SCCHO receives $10,000 grant

SANDERS COUNTY – The Sanders County Community Housing Organization received the Community Development Block Planning Grant of $10,000 to go towards creating affordable independent senior housing. The upcoming public meeting is where the many of the details will be decided so the project can move forward.

Local Administrator of SCCHO, Deb Achatz knew affordable housing was an issue weighing heavily on many of the community members’ minds.

“A couple of years ago we sent out a questionnaire asking what the greatest concerns for our county were and it was affordable housing,” she said.

Achatz shares this opinion with the public, which is why she was so inspired to do something about it.

“Affordable housing is absolutely lacking at the moment,” she said. “Let’s face it, we are getting pretty expensive here for anything decent. A person has to be making over $13 an hour to afford decent housing which is twice over minimum wage.”

SCCHO has addressed the issue of affordable housing before.

“We purchased five duplexes in Plains, renovated them and turned them into affordable housing,” Achatz said. “So far it has worked very well.”

For the previous project, SCCHO made sure to utilize as many local contractors as possible. The plan is to do so again, bringing new housing and jobs for the county.

The new project is not as large as the previous one, so Achatz does not foresee any problems.

“I do not think we will have a problem,” she said. “Grants are very competitive, but we have done it before and the planning grant has already been accepted.”

The planning grant for $10,000 has been approved but the $400,000 grant for purchase and renovation has not. They should know by spring if the grant proposal was accepted.

The project is expected to last through the summer and into the fall.

Now the task is to compile public comment. The first public meeting will be held in the Sanders County Courthouse on Jan. 22 at 6:00 P.M.

This meeting will help the organization determine the building location and other project details.

“I believe this will be an excellent project,” Achatz said.