Larimer County, Colo. – January 15, 2015 - The Larimer County Long-Term Recovery Group (LTRG) in partnership with Loveland Housing Authority is helping residents rebuild in the wake of the historic 2013 Colorado floods. In June of 2014, the first wave of HUD’s Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding (CDBG-DR) was released to communities who suffered the most damage in the floods. In Larimer County the Loveland Housing Authority and Larimer County Long-Term Recovery Case Managers are assisting residents with securing that funding as well as coordinating their property replacement, rebuilding or repairs.
“To date we have been managing home repairs, rebuilding, down payment assistance and most recently helping primary residents who have access problems due to damaged bridges or driveways,” said Amy Irwin, Manager of Loveland Housing Authority. “We have about 56 applicants of which 8 repair projects are totally completed and another 14 are in progress. The other applicants are in varying stages of the approval process and hope to underway in early 2015,” said Irwin.
The Loveland Housing Authority has secured more than $7 million dollars to assist primary residents in Larimer County with up to $100,000 per family for home rebuilding or repair. This assistance includes grants and zero interest loans with payments deferred until the sale of the property. Terms are subject to the applicant’s income and other qualifications.
CDBG-DR also includes a $50,000 down payment program to help residents purchase a replacement home. Three applications of $50,000 each have been received to date. One of those families closed on their new home in December and the two others are scheduled to close on their new homes in early 2015.
Jason and Meghan Rademacher were the first Larimer County flood survivors to take advantage of the new down payment program. The Rademachers lost their Glen Haven home during the floods. Just before Christmas they closed on a new home in Glen Haven using $50,000 in CDBG-DR down payment funds. “We wanted to be able to stay in our community. It was great working with everyone from the LTRG Case Management and the Loveland Housing Authority. They made the home purchase so easy,” said Meghan Rademacher.
Recovering from a natural disaster takes a village. The Loveland Housing Authority is one of the partner agencies in the Larimer County Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG.) “Our team works closely with the LTRG Case Managers to coordinate this work. In fact, we recommend residents start by calling with the LTRG case management office. The Case Managers help residents create a comprehensive recovery plan that uses all available resources. CDBG-DR funds won’t cover all the expenses so case managers combine those dollars with volunteer labor and other donated funds to help people with their unmet rebuilding needs,” said Irwin. She added, “Working with the LTRG team has been a true pleasure. It’s uplifting to see everyone’s passion for helping others. We are all in this for the long haul and know rebuilding after a disaster takes time and commitment.”
“Recovering from an event like this is a long process and finding the resources needed can be confusing and time consuming,” said Laura Levy, Recovery Manager for the Larimer LTRG. “Now that the CDBG-DR funding programs are in place, it is a good time to help people understand all their options and the application process for these and other opportunities. Our Case Managers are the most qualified to do that. Even a resident who thinks they don’t qualify or have any other options, should call our office and schedule a meeting with one of our Case Managers. They may be pleasantly surprised to learn it’s not too late to get help,” said Levy. Larimer County residents are encouraged to contact the LTRG office at 970-461-2222.
The Larimer County Long Term Recovery (LTRG) is a group of non-profit organizations that provides coordinated assistance and disaster case management for long-term recovery to flood survivors. The mission of the LTRG is to address the unmet needs of those without the resources to rebuild or repair their homes after the 2013 floods. This includes coordinating thousands of volunteers, working with affected communities to help coordinate recovery needs and providing individual case management services that match clients with resources. To date, the LTRG has coordinated more than 3,000 volunteers who worked more than 84,000 hours on flood repair and cleanup. To date the group’s unmet need and other resource funds granted hundreds of thousands of dollars to flood survivors through their case management system. United Way of Larimer County is the fiscal agent for the LTRG-unmet needs fund. Residents affected by the Larimer County floods are encouraged to call the Larimer County Long Term Recovery Group at 970-461-2222. The LTRG has offices in Estes Park and Loveland. LTRG news and updates may be found at their website, http://www.larimerLTRG.org or on their Facebook page
“To date we have been managing home repairs, rebuilding, down payment assistance and most recently helping primary residents who have access problems due to damaged bridges or driveways,” said Amy Irwin, Manager of Loveland Housing Authority. “We have about 56 applicants of which 8 repair projects are totally completed and another 14 are in progress. The other applicants are in varying stages of the approval process and hope to underway in early 2015,” said Irwin.
The Loveland Housing Authority has secured more than $7 million dollars to assist primary residents in Larimer County with up to $100,000 per family for home rebuilding or repair. This assistance includes grants and zero interest loans with payments deferred until the sale of the property. Terms are subject to the applicant’s income and other qualifications.
CDBG-DR also includes a $50,000 down payment program to help residents purchase a replacement home. Three applications of $50,000 each have been received to date. One of those families closed on their new home in December and the two others are scheduled to close on their new homes in early 2015.
Jason and Meghan Rademacher were the first Larimer County flood survivors to take advantage of the new down payment program. The Rademachers lost their Glen Haven home during the floods. Just before Christmas they closed on a new home in Glen Haven using $50,000 in CDBG-DR down payment funds. “We wanted to be able to stay in our community. It was great working with everyone from the LTRG Case Management and the Loveland Housing Authority. They made the home purchase so easy,” said Meghan Rademacher.
Recovering from a natural disaster takes a village. The Loveland Housing Authority is one of the partner agencies in the Larimer County Long Term Recovery Group (LTRG.) “Our team works closely with the LTRG Case Managers to coordinate this work. In fact, we recommend residents start by calling with the LTRG case management office. The Case Managers help residents create a comprehensive recovery plan that uses all available resources. CDBG-DR funds won’t cover all the expenses so case managers combine those dollars with volunteer labor and other donated funds to help people with their unmet rebuilding needs,” said Irwin. She added, “Working with the LTRG team has been a true pleasure. It’s uplifting to see everyone’s passion for helping others. We are all in this for the long haul and know rebuilding after a disaster takes time and commitment.”
“Recovering from an event like this is a long process and finding the resources needed can be confusing and time consuming,” said Laura Levy, Recovery Manager for the Larimer LTRG. “Now that the CDBG-DR funding programs are in place, it is a good time to help people understand all their options and the application process for these and other opportunities. Our Case Managers are the most qualified to do that. Even a resident who thinks they don’t qualify or have any other options, should call our office and schedule a meeting with one of our Case Managers. They may be pleasantly surprised to learn it’s not too late to get help,” said Levy. Larimer County residents are encouraged to contact the LTRG office at 970-461-2222.
The Larimer County Long Term Recovery (LTRG) is a group of non-profit organizations that provides coordinated assistance and disaster case management for long-term recovery to flood survivors. The mission of the LTRG is to address the unmet needs of those without the resources to rebuild or repair their homes after the 2013 floods. This includes coordinating thousands of volunteers, working with affected communities to help coordinate recovery needs and providing individual case management services that match clients with resources. To date, the LTRG has coordinated more than 3,000 volunteers who worked more than 84,000 hours on flood repair and cleanup. To date the group’s unmet need and other resource funds granted hundreds of thousands of dollars to flood survivors through their case management system. United Way of Larimer County is the fiscal agent for the LTRG-unmet needs fund. Residents affected by the Larimer County floods are encouraged to call the Larimer County Long Term Recovery Group at 970-461-2222. The LTRG has offices in Estes Park and Loveland. LTRG news and updates may be found at their website, http://www.larimerLTRG.org or on their Facebook page