Affordable Housing In Montgomery County

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County ready to roll on housing projects

Montomery program set to dole out $1.2 million

By BETH KUHLES

Chronicle Correspondent

Montgomery County soon hopes to set priorities for allocating some of the $1.2 million in federal funds for a local program aimed at improving low-income housing opportunities.

The Home Program is a federal initiative to assist low- and moderate-income residents with housing opportunities.

Efforts to administer the Home Program on a local level in Montgomery County have been in limbo since the first grant was awarded last year.

The county has accumulated $1.2 million in funds from the program, but has no plans yet on how to spend it.

"We have never had the program kicked off," said County Judge Alan B. Sadler. "We have until October 2005 to identify programs."

New priorities

Montgomery County's Community Development Department is expected to set new priorities for the Home Program and send out requests for proposals for projects in the next several weeks, said Julane Tolbert, county budget officer and newly appointed director for the Community Development Department, which administers the federal funding for the local programs.

"It's the county's responsibility," Tolbert said. "The county is the participating jurisdiction. Since we have the responsibility, we accepted the funding."

Montgomery County Commissioners Court had been negotiating with Montgomery County Housing Authority/Montgomery County Emergency Assistance to operate the program for the county, and that agency had identified two projects for the funds