City of North Vernon, OCRA help 20 local owners with home repairs

NORTH VERNON, Ind. - The City of North Vernon recently invested $392,000 through its Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation (OOR) Program to help 20 homeowners complete critical home repairs. Funding was also provided by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA).

As part of the program, special consideration was given to priority populations, including 7 individuals with disabilities, 6 seniors, 5 single-parent heads of household, and 1 veteran. All participants completed a detailed eligibility review to verify they met the OOR and OCRA income requirements.

By investing in repairs to local owner-occupied homes, the program helped preserve North Vernon's existing housing stock. The average project investment was approximately $16,500 per homeowner, enabling residents to complete essential repairs that might have been financially challenging to address otherwise.

Completed projects included:

• 15 roofs were repaired or replaced
• 9 HVAC systems were replaced
• 8 water heaters were installed
• 1 ADA accessibility modification helped a resident remain safely in their home

North Vernon officials said, "We thank our community partners, contractors, and everyone who helped make this program a success. We appreciate the opportunity to work alongside homeowners and are proud of what this program has accomplished for our community."