SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – Duoduwa Opare-Addo, a homeowner in the Six Corners neighborhood, can’t understand why fellow homeowners don’t apply to the city’s Healthy Homes Program.

The grant she received last year has given her home, built in 1908, a new lease on life with top-to-bottom improvements that took three months to complete, including a better way to heat the house.

“The first floor furnace was a dinosaur. I don’t know if it came with the house,” Opare-Addo told 22News. “And it was oil-burning, which turned off a lot of tenants because they didn’t want to be buying oil.”

She said the federal grant paid for a new gas heater along with a variety of improvements ranging from electrical repairs to fixing water damage.

Tina Quagliato-Sullivan, the Springfield Housing Department’s Director of Disaster Recovery, told 22News that the Healthy Homes money covers many improvements.

“Mold, mildew, leaking roofs, exterior issues that can be a code enforcement hazard, lead paint,” Quagliato-Sullivan said. “It is a complete home repair program.”

The Housing Department has the money to get this work done; all it needs are homeowners living in either the Six Corners and Memorial Square Neighborhoods to apply as soon as possible.

To find out how you can apply, you can visit the City of Springfield website or call (413) 787-6500.