– U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced today that the Biden-Harris Administration is making grants available to assist Rural Oklahomans in the repair of their homes damaged by severe weather in 2022 in select counties that were declared disasters by the President.
The homes must be located in presidentially declared disaster areas. People living in seven counties in Oklahoma are eligible for the funding.
“Oklahomans all too well know the destructive forces Mother Nature can bring to the Sooner State and unfortunately the increasingly negative impacts of climate change have made each successive year harder for Oklahoma families to recover from these powerful storms,” Corn said. “However, the Biden-Harris Administration has made it known they want to use the power of our federal government for good and ensure our rural neighborhoods in Oklahoma are able to afford the repairs so our neighbors in Oklahoma can live in safe and secure homes.”
The grants are being made available through supplemental disaster funding under the Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program. Through this program, people may apply to receive grants of up to $40,675 directly from the USDA Oklahoma State Office to repair their homes.
Funds will be available until fully utilized. They may be used to:
- pay for home repair expenses that were a result of a Presidentially declared disasters in calendar year 2022.
- prepare a site for a manufactured home.
- relocate a manufactured home.
To be eligible: ·
- applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the low limits based on their household size and county.
- homes must be located in an eligible rural area.
- homes must be located in a Presidentially declared disaster areas 2022.
Residents in the following counties may be eligible for the funding:
- Adair
- Cherokee
- Muskogee
- Okmulgee
- Pottawatomie
- Seminole
- Tulsa
“The Oklahoma economy depends on the work rural Oklahomans do every day, but that isn’t possible without a strong foundation and pride in our rural homes,” Corn said. “I am so thankful to our President for not only his leadership but more importantly delivering on his promises when Rural America raises its hand and asks for assistance.”
For more information on how to apply, contact 405-742-1061 or visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/ok.
Background
The Biden-Harris Administration championed the bill known as the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, that made this funding possible.
In the coming weeks and months, USDA expects to announce additional funding availability under the bill to help rural people in presidentially declared disaster areas who were impacted by natural disasters in 2022.
This additional funding will assist eligible organizations help rural people repair and improve their homes. It will also help rural communities repair water infrastructure and essential community facilities.
Additional resources to support rural communities seeking disaster assistance are available at https://www.rd.usda.gov/page/rural-development-disaster-assistance.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America.
