Salt Lake City (28 August 2006)—This month, the non-profit Community Development Corporation of Utah (CDC), through a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, completed urgent health and safety repairs for low and very low income homeowners on the last of eight houses in rural Utah. CDC won the competitive, two year funding award of $50,000 in 2004 to make emergency health and safety improvements for low and very low income homeowners in the small towns of Myton and Wendover, Utah.

CDC was able to leverage the USDA investment with other resources, such as building materials that had been donated to its Affordability Project warehouse, to serve eight households with an average of 44% of area median income. Improvements CDC made included new roofs, bathroom repairs, furnace replacements, and accessibility modifications for disabled homeowners. In fact, nearly all of the households included a disabled family member. Said one homeowner: “We had no idea what we were going to do if the CDC had not given us a furnace. It was going to be a really hard winter for us.”

Most of the homes repaired are in the Duchesne County town of Myton. Myton City Mayor Kathleen Cooper praised the work of CDC stating that “They [CDC] are a godsend. They have had a tremendous positive impact on our entire town by fixing serious problems that had threatened the safety and health of several of our residents. CDC’s work is first-rate!”

CDC was informed last week by the USDA Rural Development office that it has again been generously awarded this housing preservation grant ($50,000) for work to be performed in Tooele County for low and very low income homeowners over the next 24 months.

CDC is a 16-year-old 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Salt Lake City. CDC has a statewide mission of neighborhood revitalization and affordable homeownership. Last year, CDC built and rehabilitated a total of 58 homes and served more than 300 customers, many of whom received its homebuyer education and counseling services. More information about the Community Development Corporation of Utah is available at CDCUtah.org.