Birmingham City Council

Birmingham to Spend $4 Million on Home Rehab Program

Birmingham residents will have a short window this month to apply for the Critical Home Rehabilitation Program, which will distribute more than $4 million to homes in need of repair around the city.

That’s the most the city has ever dedicated on housing rehabilitation, Mayor Randall Woodfin told councilors on Tuesday. He noted that, in the previous three years combined, the city spent $2 million to rehab 224 homes, at a cost of roughly $15,000 per home. This year, the city will spend $4 million to repair at least 250 homes, with an allocation of $30,000 per home.

Funding for the program mostly comes from federal Community Development Block Grant funding. Some councilors have also contributed portions of their district’s American Rescue Plan Act allocations. Meghan Venable-Thomas, the city’s director of community development, assured councilors that their ARPA money would be spent on homes inside their districts.

Woodfin said that the program had received “overwhelming interest” from residents and noted that the city “can’t take care of everybody.”

Applicants will be selected on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, Venable-Thomas added, noting that residents who had applied for previous iterations of the program will have to reapply to be considered. “To be fair, we really have to do the process all over again,” she said.

Applications for the program are now available for pickup at library branches throughout the city, though submissions are only being accepted from Feb. 17 to Feb. 20. During that time, applications can be delivered in person to the Department of Community Development on the 10th floor of City Hall, or online at birminghamal.gov/community-development.

An application fair will be held at the Fountain Heights Recreation Center Feb. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for residents who need assistance in completing their forms. Residents who have further questions are asked to call 205-254-2309.