NEWTON COUNTY – Newton County released a statement on Thursday regarding the senior home repair program funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

“Newton County impacted hundreds of lives this year through the ARPA-funded low income senior home repair program,” per the press release.

The Newton County Board of Commissioners approved a $5 million allotment of ARPA funding to assist eligible seniors who are in need of home repairs.

So far, 854 applications have been received by the county, with 200 repairs completed. The average repair cost currently sits at $17,402. Those that were approved could receive up to $30,000 in repairs.

Priority funding is reserved for applications with an income at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) of their communities. The action also aligns with ensuring households located in Qualified Census Tracts (QCT) will benefit from the program.

Newton County is projected to assist 300 eligible households by the completion of this project.

However, “due to a deficit in funding” applicants who fail to fall in the criteria listed “are not able to receive funds from this program.”

According to the press release, Newton County stated that “this program was successful in helping those Newton County seniors with the greatest needs as outlined by ARPA guidelines.”

The Covington News has previously conducted a report regarding an update on ARPA funding. That report can be found here.