USDA Grant Recipients

USDA makes grants available to help people in rural Oklahoma repair homes damaged by severe storm

STILLWATER — United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Oklahoma State Director Kenneth Corn announced last Thursday that the Biden-Harris Administration is making grants available to assist rural Oklahomans in the repair of their homes damaged by severe weather in 2022 in select counties that were declared disasters by President Joe Biden.

The homes must be located in presidentially declared disaster areas. People living in seven counties in Oklahoma — Adair, Cherokee, Muskogee, Okmulgee, Pottawatomie, Seminole and Tulsa — are eligible for the funding.

“Oklahomans all too well know the destructive forces Mother Nature can bring to ‘The Sooner State,’ and unfortunately the increasingly negative impacts of climate change have made each successive year harder for Oklahoma families to recover from these powerful storms,” Corn said. “However, the Biden-Harris Administration has made it known they want to use the power of our federal government for good and ensure our rural neighborhoods in Oklahoma are able to afford the repairs so our neighbors in Oklahoma can live in safe and secure homes.”

The grants are being made available through supplemental disaster funding under the Rural Disaster Home Repair Grant Program. Through this program, people may apply to receive grants of up to $40,675 directly from the USDA Oklahoma State Office to repair their homes.

Funds will be available until fully utilized. They may be used to:

• Pay for home repair expenses that were a result of a presidentially declared disasters in calendar year 2022.

• Prepare a site for a manufactured home.

• Relocate a manufactured home.

To be eligible:

• Applicants must have household incomes that do not exceed the low limits based on their household size and county.

• Homes must be located in an eligible rural area.

• Homes must be located in a Presidentially declared disaster areas 2022.

“The Oklahoma economy depends on the work rural Oklahomans do every day, but that isn’t possible without a strong foundation and pride in our rural homes,” Corn said. “I am so thankful to our president for not only his leadership but more importantly delivering on his promises when rural America raises its hand and asks for assistance.”

For more information on how to apply, call (405) 742-1061 or visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/ok.