Program
City or county home-repair program
Your city or county uses federal housing money to fix up homes of lower-income owners.
What it can pay for
- ramps
- wider doors
- roof
- plumbing
- electrical
- windows and doors
- water heater
- heating and air
- Official name
- City/County CDBG and HOME Owner-Occupied Home Repair Programs
- Where
- Nationwide
- Status
- Program running
- About the amount
- No universal national cap; structure varies by locality: outright grants, deferred-payment loans forgiven if you stay (Escambia County FL's sewer-connection loan forgives after 2 years), or low-interest loans. HOME separately caps the after-repair home value at 95% of the area median purchase price (24 CFR 92.254(c)).
- Housing rules
- Must be owner-occupied and the principal residence (HOME). Household income counts everyone living in the home, so a caregiver child moving in can push the household over the limit.
- How long it takes
- Waitlist, then application/income verification, inspection (with lead testing for pre-1978 homes), scope, bids, loan or grant documents (lien recorded), construction, final inspection — the waitlist can be the longest step.
- How to apply
- Call your city's and your county's 'housing,' 'community development,' or 'neighborhood services' department, or ask 211 or your AAA for 'the owner-occupied rehab program.'
- Official source
- law.cornell.edu
- Last checked
- September 28, 2026