Holes in Walls, Collapsed Kitchen Floor Repaired with Special-Needs Grant

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Jun 30, 2015, 02:28 ET

JACKSON, Miss., June 30, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- If Allen Crawford, 61, wanted hot water, he had to boil it on a hot plate. The water heater and stove in his 30-year-old home hadn't worked in years. The former chef also had to live with a caved-in kitchen floor and holes in the walls.

Former chef Allen Crawford, 61, was awarded a $5,806 Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) and BankPlus. The funds paid to fix holes in his home's walls and to repair the kitchen floor. To learn more about SNAP grants, contact BankPlus.

Then Mr. Crawford, now living on disability, heard about a program offered at BankPlus that might be able to assist with his home repairs. The program, called the Special Needs Assistance Program (SNAP), is offered by the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas (FHLB Dallas) through its member institutions, like BankPlus. SNAP provides grants to assist income-qualified, special-needs homeowners with necessary home repairs and modifications.

To ensure he got his SNAP application, Mr. Crawford drove to BankPlus at 5:00 a.m. the day they became available and waited in his car until the bank opened. He applied for the SNAP grant and received $5,806 from BankPlus and FHLB Dallas, which paid to repair the walls and kitchen floor.

"I just want to cry every time I walk into my kitchen," said Mr. Crawford. "They fixed the floors and the wall. I am so thankful for y'all. And then my brother bought me a water heater."

Mark Ouellette, first vice president and director of Affordable Housing at BankPlus, said he is thankful for the availability of SNAP grants to assist those in need.

"When it comes to helping our communities, the importance of our partnership with FHLB Dallas cannot be overstated," Mr. Ouellette said. "Over the years, we have worked together to help literally hundreds of families with needed home repairs and modifications. I am pleased that this partnership lead to Mr. Crawford receiving these critical repairs to his home."

Since SNAP's inception in 2009, nearly $9.2 million has been awarded in grants through FHLB Dallas member institutions to assist 1,846 families across FHLB Dallas' five-state District of Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas.

"SNAP continues to provide significant support to the most vulnerable residents in our District," said Greg Hettrick, vice president of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas "We are pleased to see SNAP's success and the difference it makes in people's lives."

About BankPlus
BankPlus, with total assets of more than $2.4 billion, has 60 locations in 33 Mississippi communities. BankPlus offices are located in Belzoni, Bentonia, Brandon, Byram, Canton, Clinton, D'Iberville, Durant, Flora, Flowood, Gluckstadt, Hernando, Holly Bluff, Horn Lake, Isola, Jackson, Lexington, Madison, Meridian, Newton, Olive Branch, Pearl, Picayune, Pickens, Poplarville, Quitman, Ridgeland, Shubuta, Southhaven, Stonewall, Tchula, Waynesboro and Yazoo City. For additional information on BankPlus, please visit www.BankPlus.net.

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 $36.9 billion as of March 31, 2015, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 865 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com.

Contact:
Corporate Communications
Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
www.fhlb.com
(214) 441-8445

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SOURCE Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas