Grant Money for Flood Victims - KXNet - Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Grant Money for Flood Victims

There's a million dollars in state grants waiting to go out to flood victims in Ward County - but you have to apply to qualify for the money.

The "Rebuild and Retain Grant" offers cash to pay for costs involved in rebuilding or repairing flood-damaged or destroyed homes.

It was funded by the state legislature with 3-and-half million dollars.

And Connie Phillipenko, director of Long Term Recovery, says she wants to get the money paid out as soon as possible

(Connie Phillipenko, Long Term Recovery Director) "I still have a million dollars and I want to get rid of it. And the state wants us to give it away. We want to help the people in Minot but we can't help them unless we know they're out there."

Phillipenko says many flood victims qualify - even if they don't realize it, because the income guidelines are different from other programs.

For example, a single person household can have up to 40-thousand dollars income and qualify.

And for a family of four, the income can be a little over 80-thousand dollars to qualify for a grant.

Plus, unlike other programs, the work can already have been done and you can still get a check.

(Connie Phillipenko, Long Term Recovery Director) "The process is, if they're eligible, they come to an intake specialist, we review the application and within two weeks they could literally have a four thousand dollar check in their pocket before Christmas. Now they're going to need receipts for that - we're going to need to see that they've spent that money."

So, how do you find out if you qualify?

Just go to the Souris Valley United Way website at SVUnitedWay.com and look for the Souris Valley Long Term Recovery banner on the lower right hand side of the page. You can also stop in at the United Way office in the lower level of the Wells Fargo building downtown Minot.