A new program has been launched to help Erie County residents make exterior home repairs to properties damaged during the pandemic.

The COVID-19 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Pennsylvania Whole-Home Repairs program addresses housing insecurity and the climate crisis by providing grant funding.

That funding goes towards programs supporting up to $50,000 per unit in repairs for homeowners and small landlords to support upkeep and weatherization.

“Certainly, there are a lot of residents within our area and statewide and certainly there’s a need for this funding to make the repairs on properties for maintenance issues. A lot of extra repairs are highly expensive and sometimes outside the budget of the normal household owner,” said Aaron Snippert, Erie Redevelopment Authority.

Snippert added there are a lot of people that need this assistance.

“The county has over the past several years put a lot of money into housing rehab so this is just another tool in our toolbox to provide an assistance level to residents to rehabilitate their properties,” he said.

Through COVID, they realized people were spending a lot more time in their properties.

“Through that, we knew that housing was a key part of their lives. Now, post-COVID and all the American Rescue Plan funding, there’s certainly a need for rehabilitation, so a lot of funding has been put towards that county-wide,” Snippert continued.

Snippert also said the designated areas include boroughs like Edinboro, Cranesville, Girard and Lake City.

You can find additional details about the funding online.