Grants available to downtown Jeffersonville residents for home maintenance, upgrades

Libby Cunningham, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·3 min read

Aug. 11—JEFFERSONVILLE — The property that brothers Matt and Daniel Eklund own on West Riverside Drive in Jeffersonville looks a lot different than when they bought it a few years back.

A few fresh coats of paint, new windows, a repaired chimney and restored storm windows have updated the home that looks out on the Ohio River.

Funds from the Front Porch Project, a partnership between Jeffersonville Urban Enterprise Association and Jeffersonville Main Street with support from Indiana Landmarks made the changes possible.

"It looks a lot better than it did before we started the work," Matt said. "It's changed drastically from five years ago."

The Front Porch Project has helped dozens of homeowners in downtown Jeffersonville since its inception years back.

People who live from West Riverside Drive up to East 10th Street may qualify for the funds, which are matching grants, up to $3,000, for restoration and preservation projects on the exterior of homes.

"It's for exterior work, so it's not just working on your front porch," said Laura Renwick with Indiana Landmarks. "It's for painting or window repairs, there's really a wide range of stuff that might qualify."

She said the goal is to fund projects that are visible to the public and have positive impact on the surrounding area.

"In order to have a strong downtown we felt like it was very important to have strong neighborhoods surrounding it to be able to support that downtown," she said. "And also to have attractive areas around it that would make people want to visit and move to Jeffersonville and invest in the area."

She said paint projects and things with visual impact, along with homes that have some neglect and need a boost are encouraged to apply.

"Maybe a property where historic features have been covered up or moved," she said. "Or we can uncover this or restore this property, that is always exciting for the committee."

Jeffersonville Main Street CEO Jay Ellis said the grants encourage investment in both the commercial and residential aspects of downtown.

"If people are investing in these older homes, in the older part of the city, it just makes the neighborhood stronger," he said. "It makes it a more attractive, inviting place to live."

Ellis said there's a similar program for businesses.

He said regardless of where anyone lives in the area, he hopes they take pride in downtown Jeffersonville and the Main Street district.

"The Front Porch grants are a nice incentive to encourage people to maintain homes and keep them in good shape and an appealing part of the downtown fabric."

For homeowner Matt Eklund, he encourages people to apply.

"My advice would be not to be afraid to discuss your ideas with groups like the Historical Preservation Department," he said. "They're happy to help and give some tips."

All applications are due by Sept. 1. All projects that get funding must be complete by June 1, 2023.

Applications can be found online and either mailed to mail to 401 Pearl Street or emailed to info@JeffMainStreet.org with Front Porch Project in subject line.

The full application, along with a map of the full qualifying area can be found online: https://www.jeffmainstreet.org/downtown-revitalization/front-porch-project-grants/.