WESTMINSTER — A local nonprofit that helps low income property owners with repair work will be able to continue the program after receiving a USDA grant this week.

Southeastern Vermont Community Action, or SEVCA, was given a $50,000 grant through the USDA Rural Development’s Housing Preservation Grants Program.

The money will be used to do repair work on homes owned by low income, and elderly and disabled, residents in southeastern Vermont.

SEVCA started the Emergency Home Repair program with stimulus money in 2009, and Executive Director Steve Geller said the group wanted to continue the work after the American Reinvestment & Recovery Act money ran out.

He said the $50,000, which covers more than half of the annual budget, will allow the SEVCA staff to continue taking on projects.

Geller said SEVCA staff came up with the idea after learning that ARRA money was available for community projects.

Prior to developing the program, weatherization staff would often go out and find that the weatherization work was not feasible because a roof leaked or a basement was wet.

The Emergency Home Repair program gives SEVCA money to bring in local contractors to take on small repair projects which improve living conditions.

Last year they worked on 135 homes in Windham and Windsor counties, with the average project costing about $2,000.

“This is not routine, cosmetic work,” Geller said. “This helps us

create healthy and safe environments for people who are not able to take on the projects themselves.”

The SEVCA grant was part of just under $400,000 that organizations throughout Vermont received for the home repair programs.

“Our investment under this program will leverage $733,000 of other sources of funds to help low and very low homeowners and renters,” said Molly Lambert, state director at USDA Rural Development. “We are proud of our partnerships with the organizations that serve these citizens of our state.”

Geller said with the USDA grant, SEVCA can go out and win other grants, and seek volunteer labor and materials to help low income home owners improve their living conditions.

“This grant is an important piece in our budget,” Geller said. “And these dollars go a long way. For years we have had to walk away from weatherization projects when the structures were not in good shape and now we can help and get that work done.”

Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at hwtisman@reformer.com or 802-254-2311, ext. 279.