LEWISTON - A new home-safety grant program designed to make pre-1976 mobile and manufactured homes safer and more livable will be launched at a news conference May 15 (Monday) at 10:30 a.m. at the Community Action Agency, 124 New Sixth Street in Lewiston.

This community service is provided by the Idaho Community Reinvestment Corporation (ICRC) in partnership with the Idaho Housing and Finance Association (IHFA). The grant program will cover life safety issues related to these older homes ranging from installation of smoke detectors and emergency exit windows in each bedroom, to inspection of wiring and plumbing. As the first agency to participate in the program, the Community Action Agency will serve 10 north Idaho counties.

The following speakers will discuss how Lewiston area home owners can apply for grant money to upgrade their older homes:

• Clarence Jones, president, ICRC
• JoAnne Wertz, executive director, ICRC
• Gerald M. Hunter, president and executive director, Idaho Housing and Finance Association
• Sherri McMillen, executive director, Community Action Agency, Inc.

The Idaho Community Reinvestment Corporation is a nonprofit mortgage-banking consortium formed in 1993 by 10 Idaho financial institutions. Created as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the ICRC has 14 member banks and a $35 million revolving loan pool to provide permanent financing for the development and acquisition of affordable rental housing throughout Idaho.

The ICRC, in partnership with IHFA, pursues a common goal of providing rental housing to low- to moderate-income Idaho families. The ICRC provides the capital and IHFA acts as its underwriting agent. The benefits from this IHFA/ICRC partnership include the maximum use of scarce housing resources and better service to developers by providing a one-stop-shop for affordable housing sponsors.