In 2023, Butler County commissioners received a nearly $1 million Healthy Aging grant from the Ohio Department of Aging. More than $40 million in Healthy Aging grant funding was awarded across Ohio’s 88 counties.
Counties were required to spend at least 20% of grant funds on housing assistance initiatives aimed at improving safety, accessibility, stability and independence for older homeowners and renters.
Based on recommendations provided by Butler County Commissioners and the Elderly Services Program Advisory Council, Council on Aging created an assistance program for at risk older homeowners focused on the following:
- Assistance paying utility bills (gas or electric)
- Assistance making home repairs or modifications that promote safe, independent living (homeowners only)
- Emergency housing assistance in the form of rent payment assistance to avoid eviction (renters only)
The Butler County Senior Utility, Home Repair and Emergency Housing Assistance Program served 86 individuals, including county residents Joan and Teri.
Joan:
When you’re a four-time cancer survivor, three little steps shouldn’t seem like a big deal. But for Joan, those three steps were a major obstacle to her independence. With no handrails on the three steps leading into her home, she couldn’t come and go without hands-on assistance.
Through the Butler County Senior Utility, Home Repair and Emergency Housing Assistance Program, Council on Aging arranged for an approved contractor to install a set of handrails on the steps leading to her front door. Now Joan no longer needs assistance getting in and out of her home to get to medical appointments.
Teri:
A botched plumbing repair left Teri feeling like she was stuck in a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from. Her front sidewalk was destroyed – creating a safety hazard – and there was water in her basement. She applied for assistance through the Butler County Senior Utility, Home Repair and Emergency Housing Assistance Program. Council on Aging arranged for a qualified contractor to repair the leak and all related damage.
“I honestly don’t know what I would have done if they hadn’t fixed it,” Teri said. “I probably would have had to move out! I don’t know where I would have moved, my relatives are all out of state.”