cracks and sunken roofs. In 2021, two students completed the analysis and created maps to present the findings to officials. According to the press release, “nearly two-thirds of the houses had some level of blight. At least one-third were deemed uninhabitable.”
Blighted homes continue to be a serious problem within Baldwin County and many surrounding counties. While the homes are unsightly for tourists, to see the deterioration and threat to human health, safety and public welfare are the overall important facts to consider when approaching what to do with these homes. The CHIP grant will offer a fresh start to homes that are rehabilitated and will be done in several rounds.
To learn more about the CHIP grant, visit https:// www.baldwincountyga.com/ community/page/community- home-investment-pro-