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SNAP Grant Allows for Multiple Repairs to Home of Fordyce Resident
[July 21, 2017]

SNAP Grant Allows for Multiple Repairs to Home of Fordyce Resident


A little bit of rain can be a good thing, but not if it's getting inside the house.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170721005461/en/

Fordyce, Arkansas, resident Georgia Bass received almost $4,000 in Special Needs Assistance Program ...

Fordyce, Arkansas, resident Georgia Bass received almost $4,000 in Special Needs Assistance Program grant funds from FBT Bank and Mortgage and FHLB Dallas, which provided critical repairs to her home. (Photo: Business Wire)

For Georgia Bass, 77, rain leaking into her home around a bedroom window was causing mold and mildew issues, but the repairs were too costly for the retired secretary. Unfortunately, the damaged flooring was just one of several issues in the home that had fallen into disrepair.

A $3,940 Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) grant from FBT Bank and Mortgage and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) helped Ms. Bass alleviate several issues in her home. The grant funded new flooring in a bedroom, den and bathroom, bathroom renovations that included a new toilet, new doors on the front and back of the house and several new windows.

Ms. Bass said the home, built in the 1950s, has been in need of significant repairs. It has been difficult for her to keep it maintained on her fixed income since her husband died in 2003.

"Other people who received help from a SNAP grant told me bout the program and I decided to apply," she said. "The repairs have helped me tremendously because this is an old house, and I'm just thankful for what has been done to it."



SNAP provides grant funds for the repair and rehabilitation of owner-occupied housing of income-qualified, special-needs individuals. The grants are awarded by FHLB Dallas through participating member institutions, such as FBT Bank and Mortgage.

Scott Smith, vice president at FBT Bank and Mortgage, said SNAP bridges a gap for senior citizens and others who may not have enough disposable income to make necessary repairs.


"SNAP funding provided critical repairs that will allow Ms. Bass to continue living safely and independently in her own home for many years to come, and we are thankful the program was able to help her," he said.

Since SNAP's inception in 2009, more than $11.6 million has been awarded in grants through FHLB Dallas member institutions to assist more than 2,300 families across FHLB Dallas' five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. In 2016, FHLB Dallas awarded nearly $1 million in SNAP grants that assisted 205 families. The $1.5 million in 2017 SNAP funding, made available in January on a first-come, first-served basis, has been exhausted.

"We are grateful for the awareness that is building in the Fordyce area about SNAP as it targets an underserved population and the need is great," said Greg Hettrick, first vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas. "FBT Bank and Mortgage has been a long-term partner with us on SNAP, making a strong and sustained commitment to the well-being of the citizens it serves."

To learn more about SNAP, visit fhlb.com/snap.

About FBT Bank and Mortgage

FBT Bank and Mortgage is a full service bank established in 1931. Now operating in five locations, FBT Bank and Mortgage is focused on the communities it serves, offering state-of-the-art products and services while delivering personalized attention to customers. To learn more, go to fbtbank.com.

About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $57.5 billion as of March 31, 2017, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community investment by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 850 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com.


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