This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
For 68-year-old Linda Fagen, the prospect of climbing a tall ladder to clean her rain gutters was, at her age, a big headache. Yet melting snow kept spilling out and icing up her front steps, creating a slippery hazard for visitors.
The Salt Lake City resident got a small home-repair grant under the city's Handyman Program, now being offered to eligible seniors and disabled residents across the city.
Fagen said a municipal employee hired her contractor, oversaw the work and ensured she wasn't overcharged. Her gutters, she said, were cleared within two weeks.
"Now," Fagen recounted Wednesday, "I don't have to worry."
Mayor Jackie Biskupski and other city officials appeared at the Liberty Senior Center, 251 E. 700 South, on Wednesday to promote the Handyman Program, which awards up to $500 for minor repairs and improvements that prevent long-term deterioration.
They touted the grants, aimed at those earning below median income levels, as a way to preserve the housing stock and help keep residents on fixed budgets where they already live — two key goals of the city's emerging affordable-housing strategy.
"Whether it's basic maintenance, like cleaning out gutters, or adaptive updates, like adding grab bars in bathtubs, this program keeps our neighborhoods welcoming and accessible," said Mike Akerlow, the city's director of housing and neighborhood development.
Akerlow said helping seniors and the disabled remain in their homes despite financial challenges was "critical to building a city where everyone can live."
Biskupski, who had lost her voice due to a cold, smiled silently and greeted seniors while city workers sought grant applications.
In a written statement, the first-term mayor said Handyman was part of wider efforts to boost housing affordability. Biskupski said her administration was in the process of completing the city's first affordable-housing plan since 2000.
"Creating areas of opportunity that are safe, secure and enrich communities," she said in the statement, "is at the heart of the plan."
Both Biskupski and the City Council say addressing the housing shortage — now estimated at about 7,500 homes for moderate- and low-income residents — is among their top priorities.
To qualify for Handyman, residents must own their home and earn less than 80 percent of area median incomes for households of comparable size.
Applicants must also be either 62 or older or meet federal guidelines for having a disability.
Limited to $500 per home yearly, the grants cover a range of repairs — from readying for winter, installing new locks and smoke detectors, fixing leaky plumbing, checking electrical fuses, unclogging drains and reglazing windows to tree and brush trimming.
City housing-rehabilitation specialist Pablo Gutierrez said repairs costing more than $500 might qualify for subsidized city loans.
Twitter: @TonySemerad —
Does your house need help?
To apply for Salt Lake City's Handyman Program, residents can:
Call 801-535-7228.
Email at housing@slcgov.com.
Send a letter to PO Box 145487, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84114-5487.
Visit City Hall at 451 S. State St., Room 445.