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Reno County Housing

Interfaith Extends Volunteer Support with ARPA

Secure Funding Allows RCHIP Projects to Expand



The Interfaith Reno County Housing Impact Plan (RCHIP), carried out by Interfaith Housing & Community Services (Interfaith), seeks to repair and revitalize homes in Reno County. Thanks to a recent influx of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, Interfaith has been able to invest more funds per project and utilize more volunteer help than ever before.


“We’ve gotten over 180 applications for this program throughout the county, and without this funding, we would not be doing this. We had a program that was designed to help folks who were in need and falling through the cracks, but it was about $2,500 max per home, and this is ten times that,” said Jeff Thomson, Chief Housing Officer and General Contractor, Interfaith Housing & Community Services.


In addition to completing home repairs, the RCHIP program also purchases abandoned houses, and renovates them into modern, safe, ready-to-purchase homes.


“We don’t just purchase homes and do work to it and sell it for a higher price. It’s something that was off the tax rolls for whatever reason—boarded up, it had a fire, something like that. We bring it back to life. Hopefully we can put a first-time homeowner in it. Or maybe someone that needs a little extra grace. We come in and bring systems up to code. We’re able to do so much more to help people. We’ve found our place, and we stand in it and we’re proud of where we are.”


Interfaith’s commitment to serving the community has attracted others who want to lend a hand as volunteers.


“We have volunteers who will cheerfully work for us, because they know we point them in the right direction. CASP, the Conservative Anabaptist Service Program, is a program that’s been going on since I've been with Interfaith. The Mennonite community does this in lieu of Selective Services. They show up and do a month’s worth of service work. Instead of searching for funding for projects for these guys, we had the funding available through ARPA. When we take the volunteer piece with the funding, we can go further than we could have without the funding.”


Through RCHIP and Interfaith’s dedicated volunteer support, Reno County homes are not only repaired and revitalized but also transformed into safe havens for prospective homeowners. The infusion of ARPA funding has not only amplified the impact of Interfaith's mission but also underscored the power of community collaboration in effecting positive change.

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