By Becky Uehling
Grant Tribune-Sentinel
Construction of a brand new 1,440 square foot, three bedroom, two bathroom home is making progress at Noyes Quality Homes housing factory south of Grant, and Amy Thelander of Southwest Nebraska Community Betterment Corporation (SWNCBC) is searching for the right family to help add its finishing touches.
“I want to find the family who is going to live there so they have the opportunity to select the finishing touches on the house,” Thelander said to those in attendance at the Perkins County Chamber of Commerce meeting last Thursday.
Years of planning and working towards building two new houses in Grant is coming to fruition for SWNCBC and several other entities who came together to take a small bite out of the housing shortage in the City of Grant. Thelander hopes this is just the beginning of addressing the need for housing.
The house that is now under construction at Noyes Quality Homes will be moved to a lot at 204 Hancock by the end of October if progress continues to run according to schedule, Thelander said. The lot for the home was prepared by Grant’s Community Redevelopment Authority (CRA).
Also to be included with the house will be an unfinished basement equipped with two egress windows and roughed in plumbing for a bathroom as well as a two-car detached garage.
Those who are interested in purchasing the home must income qualify, with eligibility based on family size and household income, ranging from $72,850 for a single-person household to $137,350 for an eight-person household. Thelander anticipates the home will sell for $190,000-$225,000. Those who qualify will receive approximately $12,000 in down payment assistance to purchase the home, Thelander said.
Thelander encourages anyone who is interested to come and talk with her about affordable loan options that are available for homebuyers.
The funding for the new home construction in Grant was accomplished through the Department of Economic Development’s Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund (NAHTF). SWNCBC was awarded approximately $462,200 last August for the construction of two new homes in Grant along with $75,000 cash match that SWNCBC was able to secure for the project.
The sale of the home at 204 Hancock will fund another new home, which will be placed at 604 Garfield sometime next year, with the process hopefully just continuing from there, she said.
“We hope the sale of one home creates new funding for another new home, and on and on,” she said.
Besides SWNCBC and Grant’s CRA, other entities involved with the project are the Perkins County Chamber of Commerce and the Perkins County Community Foundation Fund as well as the Perkins County Schools Building and Construction class building the detached garage.
Those interested in more information about the homes, interested in seeing the home currently under construction or if they qualify for one of the homes, can contact Thelander at 352-4338 or stop by the SWNCBC offices at 115 W 3rd St., Grant.
