The city housing authority director is pleased to receive a $200,000 state grant for owner-occupied housing rehabilitation, but said a contractor shortage is preventing her from applying for additional grants.

Veronica Walker, acting executive director at the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Butler, said she schedules work for low-income homeowners who are accepted for the program depending on the grant funding she has available.

Walker said she does not apply for all the grant funding available because she cannot get enough contractors to perform the work.

The owner-occupied housing rehabilitation program involves contractors making vital repairs that keep a home safe, such as radon remediation, removal of lead-based paint, replacement of moldy or deteriorating parts of a structure, replacement of leaky windows and doors, replacement of aging and damaged roofs and other work.

“If I had contractors, I could be going after more money and keeping contractors busy, but I just don’t have the people,” Walker said.

She said there are more than 100 homes on the list of applicants.

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