Free Home Repair Assistance for Seniors
Many states offer free assistance to seniors who need their home secured or repaired, and there are countless free home repair programs for seniors to choose from. These include but aren't limited to USDA Housing Repair Loans, Habitat for Humanity, and renting assistance and state grants for senior homeowners. For most seniors, the Department of Aging may be one of the most significant free home repair assistance sources. If you have more legal questions about home repair assistance for elders, use the legal tool below.
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Mary Martin
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Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...
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UPDATED: Jun 29, 2022
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UPDATED: Jun 29, 2022
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right legal decisions.
We strive to help you make confident insurance and legal decisions. Finding trusted and reliable insurance quotes and legal advice should be easy. This doesn’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own.
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There are countless programs that offer free home repair assistance for seniors, particularly if they are low-income homeowners. Unfortunately, a lot of them may tend to be overlooked.
Many states offer free assistance to seniors who need their homes secured or repaired.
There are also many nationwide programs that offer help to seniors in need.
Between nonprofits and federal grants, seniors in America are relatively well taken care of.
So, are there any programs to help seniors with home repairs? Just enter your ZIP code in the box if you need further legal assistance.
Whether you need minor home repair, emergency home repairs, or have improvements to your home that would help aid your daily life, read on to find some valuable resources. Let’s take a look at what free services are available for seniors.
What sort of federal grants and funding is available for senior homeowners?
Can I get a government grant to fix my house?
There are countless federal grants that help seniors make the best of their homes, including their home climate. Despite the current climate change debate, there are many programs in place for seniors to give them a secure home climate.
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What is the Weatherization Assistance Program?
The United States’ Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) is in place to help those who are less fortunate have their home revamped to be extremely energy efficient. The program is one of the largest whole-house energy efficiency programs in America.
Can you get USDA housing repair loans and grants?
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) also has a great assistance program in place called the “Very Low-Income Housing Repair Program”. If you’re a senior that gets little-to-no income and desperately needs home repairs, this program is something to look into – it offers free home repair for low-income individuals. The maximum grant is $7,500. But it helps get some hazards out of your home and aids in keeping your home safe. The program also provides low-interest loans of up to $20,000.
Are you eligible for a Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)?
Although this program is not specific only to seniors, it assists low-income individuals, including seniors.
LIHEAP is a federal program that assists eligible households with heating and cooling energy costs. The program assists by directly paying utility bills, as well as weatherization/energy-related home repairs and renovations. (but first, check what is considered low income for elderly people).
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What state grants can senior homeowners get?
What grants are available for senior citizens?
There are lots of great state grants as well. Some state grants are similar to federal grants, and others are unique to each state. Here are a few of the programs that seniors can turn to for free assistance at the state level.
California Earthquake Authority Brace + Bolt
This grant is California-specific and only applies to those who have a pre-1980 house. These homes generally aren’t sturdy enough to withstand an earthquake.
With this grant, however, they can receive $3,000 in funds to aid in earthquake-proofing homes.
They also offer cheaper earthquake insurance to those who need it. Though this program is for older homes and not just exclusively seniors, it can still offer lots of help for those who need it.
Department of Aging
Many states have Departments of Aging. A lot of these programs are good at reaching out and offering services, but it never hurts to check.
Depending on your specific state program, your local Department of Aging can have a range of grant programs.
From grants that offer free roof repair for seniors to grants to replace your home with energy-efficient windows. For most seniors, the Department of Aging may be one of the biggest sources of free home repair assistance.
State HEAP
Like the federal LIHEAP program, many states including New York and Ohio have state-level Home Energy Assistance Programs. These programs are for all low-income individuals including seniors and can help pay energy costs for heating and cooling.
How can Medicare help senior homeowners?
Medicare may not directly fund senior home repair. But most of the time, they’ll gladly help anyone who needs their home better “fitted” for them by a doctor’s prescription.
This can include things like:
- Hanging bars to aid getting out of bed
- Seat lifts
Medicare is rather strict regarding its policies. They don’t provide “items of convenience” such as stairlifts, etc. However, they can be a good source for those who only need minor assistance and for those who don’t need home repairs, but rather, slight home modifications.
Can nonprofits help senior homeowners?
It gets better–there are many nonprofit organizations nationwide that can help you make your home safe if you are older and have very little income.
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Can you get assistance from Habitat for Humanity?
Depending on your home situation, Habitat for Humanity is prepared to offer a range of assistance to seniors who need it. This can be anything from changing light bulbs to total remodels for those who require improvements for a better space for living. Think about those that need a wheelchair-accessible space, for example.
Of course, this nonprofit has its limits. They offer programs for many of those in need. If you are a senior citizen who can’t afford home repairs, or if you need help with general home maintenance, you will most likely qualify for help from Habitat for Humanity.
What rental assistance for senior renters is available?
Even though home repair assistance is the main topic of this article, home renting is an extremely common thing in the United States. Believe it or not, there are also plenty of rental help programs. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has a program called Section 202. Section 202 is for supportive housing for the elderly.
This financial help doesn’t necessarily pay for all of your rent. But the HUD grant will aid you, or a senior you know, with finding low-income housing.
The HUD funds the building of complexes that contain low-income housing for seniors.
These complexes provide assistance with general upkeep as well. If you, or someone you know, aren’t able to afford the upkeep of a house. And are considered “very low income”, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is there to help you pay your rent. As well as keep you safe and healthy.
Seniors Deserve The Help They Can Get
Most of these programs are for seniors with a low annual income rather than those who are extremely well off. Now that you may be nearing retirement, it doesn’t matter whether you worked hourly, or earned a salary your whole life. Maybe you worked your whole life, and continue to do so. No matter what your situation is, you may be eligible for some of these free home assistance solutions as a senior–and you deserve it!
These aren’t the only resources for seniors available. There are also plenty of other programs for seniors to assist with all sorts of aspects of daily life. If transportation costs like ridesharing or medical care get too expensive or troublesome, there are programs out there to help!
Author Bio:
Whitney VanNostrand is a home-improvement writer at Dickson Plumbing, a plumbing company in northeastern North Carolina.
Find the right lawyer for your legal issue.
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Mary Martin
Published Legal Expert
Mary Martin has been a legal writer and editor for over 20 years, responsible for ensuring that content is straightforward, correct, and helpful for the consumer. In addition, she worked on writing monthly newsletter columns for media, lawyers, and consumers. Ms. Martin also has experience with internal staff and HR operations. Mary was employed for almost 30 years by the nationwide legal publi...
Published Legal Expert
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about legal topics and insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything legal and insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by experts.