Courtney: Federal Funds Could Provide Crumbling Foundation Relief For Homes in Tolland

U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney on Wednesday released a letter from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development indicating that Connecticut municipalities may have a path to pursue federal grant funding to address repairs associated with crumbling foundations.

Courtney said he reached out to HUD officials "as part of an effort to identify federal resources for homeowners struggling with crumbling foundations." Courtney said he received a letter from HUD outlining two possible sources of existing annual federal grant funding "that could be used for municipal housing rehabilitation programs."

The letter, Courtney said, explains that funds from the Small Cities section of the HUD-funded Community Development Block Grant Program and the Home Investment Partnerships Program, which are administered by the Connecticut Department of Housing , could be used to support housing rehabilitation programs to assist residents with crumbling foundations.

“I am committed to investigating every possible source of federal assistance that could be available to homeowners in northeastern Connecticut with crumbling foundations,” Courtney said . “As more and more residents are discovering that their home may be impacted by this problem, we are going to need an all hands on deck response in order to make these homeowners whole again. I was pleased that after my office contacted HUD, we received a prompt response with constructive input from the Department on how funds available through the Small Cities CDBG and HOME program could be used to provide some relief for homeowners.”

Click here to see the letter from HUD regarding Small Cities CDGB funding from HUD

Connecticut receives funds from the two programs annually. For 2016, Connecticut received about $12.2 million in Small Cities CDBG funds and about $6.5 million in HOME funds not otherwise allocated to larger cities, Courtney said. The funds are used in a wide variety of housing and development projects throughout the state, with their distribution determined by the Connecticut Department of Housing and the Office of Policy and Management in consultation with the Connecticut General Assembly.

Cracks have been located in many homes throughout eastern Connecticut and the problem has been traced to a bad batch poured by the J.J. Mottes Company in the 1980s or 1990s, state officials said.

The state Department of Consumer Protection has a Web page designed to assist those affected.

Courtney said in June, leaders of certain towns in the region asked the state for “emergency repair fund,” and an assessment program to organize a coherent plan for inspection, communication, and remediation were some of the constructive suggestions made. State Sen. Tony Guglielmo backed the plan.
Courtney said, by definition CDBG and HOME funding could assist "with the execution of that plan."

Towns generally apply to the state for funding.

Recently, Courtney spearheaded a series of federal delegation letters urging home insurance companies to join repair efforts for affected homes.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel