Westmoreland County will shift funding to improve access to low-income homes over the next 20 months.

Commissioners on Thursday voted 2-1 to reallocate $200,000 to cover additional costs associated with accessibility projects as part of the county’s Whole Home Repair program initiated in 2023.

The Westmoreland County Redevelopment Authority is operating the program through a $1.6 million state grant paid for from federal American Rescue Plan funds, with most of the original allocation earmarked for exterior home repairs such as new roofs, downspouts, gutters and windows.

Just $102,000 of the funds were set aside for accessibility upgrades, which include installation of exterior ramps and chairlifts for disabled low-income homeowners. That money has been exhausted.

Redevelopment Authority Executive Director Brian Lawrence said demand for accessibility projects has outgrown the initial plans.

“These are great resources to keep people living in their homes and allows them to be mobile. The reason we asked for this shift in resources is these (accessibility) projects are smaller in scope and we can get these projects done faster,” Lawrence said.

Since its inception, the county program has completed 22 accessibility projects, while another 10 are in progress. Accessibility projects average about $5,000. The exterior upgrades, which average about $24,000 for each project, have been slower to complete, with nine finished and 19 in the planning stages, Lawrence said.

The additional funds earmarked for chairlifts and ramps will enable the county to complete another 40 projects by the end of 2026, when all of the American Rescue Plan funds must be spent.

Commissioner Doug Chew voted against the reallocation of funds. He declined to give an explanation for his vote, saying only that he had concerns about transparency and would only speak directly with the redevelopment authority.

Commissioners Sean Kertes and Ted Kopas backed shifting of the funds.

“I don’t see an issue here,” Kopas said. Kertes said he had no objection to the reallocation of funds.

The Whole Home Repair program has been in operation for the past two years. Homeowners who earn 80% of the county’s medium average family income qualify for the free repairs and upgrades. A two-person household with an annual income of about $64,800 can qualify for the program, Lawrence said.

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