Mecklenburg County has unveiled a new program to increase the number of contractors qualified to perform critical home repairs, a key component of the region’s affordable housing strategy.
The Contractor Assistance Program (CAP) is run by United Way of Greater Charlotte and funded with $900,000 in grants from US Bank, Mecklenburg County and the city of Charlotte.
The program launched on July 14.
Warren Wooten, the city’s assistant director of affordable housing, said no grant money will be spent repairing homes. Rather, he said, the funds will be used to train and equip new or existing contractors that perform critical home repairs.
Part of the money will fund 25 internships at Charlotte Works, a workforce development nonprofit, and 16 on-the-job training opportunities for contractors.
Wooten said CAP aims to increase the number of local contractors qualified to do critical home repairs. He gave the example of a contractor needing certification to remove lead paint from a home.
“Under this program, we would assist with getting their staff trained up and help to pay for some of the special equipment so that they could also provide that service,” Wooten said.
How it works
Applicants can apply for two types of funding: a grant to support training and a loan to expand a business.
The internships would subsidize a portion of the wages for someone trained through an existing job-training program. “We’ve not tried something like this before,” Wooten said, so we’re really eager to get some folks involved in it.”
Wooten said the program would run until funds were depleted. Businesses and organizations can apply for a grant online.
Affordable housing
In addition to CAP, the city and county offer programs that directly fund critical home repairs, mostly for people who are elderly or disabled and with limited income.
“They’re some of the folks that live in these homes and just need some help to continue to stay in homes and communities that they’ve lived in their entire lives,” Wooten said.
Anna London, president and CEO of Charlotte Works, noted an overlap between people needing workforce training and those needing critical home repairs. “Many of the individuals who are in need of support with critical home repair could also be unemployed or underemployed,” she said.
Wooten said the largest source of affordable housing in Charlotte is older properties that need critical repairs. Making those repairs, he said, will play a “critical role” in the city’s approach to affordable housing.
“Without programs like this, you would have people that would need to sell these homes, move out of these homes, try to find other affordable units that are just not available,” Wooten said.
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