The Marshall County Commissioners took action last week to approve letters of support for grant funds being sought for housing projects.
Marshall County Community Foundation Executive Director Linda Yoder explained to the commissioners that Lilly Endowment’s GIFT VIII Initiative applications are being accepted and asked them to approve letters of support for a grant for housing.
Shawn Peterson from Community Redevelopment Partners said a local planning grant application to identify properties or new development sites for affordable housing, and a regional implementation grant application in coordination with Elkhart and St. Joseph Counties will be submitted.
Peterson also said the regional application will help establish a regional land bank which allows for properties up for tax sale that aren’t bid on to be transferred immediately to a land bank. If approved, Lilly would provide funding to capitalize the land bank and establish the expertise necessary to obtain, hold and manage those properties on behalf of the local municipalities. The second part of the regional application would establish an affordable housing investment fund. Overall, it would be managed by MACOG. The regional grant would be for $20 million, if approved.
This is a separate grant funding process than READI 2.0 funding, but would compliment the region with READI 2.0 funding.
The commissioners agreed to approve the letters of support. The deadline to submit the applications was last week.
