Contractors are needed for a Springfield program that helps low to moderate income homeowners who otherwise couldn’t afford repairs to their houses.
The Homeowner Emergency Loan Program or HELP is administered by the City of Springfield, Drew Lewis Foundation, Habitat Humanity of Springfield, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri and the Ozarks Area Community Action Corporation. Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Development Block Grant Program.
The City’s director of planning and development Steve Childers said they’re putting together a list of contractors that clients can choose from.
"And they can call them, and they can get bids and quotes," he said. "And we will sit down, and we will help them, you know, go through those because a lot of people don't know how to read a...quote, and (we) want to make sure that you're getting what you need and what you want."
He said they put about $200,000 a year into HELP as they receive their annual funds from HUD. Often, they have extra funds that can roll over into the next year, but Childers said all the money for this year is already allocated, and there’s a waiting list.
Only certain projects are eligible, and total project costs must be $25,000 or less.
"You know, I have a hole in my roof, my window has cracks all around it, my furnace has gone out, I can't replace my water heater," he said. "You know, all those kinds of things — energy efficiency projects. They could even be...dangerous steps, you know, broken porches."
The idea behind the program is to prevent small home problems from becoming bigger ones and to improve the city’s housing stock.
Contractors must have a city business license and insurance; completed a general contractor application/conflict of interest/background disclosure form; have SAM.GOV registration; and lead paint certification - EPA RRP Lead Renovator.
Once a contractor is vetted and approved by the City of Springfield, their email address will be shared with partnering agencies who email the bid notices and scopes of work for each project.
Interested contractors should contact Lisa Gately with Springfield P&Z at 417-864-1305 or lgateley@springfieldmo.gov.
