Sprucing up their homes

Ken de la Bastide, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·2 min read

Oct. 4—ANDERSON — Betty Whigham has lived in her house for 35 years and is using American Rescue Plan funds provided by the city of Anderson for several upgrades.

The administration of Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. recently announced that 17 homeowners received $345,000 in funds ranging from $8,500 to $25,000 for needed upgrades.

The Broderick administration set aside $2,250,000 for homeowner assist and a second round of applications for the remaining $1.9 million was recently completed.

A committee of local officials and citizens will review the funding requests.

Whigham is receiving $23,538 for improvements to her residence in the 2600 block of West 18th Street.

"I'm going to have quite a bit of work done," she said. "I was overwhelmed when I was contacted.

"The email really surprised me," Whigham said. "There is no way I could have afforded to have the work done."

She plans to have a new driveway, siding, fence repair and a roof on the garage with the funds.

"This will help a lot," Whigham said.

It has been a tough year for Brad Howell, whose wife Brenda died in a car accident in Grant County last January.

Howell was awarded $19,120 and is planning to have the plumbing system upgraded in a house he is purchasing.

He has been renting the house on Crystal Street for a decade.

"It was amazing," Howell said of the funding. "God works in wonderful ways.

"This was totally a gift," he said. "Without these funds, I didn't know how I would pay for it."

Samuel Smith was awarded $12,682 in American Rescue Plan funds and plans to have a new roof installed on the house where he has resided for 15 years.

"I'm just starting a new job," he said. "It was a relief to receive the funds."

Smith said the COVID-19 pandemic was a strain on his finances.

"It was important to be able to receive the funds," he said. "I was optimistic that my application would be approved."

Smith said he was surprised and pleased when the funding became available.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.