Home repair assistance can help low-to moderate-income homeowners to stay in their homes and address safety and health issues. This type of assistance may include home repairs to improve accessibility, repair heating systems and hot water heaters, provide weatherization services, or make necessary structural changes.
New York State offers several programs that provide home repair assistance to eligible homeowners. These programs include grants and loans. Grants are typically one-time awards that do not need to be repaid. Loans are typically interest-bearing and must be repaid over time. The amount of money that a homeowner can receive depends on his or her income and family size. Some programs also provide counseling and other support services.
The demand for home repair assistance has been high since the pandemic strained residents’ budgets and inflated costs made needed fixes even more costly. In fact, many counties have more applicants than they have funds to cover. Program administrators have had to limit the number of projects they can take on or put out for bid. The limited resources have also led to a shortage of contractors who can carry out the work, despite a strong need for their services.
Many home repair assistance programs have a waiting list that can take months to years to get through, depending on the availability of funding and the size of the list. This can lead to frustrated and angry homeowners. For example, the owner of a house in Schuyler County, NY, says she has been on the waiting list for five years. She recently learned that her home had been placed on the priority list for repairs, but it is unlikely that she will be approved for funding anytime soon.
Some of the most common repair needs identified by program participants are plumbing problems, electrical upgrades, and roof replacements. Other repairs include furnaces, water tanks, sidewalk violations, deteriorating foundations and porches, and accessibility modifications such as deadbolt locks and grab bars. Many of these needs are due to age and the effects of weather on the home’s structure.
The lack of available contractors is causing home repair programs to face significant challenges as they try to meet the demand for assistance. In some cases, they are unable to complete the work that has been awarded and have to place homeowners on a waitlist until the contractor is available.
Other home repair programs have been forced to limit the number of houses they can repair to avoid a backlog, and to ensure that the funds they do have are used as effectively as possible. Some programs have also opted to cap their grants at around $50,000 to avoid prevailing wage requirements that can significantly increase the cost of construction. This approach has resulted in less expensive repairs than if the programs had not restricted their grant sizes.