Lancaster-Fairfield CAA receives history grant for Rutherford House

On March 1, 2017, Kellie Ailes, executive director of Lancaster-Fairfield Community Action Agency, along with Donna Fox-Moore, housing director, joined six other organizations at the Ohio Statehouse on Statehood Day to accept Ohio History Fund Grant awards. LFCAA was awarded $15,000 to repair and rehabilitate the original windows of the former Fairfield County Children’s Home, now known as Rutherford House.

The structure was built between 1883 and 1886 and served as the Children’s Home until the 1980s. In 2015, after extensive rehabilitation, the Rutherford House was opened as permanent supportive housing for low-income residents with special needs. To qualify for one of the 16-units located on the agency’s 25-acre campus in Lancaster, at least one member of the household must have a qualifying disability and have an income less than 35% of poverty level. To date, Rutherford House has served 22 tenants.

The Ohio History Fund is made possible by “tax check-off” donations. Since 2013, 249 grant proposals requesting just under $4 million have been received. Fifty-two projects have been awarded grants totaling $522,000. The grant awarded to LFCAA will pay for approximately one-third of the costs to restore the windows, which will better control heating and cooling costs for residents. The agency has been encouraged to apply to Fairfield County Foundation to secure the remaining funds necessary for the project.

Read more from the Lancaster-Eagle Gazette: Rutherford House receives history grant, March 17, 2017