Currently, SERCAP’s Regional Program is working with the very small Town of Phenix in Charlotte County, VA, in order to assist them in improving their outdated and deteriorating water system. The Town of Phenix has a population of 226 residents, 60% of whom are low-income individuals, and 32.3% of whom are Senior Citizens. Previously, SERCAP’s Facilities Development Grant program funded a Professional Engineering Report (PER) for the system, which suggested that the total project cost to upgrade the system would be nearly $1.8 Million. However, securing funding for a System Improvement Project at that level for such a small customer-base is a very challenging proposition for the Town.

Recently, SERCAP’s Certified CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Loan Fund assisted a Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) elderly couple in Prince Edward County, VA, with having a new individual household well drilled. The clients’ old well dried-up, leaving them completely without access to water at their home. However, due to the clients’ LMI status, they were unable to afford the whole cost of having a new well drilled on their own.

Currently, SERCAP’s Housing Department has partnered with SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program to assist a low-income family of two (2) in Frederick County, VA. The clients, a single mother and her young child, approached SERCAP, after finding the agency online, about assisting them to repair their Individual Household Septic System. Fortunately, due to their low-income status, the clients qualified for rehabilitation assistance through the Indoor Plumbing & Rehabilitation (IPR) Program. SERCAP’s Housing Department had Program Income Funds through the IPR Program available in Frederick County where the clients live, and since the request was for assistance with a Septic System, SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program was also able to provide a portion of the funding for the project.

As previously reported, each year Community Water Systems across the Commonwealth of Virginia are required to complete and distribute a Water Quality Report, or Consumer Confidence Report (CCR), which provides utility customers with information about their drinking water. The federally mandated reports contain information, including: 1) the source of the utility’s water, and the type of treatment it receives, if any, 2) the results of all required chemical analysis, including lead and copper results, and an explanation of them, including their probable sources and potential health effects, if any, 3) violations, if any, of state or federal waterworks regulations, and what has been done to address them, 4) a cross-connection control survey, 5) information on water conservation and source water protection, and 6) contact information for the system owner/operator.

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. (SERCAP) is currently preparing to carry out the Indoor Plumbing & Rehabilitation (IPR) Program through the use of Virginia Indoor Plumbing Rehabilitation/Loan Program (IPR) funds. The use of IPR funds will be $300,000.00 for 2019 & 2020. Eight housing rehabilitation projects will be completed within 2 years. The IPR Program is funded and overseen by the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD). During the implementation of this program, the following job types may become available:

Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project, Inc. (SERCAP) is currently preparing to carry out the Indoor Plumbing & Rehabilitation (IPR) Program through the use of Virginia Indoor Plumbing Rehabilitation/Loan Program (IPR) funds. The use of IPR funds will be $300,000.00 for 2019 & 2020. Eight housing rehabilitation projects will be completed within 2 years. The IPR Program is funded and overseen by the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development (DHCD). During the implementation of this program, the following job types may become available:

Recently, SERCAP’s Certified CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Loan Fund assisted a Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) single woman in Bland County, VA, with having a new individual household well drilled. The client was experiencing difficulties with her old well, as it was producing very little water. At its worst, the old well was only producing one (1) pint of water per minute, and would stop pumping water completely every few minutes. However, due to the client’s LMI status, she was unable to afford the whole cost of having a new well drilled on her own.

Currently, SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program assisted a low-income, family of four (4) in Buchanan County, VA, with the installation of new Septic System. The family recently began experiencing difficulty with their old septic system and learned that an entirely new system needed to be installed. However, the family is very low-income, and the cost of replacing the Septic System on their own would have caused significant financial hardship. The family was referred to SERCAP by the local Health Department, and fortunately, SERCAP was able to step-in and provide some financial assistance. SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program approved a Grant of $1,500.00 to assist the family with the installation of their new septic system. Leveraging the Grant from SERCAP as a down-payment, the family was then able to establish a payment plan with the Contractor for the remaining balance due.

Recently, SERCAP’s Certified CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Loan Fund partnered with the agency’s Essential & Critical Needs Grant Program to assist a low-income, senior couple in Prince Edward County, VA, to drill a new individual household well and install a new well pump. The couple recently began experiencing difficulties with their well, and they were no longer able to drink the water coming from the well. The old well was producing muddy, contaminated water, indicating that it was time to replace the old well and the well pump. However, due to the couple’s low-income status, they were unable to afford the cost of replacing the well and the pump on their own.

SERCAP’s Regional Program has been providing long-term assistance to Tangier Island, a part of Accomack County, VA, for several years now. Tangier is a small island of approximately 740 acres, located in the Chesapeake Bay, and is only accessible via ferry or small airplane. The Town of Tangier is comprised of the 83 acres of habitable land on the island, and boasts a population of only 722. Due to the island’s relative isolation, the challenges related to providing the technical and financial capacity needed to successfully operate a public water and wastewater utility are magnified. As stated in previous updates, SERCAP and the Virginia Section American Water Works Association’s (AWWA) Water Reach Committee have been working with Tangier Island over the past several years, to resolve some of the challenges, including: ensuring the functionality of the remote radio-read water meters, the completion of redesigned and reconfigured well vaults, repairs to the incinerator, and a punch list of other necessary tasks.

Recently, SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Program assisted a low-income, single female in Louisa County, VA, with replacing her Water Heater. She had been living in her home for about 16 years, when the Water Heater, in the crawl-space of her home, stopped functioning properly, leaving her without hot water. However, since she is low-income, she was unable to afford the cost of replacing the Water Heater herself without experiencing financial hardship.

SERCAP is hosting a Multi-day Entrepreneurial Mindset Facilitator Certification Training at it's Headquarter's in Roanoke, VA from Tuesday, June 18, 2019 - Thursday, June 20, 2019. SERCAP has partnered with the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (eli) to bring this training and the Ice House Entrepreneurship Programs to the Roanoke Valley! 

On Wednesday, May 15, 2019 from 11:00AM to 2:00PM SERCAP's Housing Department will host an Open House for a recently completed Indoor Plumbing & Rehabilitation (IPR) Project in the Faber community in Nelson County, VA. Attendees of the Open House will have the opportunity to take a tour of the newly constructed home, speak to the homeowner and the impact of the project on their Quality of Life, and learn more about SERCAP's programs, services, and long-term impact on the Community.

Recently, SERCAP’s Certified CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Loan Fund partnered with the agency’s Essential & Critical Needs Grant Program to assist a low-income family of four in Lancaster County, VA, to replace their individual household well. The family has been living in their home for over 23 years, but recently they began experiencing difficulties with their well. The water pressure and supply had decreased so much that they could not even fill-up their bathtub with water. This of course, meant that they did not have enough water each day to fill the need for their four-person household. However, due to their low-income status, the family was unable to afford the cost of replacing the well on their own.

Currently, SERCAP’s Regional Department is providing Technical Assistance services to the Newton Mobile Home Park in Mecklenburg County, VA. The 98 lot mobile home park is home to approximately 92 minority households, all of whom are low-income. The water for the Park is currently supplied by three (3) community wells, the combined output of which is between 20 and 25 gallons-per-minute (gpm). During peak water usage times, such as mornings when residents are getting ready for work and school, the wells cannot keep up with the demand, and the system’s water pressure drops to as-low-as 5 psi, well under the 20 psi minimum requirement.

Recently, SERCAP awarded a small Facilities Development Grant to the Town of Newsoms in Southampton County, VA, to assist with storm water drainage. In the past, the Town has experienced challenges with storm water drainage, and earlier this year, discovered that a 100 ft. section of a 15” fall ditch culvert pipe had collapsed. The collapsed pipe heightens the Town’s storm water drainage challenges and directly impacts 17 households located along the fall ditch.

In 2018, SERCAP’s Regional Program in North Carolina delivered on-site training to Solid Waste Recycling Center employees in Ashe County, NC. Ashe County is a small county in the northwest corner of NC, and has a population of approximately 27,000 residents. The County has its own Sub-title “D” lined Landfill, and its own manned recycling centers. The County employs 22 part-time workers to run these Solid Waste facilities, though many are of retirement age. The existing landfill facility has approximately five more years of capacity, and the County hopes to expand it on the existing property.

Recently, SERCAP’s Housing Department was able to assist an elderly gentleman in Buckingham County, VA, to replace the heater in his home. The client has lived in his home for 31 years, and recently began experiencing some difficulties with his heater. He reported that his old gas heater was difficult to light and it would not remain on, causing him to periodically lose heat. However, due to being low-income he could not afford to replace the heater on his own, without experiencing financial hardship.

Each year, SERCAP hosts the annual Water is Life! Event to recognize the year’s accomplishments in the fields of water, wastewater, housing, and community development, and to raise public awareness of water issues and major challenges facing rural America. While every year is an important occasion, 2019's Water Is Life! marks a significant milestone in SERCAP's history. This year, SERCAP is celebrating 50 Years of bringing reliable access to clean, safe drinking water; environmentally sound wastewater facilities; affordable housing that is warm, safe, and dry; and sustainable community development solutions to small, rural communities and low-to-moderate income individuals throughout the Roanoke Valley, the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the southeastern United States. 

Recently, SERCAP’s Essential & Critical Needs Grant Program partnered with the agency’s certified CDFI (Community Development Financial Institution) Loan Fund to assist a low-income family of six (two adults and four children) in Warren County, VA, to replace their individual household well. The family had been living in their home for just over seven (7) years, and recently they began experiencing difficulties with their well. For example, they began noticing that the water supply was decreasing to the point where they could not even fill-up their bathtub with water. This of course, meant that they did not have enough water each day for their family of six (6). However, due to their low-income status, the family was unable to afford the cost of replacing the well on their own.