Jackson, Mich. (WKHM) — During the Jackson County Board of Commissioners study session on Tuesday morning (September 9), the Board approved a resolution for the county to apply for $472,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to go toward eligible, income qualified homeowners with necessary home rehabilitation improvements.
The county is collaborating with Accelerate Jackson County (AJC) on the initiative, and AJC will be responsible for selecting the homes that will receive the funding for repairs. Debbie Kelly, AJC Vice President, spoke to the Board about what was needed from them to get the application submitted, and what will be needed from them moving forward.
The third-party administrator for the program, which is expected to be the Community Action Agency (CAA), would be responsible for conducting Tier 1 and Tier 2 environmental reviews during the two-year grant term.
CAA CEO Toby Berry explained how the Tier 1 review is a general overview of the county that would result in the releasing of funds, and the Tier 2 reviews would be focused on individual sites.
Commissioner Tony Bair expressed concern with the language surrounding CAA on the application, saying that it sometimes seems to indicate that CAA’s involvement is nearly certain, while other times it seems up in the air. CEO Berry said that CAA will be involved in identifying potential households in need of assistance regardless of whether or not they end up as the third-party administrator.
The resolution to apply for the grant money passed unanimously 7-0, with Commissioners Philip Duckham and Earl Poleski absent from the study session. According to the application, $400,000 of the funds will go toward grants to homeowners, while the remaining $72,000 is planned to be spent on administrative costs as it relates to the grant.
The Board also received a presentation and held a public hearing regarding the 2026-2027 budget. A recording of the September 9 study session is available on the Jackson County YouTube channel, and can also be viewed by clicking here.