Century Seeks $1 Million To Provide Housing Rehabilitation

April 30, 2026

The Town of Century is applying for a $1 million grant to provide housing rehabilitation for low-to-moderate income residents.

If awarded, funding through the State of Florida’s FFY 2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Housing Rehabilitation Program will pay for the demolition or replacement of homes owned by low to moderate income residents within the town limits.

If the town receives the grant, $820,000 will go directly into housing rehabilitation, $30,000 will be allocated for temporary relocation of residents, and $150,000 will pay for grant administration.

A vote by the Century Town Council during a special meeting on Tuesday authorized the mayor to execute the grant application. Only two citizens attended the public hearing on the grant application.

The council will revisit the application at their next regular meeting Tuesday, ahead of the deadline, to determine how many houses can be rehabilitated with the grant, if awarded.

Grant applications are competitive among governments in the state and scored on a point system. If the town spends $62,000 or less per home, the application will receive 100 points in scoring; if they go over $79,000, they will lose 100 points. Tuesday night’s discussion was in the proximity of 16 to 17 homes but could change with upcoming discussion.

The biggest challenge the town faces in keeping the per-home cost low, according to consultant Robins Phillips, is that homes must be brought up to code in order for any work to be done under the grant terms.

“We have to fix every code issue on that house,” Phillips said. “There’s no way you can go in and just do a roof on a house.”

“You have to bring the entire house up to code,” she added.

The next council meeting will be at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday, May 5 at Century Town Hall. After Century submits the grant application, it will take some 60-90 days to find out if they will receive the grant. Citizens will not be able to apply until after that time the grants is awarded and an official announcement is made.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under FRONT TOP