$2.5 million grant to fund weatherization services

A nonprofit corporation based in Grand Junction has received a grant of more than $2.5 million to provide free weatherization services to low-income families across Western Colorado.

Housing Resources also received a grant of more than $250,000 to rehabilitate two of its rental properties.

“We are thrilled to receive these grants,” said Katie Wilson, a self-help family coordinator with Housing Resources. “Grants like this allow Housing Resources to continue to help so many on the Western Slope to remain in their homes and take pride in where they live.”

The Governor’s Energy Office awarded Housing Resources a $2,566,153 grant to provide free weatherization services in a total of more than 500 homes in Mesa County as well as in Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray and San Miguel counties. The grant, which includes nearly $1.9 million in federal stimulus funding, will pay for the installation of insulation in attics and walls as well as storm window and doors, along with the replacement of furnaces and refrigerators and the sealing of air leaks.

Housing Resources has been weatherizing homes in Western Colorado for more than 30 years, completing more than 4,000 units during that time.

NeighborWorks America awarded Housing Resources a $254,500 grant to rehabilitate two Housing Resources rental properties. The grant was one of 117 awarded to NeighborWorks organizations around the United States with a combined value of $35 million.

The money will be used to increase energy efficiency and upgrade property interiors. The rehabilitation projects will include the installation of high-efficiency boilers and window replacements as well as the remodeling of kitchens and bathrooms. The increased energy efficiency is expected to save on the ongoing operating costs of the properties.

Housing Resources offers a range of services to low- and moderate-income clients, including weatherization, affordable rental housing and home rehabilitation loans.

In addition, Housing Resources operates a mutual self-help housing program in which low-income families construct homes under qualified supervision. The labor that families contribute substantially reduces the costs of the homes and serves as the down payments.