Retired Woman Receives Critical Home Repairs, Thanks to $7K Grant

Earline Williams, 76, said she was gifted the best Christmas present when she received a phone call on the first of the year from Mississippi-based BankPlus, telling her she had been approved to receive funds from the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP).

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Earline Williams, 76, was awarded $7,000 by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and BankPlus through the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP). (Photo: Business Wire)

Mrs. Williams, who is retired and lives alone, struggles with various ongoing health problems. Arthritis and back pain have made it difficult for her to care for her aging home and address the critical repairs needed.

“My bathrooms were in really bad shape,” Mrs. Williams said. “I was afraid I was going to go through the floor in one of the bathrooms, and I could smell the sewer through the holes in the bathroom floor.”

BankPlus and FHLB Dallas awarded Mrs. Williams a $7,000 SNAP grant, which funded repairs in her two bathrooms, including replacing walls and flooring, ceiling repairs and new fixtures.

SNAP grants are awarded through members like BankPlus to provide grant funds for rehabilitation and modification of owner-occupied housing of eligible, special-needs individuals. Since SNAP’s inception in 2009, more than $15.1 million has been awarded in grants through FHLB Dallas member institutions to assist more than 3,000 families across FHLB Dallas’ five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas.

“Brandi with BankPlus was the one filling me in and was patient with me through it all,” said Mrs. Williams. “She wanted to make sure I had all the paperwork and everything I needed to qualify.”

“Brandi” is Brandi Tillman, CreditPlus and Affordable Housing Program manager from BankPlus, who facilitated the grant process for Mrs. Williams. Ms. Tillman distinctly remembers Mrs. Williams’ enthusiasm about her home repairs.

“Working with Mrs. Williams through this grant process has shown the positive effect SNAP is having on senior homeowners in Jackson,” Ms. Tillman said. “Even the most minor repair can drastically enhance quality of life, and I’m so glad we can play a role in the impact these repairs have had on Mrs. Williams.”

Mrs. Williams said the grant has made her excited about her home again.

“You want something you can be proud of,” said Mrs. Williams of the repairs. “When they were finished working on those bathrooms, I was inviting people in off the streets to see them. I’m so proud of them.”

Bruce Hatton, FHLB Dallas vice president and Affordable Housing Program manager, said community investment programs like SNAP is critical for helping improve the quality of life of individuals who cannot do more for themselves.

“Giving back and helping our members invest in their communities is core to our mission and values, and we’re lucky to have members like BankPlus that are such staunch advocates of grant programs like SNAP,” Mr. Hatton said.

In 2018, FHLB Dallas awarded $2 million in SNAP grants that assisted 355 families. In 2019, FHLB Dallas set aside $2.25 million of its 2019 Affordable Housing Program funds for SNAP, which was exhausted in January.

“There are a lot of people with living conditions like mine who could benefit a whole lot from the SNAP grant program,” Mrs. Williams said. “It helped me a lot, and if other people can be in on it, I know it will help them too.”

To learn more about SNAP, visit fhlb.com/snap.

About BankPlus

BankPlus, with total assets of more than $2.9 billion, has 57 locations in 32 Mississippi communities. BankPlus is among the largest certified Community Development Financial Institution banks in the United States. For additional information on BankPlus, please visit www.BankPlus.net.

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 $69.0 billion as of March 31, 2019, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced advances and other credit products to approximately 820 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. Visit fhlb.com for more information.

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