DALLAS, Aug. 13, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) is pleased to award a $2,407 Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) grant to Etta Auslam of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The grant was made available through Metropolitan National Bank in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Metropolitan National Bank worked with Sources for Community Independent Living Services, Inc. (Sources), a nonprofit organization in Fayetteville, to secure Ms. Auslam's SNAP grant. Sources provides services, support, and advocacy for individuals with disabilities, and promotes their independence by facilitating and supporting their integration into the community. Sherry Priestaf, Associate Director of Sources, said Sources has received several FHLB Dallas Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grants in the past, and when the SNAP program was announced in January, she immediately knew of several qualified applicants, including Ms. Auslam.
"Ms. Auslam is living in an older house that had a shower-bathtub combination that was not working for her because of a severe case of arthritis," said Ms. Priestaf. "When I explained that I knew of a program that could help her fix it, her main concern was keeping the cost down. Thankfully, with the SNAP grant, we were able to do that. It was great to work with someone as appreciative and as energetic as she was, and it was definitely well worth it."
Ms. Auslam, 83, is one of 10 recipients that has received a SNAP grant through Metropolitan National Bank this year. Ms. Auslam lives alone, and grant funds were used to provide her with a walk-in shower, complete with a new floor, walls, and grab bars.
"This shower is much better for my condition," said Ms. Auslam. "I want to stay in my home as long as possible, and that is going to be much easier now. The people I worked with from FHLB Dallas, Metropolitan National Bank, and Sources were all very good to me. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
Virgil Miller, Senior Vice President and Director of Community Development at Metropolitan National Bank, has worked on all 10 of Metropolitan National Bank's SNAP grants.
"Ms. Auslam was so appreciative that we were able to help her with this grant," said Mr. Miller. "Without the funds, it was a question of how long she would have been able to live independently. That's the beauty of the program. With a little bit of help, people can live in their own homes as opposed to living in a nursing home or an assisted living facility. She wanted desperately to remain in her home, and with these funds, she was able to do that."
In 2009, FHLB Dallas set aside $1 million of its annual AHP funds for SNAP, a new special needs rehabilitation program that provides grant funds to assist income-qualified, special needs homeowners with home repairs. Each SNAP recipient is eligible to receive up to $5,000. If a member financial institution contributes at least $350 toward costs associated with the rehabilitation, the homeowner is eligible to receive up to $7,000.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 12 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $72.1 billion as of June 30, 2009, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to more than 900 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit the FHLB Dallas web site at fhlb.com.
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