FMHA awarded Emergency security grant

ELATED

The board members are elated. Hopefully our costs for cameras won’t be that much. With what’s left, I want to put in additional lighting. It’s hard to get good photos with dark lighting around the housing units.”

Mike Dear, FMHA Director

FORT MADISON – The Fort Madison Housing Authority has secured a $250,000 grant from a federal agency to bring added security to housing locations in Fort Madison.
According to FMHA Director Mike Dear, the group was notified on Tuesday that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded them the funding to improve safety and security at the authority’s properties around Fort Madison.
In addition to Hillview Village, the Ivanhoe properties near Hillview on the city’s west side, and Ivanhoe properties on 34th Street, and those on 24th Street and Avenue M, will also see security upgrades.
“We applied in February and we were on the clock right away. This thing had a March deadline. They were supposed to make announcements in September, but I got an email today letting us know that we had qualified for the grant funding,” Dear said.
“You think about the sheer number of housing authorities across the country and we were able to secure this much-needed funding. I’m very, very happy with it.”
He said the authority has been working closely with the Fort Madison Police Department to enhance security around authority properties, and calls to the police department have been on a steady decline.
The announcement came from the Public and Indian Housing Office of Capital Improvement. The grant will provide draw down funds for specific line items FMHA included in their application, including additional security cameras and enhanced lighting. Dear said $150,000 of the funds must be spent at Hillview Village, with the other $100,000 to be spent at other Ivanhoe properties.
“This is a huge quality of life improvement for the people who live out here,” Dear said. “The board members are elated. Hopefully our costs for cameras won’t be that much. With what’s left, I want to put in additional lighting. It’s hard to get good photos with dark lighting around the housing units.”
The board approved a $5,000 investment in the grant through a Washington D.C. grant writing firm.
“That’s a pretty good return on the investment,” Dear said.
“This is for all things security. We all know the west end of town has had its fair share of black eyes and not having cameras in our housing area has been a problem. Now we have something in the sky that will help us.”
Dear said he still must learn the parameters of the grant and what exactly can be purchased with the funding and from what companies. Federal regulations prohibit any purchases from companies tied to China. They also require the authority to spend 90% of the awarded funding within 12 months of having access to the funds. The remainder has to be spent within the following 24 months.