14 Low-Income Mississippi Families to Get Home Repairs from Grant
BancorpSouth Bank and FHLB Dallas Award $98K Affordable Housing Grant to
Habitat for Humanity Bay-Waveland Area
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Habitat for Humanity Bay-Waveland Area (HFHBW) has been awarded a
$98,000 Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from BancorpSouth Bank
and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas). The funds will
pay for critical repairs to 14 homes of low-income elderly and
special-needs residents of Hancock and Pearl River counties in
Mississippi.
The Habitat affiliate is currently accepting applications for the
project, which is expected to be completed by June 2017.
“BancorpSouth Bank has been a tremendous partner in this process,” HFHBW
Program Manager Angela Eastin said. “Without the AHP funds, we would not
be able to empower and help homeowner families eliminate barriers to
better, healthier, more financially stable lives.”
2014 Census data showed a poverty rate of 22.6 percent in Mississippi,
which was the highest among the 48 contiguous states. It was outranked
only by Puerto Rico with a poverty rate of 45.2 percent.
Evelyn Edwards, vice president and CRA specialist at BancorpSouth Bank,
said the repairs will help homeowners in Hancock and Pearl River
counties who have few options for repairs.
“BancorpSouth Bank appreciates this opportunity to support
homeowners-in-need,” she said. “These are rural counties, where many
residents, especially special-needs and elderly, lack the resources to
handle routine maintenance before issues arise. This AHP grant from FHLB
Dallas will benefit some of these families.”
FHLB Dallas annually returns 10 percent of its profits in the form of
AHP grants to the communities served by its member institutions, like
BancorpSouth Bank. AHP grants fund a variety of projects, including home
rehabilitation and modifications for low-income, elderly, and
special-needs residents; down payment and closing cost assistance for
qualified first-time homebuyers; and the construction of low-income,
multifamily rental communities and single-family homes.
“The affordable housing options for special-needs and elderly citizens
tend to decrease over time, so preserving their own homes becomes
particularly important,” said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and
director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. “BancorpSouth Bank’s
support of affordable housing initiatives brings critical resources to
projects of preservation, rehabilitation, and new construction.”
In 2016, FHLB Dallas awarded $7.8 million in AHP grants to 27 projects
across its five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New
Mexico, and Texas. The grants will help create 1,499 new or
rehabilitated housing units. Since the inception of the AHP in 1990,
FHLB Dallas has awarded more than $245 million in AHP grants to assist
more than 45,500 families.
About BancorpSouth Bank
BancorpSouth, Inc. is a financial holding company headquartered in
Tupelo, Mississippi, with $14.6 billion in assets. BancorpSouth Bank, a
wholly-owned subsidiary of BancorpSouth, Inc., operates 236 full service
branch locations as well additional mortgage, insurance, and loan
production offices in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Louisiana,
Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas, including an insurance
location in Illinois. BancorpSouth is committed to a culture of respect,
diversity, and inclusion in both its workplace and communities. To learn
more, visit our Community Commitment page at www.bancorpsouth.com.
“Like” us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter@MyBXS; or connect with us
through LinkedIn.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the
FHLBank system created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total
assets of $58.4 billion as of September 30, 2016, is a member-owned
cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing
competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately
850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana,
Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for
more information.
Contacts
Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
Corporate Communications,
214-441-8445
www.fhlb.com
