News
Money available to repair your roof
By Dave Murnen & Pat Beaty
Nailing It Down, Saturday, March 22, 2008
We’ve got great news for Harborites who lack funds to fix their storm-damaged houses: We may be able to help!
This past week we learned that our area had received $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds from the State of Washington’s Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development.
Our agency, NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor, is the sub-recipient of this money and will be distributing it. All the money is earmarked for Grays Harbor homeowners whose homes were damaged in the December storms.
So, is your roof still sporting a tarp? Did the money you received from your insurance company or FEMA fail to cover what the contractor says it will cost to replace or repair your roof or other storm damage to your home?
Or perhaps you were denied help flat out from your insurance company and/or FEMA.
In either case, you may be eligible for funding to repair any storm-damage to your house.
And, it’s not just we who are working to help our neighbors in Grays Harbor. We’re partnering with lots of local not-for-profit organizations to help stretch the dollars and increase the expertise.
Those partners include Rebuilding Together, Grays Harbor Long Term Disaster Recovery Organization, Coastal Community Action, Disaster Outreach Services and Work Source.
Thanks to the Governor
We’re grateful to Governor Christine Gregoire for inspiring her department heads to find timely solutions to the federal and private insurance shortfalls regarding the storm damage that occurred in early December.
We already had an application for a Community Development Block Grant in the works; but it was written to deal with neighborhood blight. The folks at the Dept. of Community, Trade and Economic Development asked us to change the focus to storm-related repairs. In doing so we sped up the process of getting state monies to help us repair our homes here on the Harbor.
Yes, from December to June might seem like a long time to some, but it’s actually quite quick when dealing with any bureaucracy. Besides, judging by the numbers of blue tarps dotting the landscape, the need is still here.
Fix it up
NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor will use 100 percent of the money for storm-related housing issues throughout the county.
When it comes to roofs, instead of just small “patch” jobs, we plan to replace as many roofs as is appropriate, using good materials and overseeing the projects to make sure excellent workmanship is used to complete each job.
Even if this particular pot of money doesn’t help all the folks, we’re encouraging everyone to call. That’s because we have leads to other sources of funding help and materials and we likely can help many more families.
Our goal is to attempt to help all homeowners get their homes ready for the next nasty storm and to enjoy a calm summer knowing that their investment is well protected.
Give us a call at 533-7828 or toll-free at 1- 866-533-7828 and we’ll get the ball rolling to see if we can help get your house back in shape.
In other business
Homeownership classes — We offer free weekly orientation, credit and homeownership certification classes. Call us for the next class schedule.
Contractors — We’re always looking for good contractors to add to our bidders’ pool. Lots of work and payment is guaranteed. Give us a call at 533-7828 to find out more.
Previous Articles
We can't help our customers unless they know about us. One of the ways we've expanded on our communication is that we've been publishing a weekly column in the Daily World Sunday edition on all things related to housing.
The column is written by Dave Murnen, NeighborWorks® Executive Director, and Pat Beaty, NeighborWorks® Construction Specialist, and topics include recognizing and guarding against moisture problems in homes, inspecting roofs to stay ahead of repairs or damages, remodeling tips, and finding professionals to work with for remodeling, buying, and more.
These articles help you make the most of your time and money when it comes to decisions about your home. If you haven't seen our Daily World articles, you can obtain reprints by visiting our office at 710 E. Market Street, Aberdeen, or by visiting the Daily World's archives for Dave or Pat.
Keep watching and listening for more information, both in print and other forms, as we maximize the ways we communicate and serve customers.
"Nailing It Down"
"Just who are you?” and “What exactly is it that you do?” We've been thrilled to talk to many readers of this column lately. Usually those are the first two questions they ask when they call.
We can understand the confusion. One week we're talking about home inspections, the next about repairing your credit history, and then we're doing a short series on home maintenance tips, or discussing how to buy a house, use an appraiser or plan a remodel.
For heaven's sakes don't stop calling. We enjoy talking to folks about their housing needs, giving them advice and free literature, letting them know about our various services or just pointing them in the right direction. Still, we thought we'd take this opportunity to try to give you a better idea of what NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor (NeighborWorks®) is all about. For starters, despite our name and our location at 710 E. Market St. in Aberdeen, we serve all of Grays Harbor. (top)
Defining what we're all about
We're not a government agency. We're a nonprofit organization established in 1981. Our mission is to develop partnerships in the community between business, government, and residents to create safe and affordable housing opportunities for all residents of Grays Harbor County. We make this happen for our clients by combining our program and financial resources with those of lenders, contractors, landlords, other non profits and neighborhoods.
So you can see with a mission like ours that our services are far from the cook's special. Instead, it's more like a cafeteria of choices. Our full-time staff of eight is involved in many things that help promote safe and affordable housing in Grays Harbor. We'll try to hit the high points today to give you an idea when you might want or need our services. (top)
Home ownership is a top priority
Study after study has proven that high home ownership rates in a community improve the quality of life for the entire neighborhood. So, we try hard to help folks buy a house. We offer everything from free credit counseling and budgeting assistance to help folks get ready to take the plunge into home ownership to down payment assistance and a wide variety of loans that we can offer ourselves.
But we also work closely with our local lending institutions to help people get loans through them. Our role then is more like that of a guide, walking a potential homeowner through the maze of paperwork. We also offer rehabilitation loans or assist our clients in obtaining rehabilitation loans from our bank partners for houses that need work before they're fit to buy. (top)
We care about renters too
Not everyone wants to or can own a home, so we work hard to help educate both landlords and tenants. We want the Harbor's rental properties to be safe and affordable too. We want landlords and tenants to be happy about the buildings and their relationships with each other. We offer help for both with concerns about maintenance and upkeep of the property as well as informing them what the state's Landlord/Tenant Act says. (top)
We're a landlord ourselves
NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor is a landlord too, and we work hard to be a good one. We own and manage 17 subsidized apartment units plus 25 rental houses on the Harbor. (top)
Inspections, building oversight
The average age of the housing “stock” in Grays Harbor County is among the very oldest in the state. We want to encourage homeowners to maintain and improve their homes. We offer very reasonable home inspections. We can inspect a house before someone decides to purchase it or one that has been owned for years. As third party inspectors who do not do the work, we have nothing to gain or lose by telling you what we find of concern.
We also offer a service of helping manage contractors for building a new home or starting a remodeling project. For a reasonable fee we can take over the project oversight, make sure the contract is being followed and the work is being done satisfactorily. Although we're not architects, we do offer design services as well. We can take a look at your home and hear your dreams for a remodel and give you an idea of what can be done.
All in all, just about anything to do with housing on the Harbor from tips to dealing with real estate agents to managing a contract for your remodel, we can either help you ourselves or direct you where to go. However, NeighborWorks® doesn't hire out as a contractor or a handy man. The home maintenance tips we give are for you to do yourself or contract with one of the Harbor's many excellent tradesmen.
Dave Murnen is the Executive Director and Pat Beaty is the Construction Specialist at NeighborWorks of Grays Harbor, a non-profit organization committed to creating safe and affordable housing for all residents of Grays Harbor County.
Do you have questions about home repair, remodeling or becoming a homeowner? Call us at (360) 533-7828, write us at P.O. Box 407, Aberdeen or visit us at 710 E. Market St. in Aberdeen. (top)