Posted: Friday, March 16, 2018 11:00 am Kristina Norman [email protected] Delta Democrat Times

More than a dozen residents in Washington County will soon have new roofs over their head thanks to one local organization.

Daniel Boggs, chief executive officer for Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association, said his organization recently received another round of funds for the organization’s Homeowner Rehabilitation Program with construction beginning this fall.
Over the past decade, dozens of families stayed in their homes through the program that corrects structural deficiencies. Ten years later, it remains one of the organization’s most popular programs with 170 homeowners helped to date.
Even with so many residents needs met, the list for homeowners who need assistance continually grows with 156 people still on the waiting list.
Although Boggs applied for United States Department of Agriculture grant funding in 2016 and was awarded it in 2017, he said that it’s no surprise his organization did not get awarded funds this time due to the extremely competive nature of the grants.

“The funds are starting to get tighter,” Boggs said. “We use to be able to put $12,000 to $13,000 into a house and now it’s getting to the point that funding has been cut so significantly that we can only do $3,000 to $6,000.”
With reduced funds, the focus of home repairs is roofs, as well as the soffits, the underside of the roof and fascias overhanging the roof — deficiencies that can contribute to problems with a home by allowing water to enter.
As a result of the funding challenges, the houses on the list are ranked on a school like grading system.
“Whenever we get the application, we actually do an assessment of the house an initial assessment to where we give it a grade an A, B, C, D or F. If it’s an F, we can’t touch it. It’s a year or less from falling in on itself,” he said.
Most of the homeowners who come to Greater Greenville though have houses that rate A or B, which means their home can be aided through the program, Boggs said.
“We focus on the As and Bs. Those are the one’s we can actually help within the amount of money we have. If we’re able to get USDA funding, we can add another $1,800 to $2,000 to the budget,” he said adding that extra money can help those who need a little more work done on their home.
Funding
None of the work would be possible without Greater Greenville’s partnership with Planters Bank and Trust Co.
In order to get funding for the project through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, a member must sponsor the application, which Planters did yet again.
For Andy Sanders, president of Planters Bank in Greenville, he said the opportunity to help out is much appreciated.
“We’re just happy to be able to partner with Daniel and his group to help these folks. There’s such a need for improving housing in our area and if there is a way we can be a part of it, we want to help out,” he said. “It’s just a good deal. We sponsor the application and that money flows directly to improving quality of life for these citizens,” he said.
Most people know Greater Greenville for the events they put on in the community, such as the Delta Hot Tamale Festival, but they are more than that, Sanders said.
“It’s good to let everyone know what they are doing so people can be supportive of the organization. They’re not just putting on festivals and stuff. They’re out improving housing, building new housing and rehabbing older homes,” he said.
How to qualify 
Greater Greenville does all the leg work by writing grants, coordinating the bidding process, managing construction and overseeing the closeout paperwork.
All they need is for people to apply.
To qualify for Greater Greenville’s programs, like the Homeowner Rehabilitation, household incomes must fall within extremely low, low or moderate incomes.
For a family of four living in Washington County in 2017, an extremely low income was $13,700 or less a year; a low income was $36,500 or less a year; and a moderate income was $54,700 or less a year.

Planters, Greater Greenville partner, give 5 homes facelifts
Mary Alford [email protected]
​
Thanks to teamwork, multiple Greenville area homes were able to receive facelifts.

Through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and their Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP), Planters Bank was able to partner with the Greenville Greater Development Foundation to complete necessary repairs to five homes throughout the city. The finishing touches were made last week.

Daniel Boggs, chief executive officer of Main Street Greenville and Greater Greenville Development Foundation, said the program aims to assist the elderly or those with special needs in home repairs.

The program is presented every year by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas, of which Planters Bank is a member.

“The Special Needs Assistance Program is a program that is put out every year by Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas. … What they do, as part of their Community Reinvestment Act, they have to invest a certain amount of their proceeds back into community development. And they do that through a long list of projects and programs they have for community development projects and a lot of it centers around economic development, housing, employment growth and creating job stability,” Boggs said.

He said the program is highly competitive, with all the funds being dispersed within a day of the application deadline.

“It has gotten so competitive that you actually have to be kind of approved as a member sponsoring entity,” Boggs said, noting Greater Greenville submitted their application Jan. 11 and were contacted in March.

Boggs said SNAP, a homeowner rehab program for low-icome elderly or disabled individuals, benefits the area because of the age of the housing stock in Greenville.

For the five homes, about $21,000 in grant funds were supplied, with the majority of the monies going toward roof, electrical or drainage repairs.

“All of this centered around leaks, mold, electrical, health issues, hazardous stuff. We know ... the elderly and disabled are the most vulnerable in those types of situations,” he said.

Boggs said the Greater Greenville Development Foundation has completed several programs with the Planters Bank program throughout the years, giving facelifts to more than 85 homes since 2008.

“We’re just thankful for what Greater Greenville Housing is doing and glad we are able to be a sponsor. It’s a good partnership to invest in community and support those in need,” said Andy Sanders, president of Planters Bank.

The houses selected for repairs were selected first come, first serve from a database the Greater Greenville Development Foundation has developed.

This was the first year Greenville has participated in SNAP, and Boggs said they look forward to applying again next year. “Planters has supported us and they are even looking at additional investments moving forward. We are glad they are standing behind us to allow us to serve the community,” he said.

Spotlight on HOME: Les-Lane Apartments, Mississippi
Posted By Sarah Mickelson on Apr 13, 2016

For over 20 years, the HOME Investment Partnerships program (HOME) has played a critical role providing affordable housing opportunities to seniors, people with disabilities, low-income families with children, veterans, and people experiencing homelessness. Despite the program’s success, HOME funding has been deeply cut in recent years. The “Spotlight on HOME” blog series focuses on the individuals and families served by HOME and what is at stake if the program is further cut.

Les-Lane Apartments
Because of lower incomes and high poverty rates, rural Greenville, Mississippi struggles to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for low-income families. Moreover, Greenville maintains one of the highest concentrations of substandard housing in the state. In fact, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute ranked the Greenville/Washington County area as the worst region in the state of Mississippi for its physical environment.
In July 2013, Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association (GGHRA) was awarded an $847,000 Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) grant through the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program and $134,000 in capacity-building funds to substantially rehabilitate Les Lane Apartments, an eight-unit rental housing development in downtown Greenville.
Originally constructed in 1938, Les-Lane Apartments was Greenville’s first multifamily development. At the time, it provided luxury housing to many prominent Delta residents. However, by 2013, the property was vacant and blighted.
GGHRA, along with other community leaders, constituents, funding agencies, and beneficiaries celebrated the grand reopening of Les-Lane Apartments in December 2014. Within three days of issuing the notice of availability for occupancy, GGHRA received 43 applications for tenancy. Today, it boasts a waiting list of 28 prospective tenants.
Once vacant and vandalized, Les-Lane Apartments is now a symbol of the city’s downtown renaissance. It also helped spur local economic activity. In fact, over 90 percent of the construction activities were awarded to regional contractors, providing a much needed economic stimulus to the City of Greenville. Les-Lane Apartments has proven to be a catalyst in the downtown redevelopment movement.
Project Highlights

• Location: Greenville, Mississippi
• Project: Rental Housing Development
• HOME: $847,000
• Total Cost: $1.1 M
• Other Federal: $134,00 Section 4 Capacity Building
• Units: 8
• Districts: MS-02

About Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization AssociationEstablished in 1992, the Greater Greenville Housing and Revitalization Association (GGHRA) is an independent, 501(c)(3), nonprofit community development corporation, with over 20 years of experience developing and supporting affordable housing in the greater Greenville, Mississippi community.
GGHRA’s mission is to develop, provide, and promote safe, affordable, and decent housing, in addition to designing, researching, and promoting revitalization activities.
With an impeccable reputation within the industry, GGHRA has successfully administered numerous community based programs, including the redevelopment of scattered-site, single-family units, homebuyer assistance, and homeowner rehabilitation programs. As a result, GGHRA has helped thousands of families in the region find and maintain adequate housing.
For more information about  please contact Daniel Boggs at (662) 378-3121 or [email protected].


About HOMEIn October 2015, the HOME Coalition published the Building HOME report analyzing the economic impact of HOME nationwide and in all 50 states. The report also features a collection of more than 100 HOME Success Stories. For more information, check out Enterprise’s recent blog post on how you can help #SaveHOME.

 Last Week, GGHRA received some help from a group of students from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville who volunteered for the School's Alternative Break program. The program, who's mission is to educate and engage all students to lead and serve the global community, served throughout the Greenville, Mississippi community. The group, along with GGHRA staff members, cleaned up debris and provided green space enhancements and beautification at housing sites owned by GGHRA. It was a pleasure to work along side the students and the smiles on the residents faces were a testament to the impact the group had. Read about the groups account of their week of service in the Mississippi Delta by following the link here.

Les-Lane Apartments
Because of lower incomes and high poverty rates, rural Greenville, Mississippi struggles to provide safe, decent, and affordable housing for low-income families. Moreover, Greenville maintains one of the highest concentrations of substandard housing in the state. In fact, the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute ranked the Greenville/Washington County area as the worst region in the state of Mississippi for its physical environment. In July 2013, GGHRA was awarded an $847,000 Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) grant through the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program and $134,000 in capacity-building funds to substantially rehabilitate Les-Lane Apartments, an eight-unit rental housing development in downtown Greenville.
Originally constructed in 1938, Les-Lane Apartments was Greenville’s first multifamily development. At the time, it provided luxury housing to many prominent Delta residents. However, by 2013, the property was vacant and blighted. GGHRA, along with other community leaders, constituents, funding agencies, and beneficiaries celebrated the grand reopening of Les-Lane Apartments in December 2014. Within three days of issuing the notice of availability for occupancy,

GGHRA received 43 applications for tenancy. Today, it boasts a waiting list of 28 prospective tenants. Once vacant and vandalized, Les-Lane Apartments is now a symbol of the city’s downtown renaissance. It also helped spur local economic activity. In fact, over 90 percent of the construction activities were awarded to regional contractors, providing a much needed economic stimulus to the City of Greenville. Les-Lane Apartments has proven to be a catalyst in the downtown redevelopment movement.

You can read the report in it's entirety here.

By - Associated Press - Friday, May 16, 2014 GREENVILLE, Miss. (AP) - The oldest apartment complex in Greenville soon will be renovated for low-income housing.

The Les-Lane Apartments will have eight units, each with two bedrooms and one bathroom.
The Delta Democrat-Times reports (http://bit.ly/RGYDWS ) that the $600,000 project is being funded by a combination of private and public money, including some from the Mississippi Development Authority.
Mayor John Cox says the renovation project is a “bright spot” for Greenville.
“One of the overall goals of any government is to improve the quality of life of its citizens,” Cox said. “This project is something that will help accelerate that goal.”?
David Smith Construction Inc., of Inverness, is the contractor for the project. Smith says he hopes to retain up to 70 percent of the original building.

Herman Benjamin Nelken, who at the time owned The Fair apparel store in downtown Greenville, built the Les-Lane apartments in 1938. The building is named for his children, Lester and Hellane.
The building housed several prominent Greenville residents, including Frank Baldwin, who owned WJPR, Greenville’s first commercial radio station.
Nelken’s grandson, Benjy Nelken, who is the owner and curator of the Greenville History Museum, said he has fond memories of Les-Lane.

Nelken in 2008 sold the property to Cleveland-based Word of Deliverance Hospice.
That group’s plans to renovate the building fell through and the property was sold to the revitalization association in August 2013.
“It housed people for 70 years,” Nelken said. “I think it’s great that it’s coming back to life. It’s just a block off the main downtown district. For me, personally, it holds a lot of memories.”
Greater Greenville is working on restoring several houses in Greenville but this is the first major project the group has undertaken in nine years, association president George King said.
“We look forward to bringing families into the downtown and revitalizing the downtown area,” King said.