‘Community betterment’ program having trouble getting started in Vermillion

Vermillion residents who are either physically or financially unable to paint their homes may be eligible to get their houses painted free of charge.

“Paint — South Dakota” started 18 years ago as a program of the South Dakota Housing Development Authority. Since then, more than 6,800 volunteers have painted more than 450 homes across the state, according to the SDHDA website.

There are 25 communities around the state that are eligible for the program. Paint and primer are both provided by SDHDA, the entity’s Executive Director Mark Lauseng said.

“It helps spruce up a community or a neighborhood,” he said. “(And) it brings people together.”

John Prescott, city manager of Vermillion, said Vermillion hasn’t been able to implement the program yet.

“We’ve gotten half the equation,” he said. “We haven’t been able to put it all together.”

Vermillion has had volunteers in past years, but there haven’t been any willing candidates to get their house painted, Prescott said.

“Hopefully we’ll try to find the right combination,” he said.

Lauseng said there are many small towns that participate in the program. He guessed that Vermillion’s inability to see the program come to fruition is because there are very few student groups around in the summer, when the painting takes place.

People are volunteering less all the time, he added, but hopes that can turn around.

Prescott said he likes to see programs like this in place for “community betterment.”

“It’s nice to bring that together,” he said.

Applications for both volunteers and participants in the program must be submitted by April 1.