Keokuk is one of five communities in Iowa to share $4 million from the state’s Home Rehabilitation Block Grant Program. The city will get $600,000.
Only properties where household incomes are below 80% of the area median income are eligible for the grant.
Keokuk Community Development Director Pam Broomhall said city leaders agreed to use the money in the neighborhood between 9th and 13th streets and Timea and Morgan streets.
She said repairs will mainly involve new roofing, siding and windows.
“That will help with a person's utility bills and insulation,” Broomhall said. “It will improve the aesthetics of the neighborhood and also help the property owners have a more (energy-) efficient property.”
Broomhall said some of the homes that could benefit from the grant are owner-occupied, some are rentals, and some are abandoned houses.
She said the funding will help revitalize the neighborhood.
“We need the funding to help our property owners here,” she said. “And I'm just really hoping that we can help some people get their homes in better shape.”
The planned renovations are expected to be completed by 2024.
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