Recently, SERCAP’s Housing Department assisted an extremely low-income single woman living in Page County, VA. The client initially reached out to SERCAP back in 2016, because she had no indoor plumbing in her home and was using an outdoor privy (outhouse) in lieu of an indoor toilet. SERCAP’s Housing Department began working with this client to complete the application process and bid-out the project to contractors. However, due to this client’s home being located in the northern part of the Commonwealth, the bids kept coming back far above the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development’s (DHCD) cost limits for Indoor Plumbing & Rehabilitation (IPR) projects.
However, SERCAP did not give up. After five (5) years of working on this project, SERCAP’s Housing Team was able to secure additional funding for the project, including $30,000 in Home Funds from FAHE, Inc. to support the whole project, and $3,000 through SERCAP’s own Essential & Critical Needs Grant Program to support the new well and septic system. SERCAP’s Housing Team was also able to convince DHCD to approve an additional $34,000 for the project, after illustrating that both the COVID-19 Pandemic and the geographic location seriously impacted and increased the costs associated with the project.
After five-years of struggle, construction for the project was finally awarded to Cornelious Walton Construction for $197,925.95, the full cost of this Substantial Reconstruction project, and the Contractor quickly broke ground on the project. The construction for the project was recently completed, and now the client has an affordable home that is warm, safe, and dry, with fully functioning complete indoor plumbing facilities.
Without SERCAP’s full slate of Programs and Services, many rural communities and low-to-moderate income (LMI) individuals would be forced to go without such necessities as reliable access to clean drinking water, indoor plumbing, safe and affordable housing, community development and infrastructure needs, water/wastewater infrastructure solutions, and more. It is important to remember that even in the US in the 21st Century; there are those who do not have reliable access to clean, safe drinking water, environmentally sound septic facilities, and affordable housing. In order to help SERCAP continue to provide assistance to both the individuals and communities in need, please consider making a donation to SERCAP’s Water Life! Fund!
Donate Today: https://sercap.networkforgood.com/projects/27202-sercap-s-water-is-life-fund (opens new window).
*SERCAP’s Housing Program is primarily made possible by the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development’s (DHCD) Indoor Plumbing & Rehabilitation Flex (IPR-Flex) Program, by County Funds (Budget Appropriations) from counties across the Commonwealth of Virginia, and by Program Income Funds from the IPR-Flex Program. Additionally, all of SERCAP’s programs in Virginia are leveraged by support from the Virginia Budget Appropriation, granted by the Virginia General Assembly and administered by DHCD.