Sussex County Council approves $1.6 million in Housing Trust Fund grants.
Three recipients – Cheer Inc., Homes for America and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity – will each receive $500,000, and the Laurel Redevelopment Corporation will receive $100,000.
They were among eight applicants this year for the funding program established in 2022 to boost the county’s affordable housing stock.
Brandy Nauman is the director of Sussex County’s Community Development Housing department. She explains why those four were selected over four others.
"So we wanted to make sure that we felt confident and comfortable that the applicants we recommended to you could actually follow through and get these projects completed, and spend this funding in time for ARPA to end," said Nauman.
The money will go to projects planned in and around Bridgeville, Laurel, Georgetown, Greenwood, Milford and Milton which will build or preserve 105 affordable housing units.
Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson says Sussex County Council deserves credit for approving funds to address affordable housing inventory.
"With what you just approved today, in addition to what we've done already, the county has spent $6 million and affected over 250 housing units, and we've spent nearly two million dollars in addition to the $6 million for home buyer assistance affecting 75 households,” said Lawson.
Much of the funding comes from the federal American Rescue Plan Act which helped individual homebuyers as well as assisting developers to create more affordable housing options.
This was the county’s third round of Housing Trust Fund grants.
