Recently, SERCAP’s Housing Department assisted a low-income couple living in the Town of Dillwyn in Buckingham County, VA, as part of the Dillwyn Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) project. The household, consisting of the low-income married couple, qualified for a Substantial Reconstruction of the home, due the structure’s extremely poor condition. A Substantial Reconstruction is when a household is too dilapidated to be rehabbed, and instead is demolished and a new house is built in its place. This happens when the expense of bringing a home up to HUD Housing Quality Standards (HQS) is equal to or more than the cost of new construction of a modest home.
For this housing project, in the Town of Dillwyn, the structure required multiple significant repairs, including: elevating the structure to provide adequate clearance, installing a new HVAC System (to replace an unsafe heating set-up), adding insulation, repairing electrical deficiencies, renovating both the bathroom and the kitchen, repairing (or even replacing) the roof, and repairing several plumbing issues, making the structure an ideal candidate for Substantial Reconstruction. Construction for the project was awarded to Harvey Enterprise, a local contractor, for the full $87,800 project cost. The work was recently completed, and the clients once again have an affordable home that is warm, safe, and dry.
Without SERCAP’s full slate of Programs and Services, many rural communities and low-to-moderate income (LMI) individuals would be forced to go without such necessities as reliable access to clean drinking water, indoor plumbing, safe and affordable housing, community development and infrastructure needs, water/wastewater infrastructure solutions, and more. It is important to remember that even in the US in the 21st Century; there are those who do not have reliable access to clean, safe drinking water, environmentally sound septic facilities, and affordable housing. In order to help SERCAP continue to provide assistance to both the individuals and communities in need, please consider making a donation to SERCAP’s Water Life! Fund!
Donate Today (opens new window)
*SERCAP’s Housing Program is primarily made possible by the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development’s (DHCD) Indoor Plumbing & Rehabilitation (IPR) Program, by County Funds (Budget Appropriations) from counties across the Commonwealth of Virginia, and by Program Income Funds from the IPR Program. Virginia’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is funded by DHCD. Additionally, all of SERCAP’s programs in Virginia are leveraged by support from the Virginia Budget Appropriation, granted by the Virginia General Assembly and administered by DHCD.