Maintaining a healthy and safe home is a difficult task, especially as you get older. Home improvement can help accommodate the challenges that come with the golden years. Improving a home can include anything from installing a slip-resistant floor to simply installing grab bars in bathrooms.
However, these remodeling projects can be expensive, and not everyone can afford them. You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for Home Improvement Grants for Seniors. The programs listed below can assist you with home modifications, repairs, and remodeling to make them safer and more accessible for you.
Grants for Home Repairs for Seniors – Charities
Safe at home – Rebuilding Together
The Safe at Home program provides no-cost preventive home modifications and repairs to people with mobility issues and other disabilities to improve accessibility, reduce falls, increase independence and facilitate aging-in-place. Safe at Home is designed to improve aging-in-place outcomes for low-income older adults through the modification of their home environment to meet their specific needs.
Catholic Charities
Many Catholic Charities provide home repair and remodeling programs to make homes safer and accessible for seniors. For example, Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri, Inc. seeks to rebuild homes and repair lives through its Purpose Home Repair and Plumbing social enterprise program.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat Humanity’s Home Preservation program offers home repair services to homeowners so they can continue to live in safe, decent homes for years to come. Some of our home repair work includes painting, landscaping, weatherization, and minor repair services to preserve home exteriors and revitalize neighborhoods.
Modest Needs Self-Sufficiency Grants
Modest Needs is a non-profit that assists low-income workers with unexpected expenses such as home repairs and modifications. To be eligible for a Modest Needs grant, candidates must have at least one employed household member and be classified as low-income.
Gary Sinise Foundation R.I.S.E.
Gary Sinise R.I.S.E. provides home modifications and mobility devices to injured, wounded, and aging veterans. There are no specific qualification requirements for this initiative, and assistance is provided on a case-by-case basis.
Love in the name of Christ
Love INC (In the Name of Christ) is a non-profit organization comprised of volunteers from local churches that assists those in need. Volunteers visit the homebound and provide communication, companionship, financial counseling, after-school child care, clothing, food, transportation, and visitation. Volunteers provide home services to the elderly and disabled, such as household chores, snow shoveling, yard work, moving heavy items, appliance repair, general home maintenance, home weatherization, plumbing, carpentry, electrical work, and auto repair.
Travis Roy Foundation
The Travis Roy Foundation’s Quality of Life Grant Program awarded more than $9 million, helping thousands of families purchase adaptive equipment or make homes accessible.
United Disabilities Services Foundation Accessible Home Modifications
The Accessible Home Modifications service includes consulting, design, and construction services for disabled people who cannot afford to pay for their own modifications. The program pays for items like handicap ramps, automatic door openers, ceiling track lifts, and stairlifts. Grants and Programs for Low-Income Families and Individuals.
Chive Charities Grant
Chive Charities provides one-time grants for therapy equipment and sessions not covered by insurance, home modifications, car adaptations, mobility items, developmental and learning aids, and other medical needs as determined by a physician.
Community Development Block Grant Colonias Set-Aside
Open to residents of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas, the Colonias Set-Aside provides funding to low-income families to ensure their homes are safe to live in.
Pathway Inc. – Senior Emergency Home Repair (Ohio)
Pathway’s mission is to alleviate poverty by offering comprehensive services that lead to self-sufficiency. Their Senior Emergency Home Repair corrects violations in senior homes that pose a hazard, health, or safety risk.
Elders help
Elder Helpers is an easy-to-use web-based service. We believe that the best kind of compassion is free. Volunteers sign up to offer their services because they genuinely want to help the elderly. The Elder Helpers program aims to connect these dedicated, passionate volunteers with elders in their communities in a safe and convenient manner.
Accessible Space
This non-profit organization develops affordable housing, supportive living, and rehabilitation services for people with traumatic brain injuries and seniors.
Faith In Action (NY)
Faith in Action Steuben County is a coalition of congregations, civic groups, and individuals working together to serve older adults in need of little assistance to continue living independently. They provide services such as transportation, friendly visits, shopping, home repairs, and housekeeping.
BRIDGES (NY)
CHORE helps people to maintain the independence of living at home by providing free minor household repairs and home improvements that make living at home safe.
FODAC (GA)
FODAC home modifications program contracts with government funding sources to allow home access and transition out of nursing homes through the Money Follows the Person program at the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Christmas in Action
Christmas in Action is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit agency that, in partnership with the community, repairs or modifies homes of low-income elderly and/or disabled homeowners by putting Christian values and principles into Action. Contact them to see if they can help you with grab bar installation.
disABILITY Link Home Modifications
Provide information and referral, home modification services, and work with Community Partners to complete home modifications that assist consumers in maintaining or increasing their independence in their homes.
AGC Charities, Inc.
Operation Opening Doors is a national program of AGC Charities, Inc., designed to provide home improvement services to those suffering from disabilities incurred through service to our country or unforeseen disasters. From installing a wheelchair ramp and widening doorways to retrofitting an entire home for handicap accessibility, Operation Opening Doors plays an important role in helping the disabled and their families regain the quality of life they had before.
ElderHelp of Northern Idaho (Idaho)
ElderHelp of Northern Idaho provides various services such as Installing various types of handrails and grab bars, Minor roof leaks, Minor plumbing leaks, Repair floors that present a safety hazard, Putting locks on doors, or windows, Maintaining and installing smoke detectors, Weatherization, Building handicap ramps, Snow shoveling, Yard maintenance, and minor home repairs.
Western Maine Community Action (Maine)
Western Maine Community Action’s Community Aging in Place is a program designed to assist Maine’s low-income elder homeowners age 60+ remain in their own homes as long as they choose to, and are able to do so. This includes Home Modifications and improvements to keep homes safer and accessible.
Homage (WA)
Homage provides minor home repair to low and moderate-income older and disabled homeowners by providing health and safety related repairs that they cannot perform due to lack of funds and/or inability to physically perform the repairs themselves. The services they provide include plumbing/sewer repair, minor carpentry, limited roof repair, door/window repair, select weatherization, ramp repair, handrails/grab bars, door locks, and smoke alarms/carbon monoxide detectors.
Grants for Home Repairs for Seniors – Government Programs
Medicaid Waivers
Most states offer Medicaid programs that cover home modifications to enable elderly and/or disabled individuals to remain living at home.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
HUD awards discretionary funding through over 20 Grant programs that support HUD initiatives, including Affordable Housing Development and Preservation, Community and Economic Development, Environment and Energy, Fair Housing, Homelessness, Homeownership, Rental Assistance, and Supportive Housing and Services. The Notice of Funding Opportunities is published each year on HUD’s website. Opportunities like Older Home Modification Grant Program and Veterans Housing Rehabilitation and Modification Pilot Program can be used to remodel bathrooms and homes.
Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants
Section 504 Home Repair program, provides loans to very-low-income homeowners to repair, improve or modernize their homes or grants to elderly very-low-income homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.
Older Americans Act
Modification and repair funds provided by the Older Americans Act are distributed by Area Agencies on Aging (AAA). Find your local AAA here.
Local/City Government Programs
Many local governments have plans that help seniors with home modification or make homes more accessible so they can age in their homes.
As an example, Housing programs administered by the City of Gaithersburg include inclusionary housing (MPDUs and WFHUs), closing cost and down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, and deferred loans for homeowners and qualified tenants who wish to make their homes accessible and visitable for anyone with a disability.
The city of Topeka’s Planning & Development department has an Accessibility Program that provides modifications to homes such as external ramps, bathroom modifications, and more.
City of Baltimore’s Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors coordinates housing and related services for Baltimore City’s older adults while also improving their health and safety, preserving the integrity of their properties, and extending the time that they can remain in their homes.
Contact your local government to see if they have any program that assists with home modification and remodeling.
Bureau of Indian Affairs Housing Improvement Program
The Housing Improvement Program is open to members of federally recognized American Indian tribes or natives of Alaska. It provides up to $60,000 for repairs and renovations to help homeowners ensure their homes meet building codes, as well as up to $7,500 for interim improvements to repair conditions that affect the health and safety of occupants.
Georgia Department of Community Affairs
The Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ Home Access Program is designed to promote independence and allow persons with disabilities to reside in their homes with the appropriate home modifications and avoid unnecessary entry into nursing homes.
Grants for Home Repairs for Seniors – Veterans
Purple Heart Home USA
PHH’s Veterans Aging in Place project is designed for Service Connected Disabled Veterans who already own a home but need help with renovations or repairs to make it safe and accessible, such as installing a grab bar in the bathroom.
Veteran Affairs – Housing grants
VA offers housing grants for Veterans and service members with certain service-connected disabilities so they can buy or change homes to meet their needs and live more independently. Changing a home might involve installing ramps, installing grab bars, or widening doorways. Find out if you’re eligible for a disability housing grant—and how to apply.
SEARS
Helps low-income military families and veterans with home modification, remodeling, and necessary repairs.
Operation Homefront
Operation Homefront provides critical financial assistance to eligible veterans and service members for repairs and family expenses. Financial assistance is provided based on eligibility for a variety of expenses such as home repairs, auto repairs, moving and relocation, utilities, transportation, and medical and food assistance.
Veteran Affairs – Home Improvements and Structural Alterations Grant
The VA Home Improvements and Structural Alterations Grant (HISA) provides financial support to disabled veterans with service-connected medical issues (and in some cases, non-service-connected issues) who require modifications to their households, whether purchased and owned by the veteran or rented by/for the veteran. This grant does not have a list of eligible medical conditions or injuries, unlike some other VA grants intended to help pay for improvements to make homes more accessible for disabled veterans.
American Red Cross Financial Assistance for Military Families
The American Red Cross, in collaboration with military aid societies, provides emergency financial assistance to military families, including members of the National Guard or Reserves, military retirees, and their spouses. Funding can be used for emergency home repairs, as well as food, shelter, and travel.
Army Recovery Care Program
Active and retired military personnel who have been wounded in combat are eligible for the ARCP. It provides funding and other resources to help its beneficiaries cover the costs of rehabilitation and reintegration into their own communities. Home modifications and renovations to accommodate associated disabilities are examples of this.
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Hi Maurice ,I sure hope you can help me ,I’m 74,I live in an older mobile home in Missouri,My husband passed May 30th /21 I’m on a very low income, and everything seems to be going wrong I need repairs I can’t afford My home is 16×80 in country, Osceola Missouri, I’ve tried every source, I can think of with no sucess Both bathrooms are unusable one has a hole in tub the other ,raw sewage is backing up in the stool bathtub and shower ,when we use the kitchen sink,I just don’t know what to do is there any help for me here in Osceola,Missouri .
How can an Elderly person fine government help in Tallahassee, Florida for needed home repairs.