Government Home Repair Grants and Loans, State by State (2026)

Grant, forgivable loan, or loan — know which one you're looking at

Most of what gets called a "home repair grant" is actually one of three things: a true grant (no repayment, ever), a deferred forgivable loan (no payments, and the debt is wiped out if you stay in the home for a set number of years — but you owe it back if you sell or move too soon), or a straight low-interest loan (you make payments, just at a better rate than a bank would offer). None of these charge an application fee, and none of them come from someone who calls or texts you first — if you're contacted out of the blue about "free government money for repairs," it's a scam. Real programs are things you apply to, not things that find you.

Every program below is administered by a government agency or a national nonprofit, verified against its official page as of September 2026. Program funding, income limits, and even whether a program is currently accepting applications change often — some of the "flagship" programs in this list are fully funded, and a few are flat-out closed right now. We say so either way instead of leaving a dead link.

Federal programs (available regardless of state)

• USDA Section 504 Home Repair Loans & Grants. For low-income rural homeowners: loans up to $40,000 at 1% interest, plus grants up to $10,000 (lifetime cap) for homeowners 62 and older to remove health and safety hazards — loans and grants can combine for up to $50,000. You have to be in a USDA-eligible rural area (check the map) and unable to get affordable credit elsewhere. Applications go through your local USDA Rural Development office; details at rd.usda.gov.
• HUD Title I Property Improvement Loan. Not a government loan — HUD insures a private lender's loan to you, up to $25,000 for a single-family home, so approved lenders can offer better terms than an unsecured personal loan. No income limit is published. Apply at a HUD-approved Title I lender, not at HUD directly; program details at hud.gov.
• FHA 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage. Rolls the cost of repairs into a single mortgage when you buy or refinance a home at least a year old — up to $75,000 in repairs on the Limited 203(k); no fixed cap on the Standard 203(k) beyond your area's normal FHA loan limit. Useful if you have little home equity. See hud.gov.
• DOE Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Free crews — not cash — insulate, air-seal, and repair or replace a failing furnace or HVAC system for households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Apply through your state's weatherization office, usually a local Community Action Agency; find yours via energy.gov.
• LIHEAP. Mainly help with heating and cooling bills, but it can also pay for weatherization and emergency furnace repair or replacement — and in a heating-system emergency, furnace repair doesn't even count against the program's usual spending cap. Eligibility is roughly 150% of the poverty line, but varies by state. Apply through your state's LIHEAP office; see acf.gov/ocs/programs/liheap. Note: HHS eliminated LIHEAP's federal staff in April 2025, so expect the application to move slower than in past years even though the program itself is still funded and running.
• VA disability housing grants (SAH, SHA, HISA). Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities can get the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant — up to $126,526 in FY2026 — or the smaller Special Housing Adaptation (SHA) grant, up to $25,350, to modify a home for wheelchair access, a roll-in shower, or similar. Separately, the VHA's HISA benefit pays up to $6,800 (lifetime) for medically necessary alterations like ramps and grab bars, with a doctor's prescription. Start at va.gov for SAH/SHA or prosthetics.va.gov for HISA.
• Habitat for Humanity — Aging in Place. Local Habitat affiliates do free or reduced-cost critical repairs and accessibility modifications for older homeowners — roofing, weatherproofing, ramps, grab bars. Income limits and availability are set by your local affiliate, not nationally; find yours at habitat.org/our-work/aging-in-place.
• Rebuilding Together. A national nonprofit network that does free critical repairs and safety modifications, typically for veterans, older adults, people with disabilities, and families with children, usually around 80% of area median income. Apply through your local affiliate — find one at rebuildingtogether.org.
• NCOA's BenefitsCheckUp. Not a program itself — a free screening tool that matches your ZIP code, age, and income against nearly 2,000 assistance programs, including home repair and weatherization aid you might not know exists. Worth 5 minutes before you assume nothing's available: benefitscheckup.org.
• Your city or county's CDBG-funded program. HUD sends Community Development Block Grant money to cities and counties every year, and many run their own homeowner repair or rehab program with it — but HUD itself doesn't take applications for this; only your local government does. See our city and county home repair grants guide for the markets we've verified, or contact your city's housing or community-development department directly.

Federal programs at a glance

Pro tip from our network contractors

Get a written contractor estimate before you apply to any grant or loan program — most require one as part of the application, and having it ready cuts weeks off approval. And apply to the free/grant options (USDA 504, VA grants, your state program) before you take on a loan, even a cheap one.

State programs: what varies, and why some links below say "none"

Every state has a housing finance agency, but they don't all run the same kind of program. Some (New York's RESTORE, North Carolina's Urgent Repair Program, Maine's Home Repair Program) are genuine state-funded programs with one set of statewide rules. Others (Florida's SHIP, Arizona's OOHR, Michigan's MI Neighborhood) are state-authorized frameworks where the money and the actual rules are set locally — so what you get depends entirely on your county or city, even though a state agency oversees it. And a few states (Wyoming, West Virginia, New Hampshire, Hawaii) simply don't have a general-purpose repair program at all beyond narrow exceptions like weatherization or septic repair — we say so plainly instead of stretching an unrelated program to fit.

A handful of programs listed below are also currently closed or unfunded even though they're the best-known option in their state — Pennsylvania's Whole-Home Repairs Program went a third straight year with no state budget funding, California's CalHome NOFA is closed pending a new funding round, and Louisiana's Blue Tarp roofing fund is paused. We flag every one of these so you don't waste time on a dead application.

Northeast

• Connecticut: No dedicated statewide repair grant program. Repair funding runs through local Small Cities CDBG programs the Department of Housing passes to individual towns, plus energy-only weatherization through DSS.
• Maine: The MaineHousing Home Repair Program is a real statewide grant, funded by Maine's real-estate transfer tax, for owner-occupants at or below 80% of area median income — no repayment required.
• Massachusetts: MassHousing's Home Improvement Loan Program is a fixed-rate loan (not a need-based grant) up to $50,000, open to any owner-occupant under a $139,000 income cap.
• New Hampshire: No broad statewide grant. New Hampshire Housing offers only a repair loan limited to its own existing mortgage borrowers, and a small matching grant limited to Housing Choice Voucher homeownership participants.
• Rhode Island: New for 2026 — the Statewide Home Repair Program, a 5-year forgivable loan up to $50,000–$75,000 for households at or below 80% AMI, funded by the state's housing bond and run by Providence Revolving Fund.
• Vermont: No single statewide application. Repair money flows through regional nonprofits funded by the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board — start at ACCD's homeowner resource page to find the one covering your county.
• New Jersey: No statewide direct-to-homeowner program. The Department of Community Affairs passes CDBG money to individual municipalities and counties, which run their own local rehab programs.
• New York: NYS Homes and Community Renewal runs RESTORE (emergency repair grants for homeowners 60+) and Access to Home (accessibility-modification grants for low- and moderate-income New Yorkers with disabilities).
• Pennsylvania: The Whole-Home Repairs Program received no funding in the FY2025–26 state budget — the third year running — and has no active statewide successor as of this writing. County programs continue independently; see Philadelphia and Allegheny County in our city and county guide. Background at dced.pa.gov.

Midwest

• Illinois: IHDA's Home Repair and Accessibility Program (HRAP) is a 0%-interest forgivable loan — up to $45,000 for full rehab/accessibility work or $21,500 for roof-only — for households at or below 80% AMI, running through Spring 2027.
• Indiana: OCRA's Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Grant provides up to $25,000, no repayment required, for households under 80% AMI, delivered through participating cities and counties.
• Michigan: MSHDA's MI Neighborhood program funds local governments and nonprofits to run repair programs — there's no single statewide application, and terms (some up to $40,000 per home) vary by which local agency received funding.
• Ohio: The state's Community Housing Impact and Preservation Program (CHIP) funds county-run repair programs through the Ohio Department of Development, but has no single working statewide landing page — search "[your county] CHIP home repair" or contact your county's community development office directly.
• Wisconsin: WHEDA's Home Improvement Loan Program (HILP) is a fixed-rate loan up to $50,000 through participating banks and credit unions statewide.
• Iowa: The Housing Rehabilitation Fund's Roofing Replacement Program funds roof replacement only, up to $30,000 per home, for households at or below 80% AMI — administered through participating communities.
• Kansas: No single dedicated program. Kansas Housing Resources Corporation is a pass-through funder; look for the Weatherization Assistance Program and the smaller Kansas Accessibility Modification Program through your local Community Action agency.
• Minnesota: The Rehabilitation Loan / Emergency & Accessibility Loan Program is a genuine statewide program — a 0%-interest, forgivable, deferred loan up to $37,500 over 15 years, applied for through a participating local lender.
• Missouri: MHDC's Home Repair Opportunity (HeRO) Program funds non-cosmetic repairs through local sub-recipient agencies — you apply through one of those agencies, not MHDC directly.
• Nebraska: The Nebraska Affordable Housing Trust Fund's homeowner rehabilitation category funds repairs for households up to 120% AMI through regional housing representatives.
• North Dakota: NDHFA's Helping HAND program grants roofing and general rehab funds to local organizations, plus a separate $7,000 accessibility-modification grant for households at or below 50% of county median income.
• South Dakota: SDHDA runs both a 0%-interest forgivable rehab loan for households at or below 80% AMI and a separate 2.9%-interest CHIP loan with higher income caps, through participating Community Action agencies and banks.

South

• Alabama: No dedicated statewide repair program beyond weatherization. ADECA's Weatherization Assistance Program covers energy and related health/safety upgrades for households at or below 200% of the poverty line.
• Arkansas: No dedicated statewide repair program. ADFA's HOME funds are developer-facing; homeowner repair help exists only through USDA Section 504 or individual city programs like Little Rock's.
• Delaware: DSHA's Statewide Emergency Repair Program (SERP) covers plumbing, electrical, heating, and roof emergencies for households at or below 80% AMI, delivered through Milford Housing Development Corporation.
• Florida: The State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) sends entitlement funding to all 67 counties and major cities — every county runs its own version with its own income limits and caps, so apply through your county's SHIP office.
• Georgia: No general statewide repair grant. GEFA's Weatherization Assistance Program is the one standing statewide option, covering energy and related health/safety work for households at or below 200% of the poverty line.
• Kentucky: KHC's Affordable Housing Trust Fund Home Repair Program grants up to $25,000 for households at or below 60% AMI, applied for through an approved local partner agency.
• Louisiana: The Blue Tarp Fund covers roof repair only, up to $15,000, but is currently closed to new applications and has historically run in only a rotating handful of parishes rather than statewide.
• Maryland: DHCD's Housing Rehabilitation Program is a loan up to $50,000 at 0–6% interest (deferred for households at or below 50% of median income), secured by a deed of trust.
• Mississippi: Mississippi Home Corporation's Homeowner Rehabilitation Program is a grant for owner-occupants of 15+ years at or below 80% of county AMI — but availability depends on whether your municipality currently holds an active award.
• North Carolina: NCHFA's Urgent Repair Program provides a deferred, forgivable loan up to $15,000 for emergency repairs and accessibility work, prioritizing elderly and special-needs homeowners at or below 50% AMI.
• Oklahoma: No dedicated statewide direct-to-homeowner program. OHFA funds rental and homebuyer activity, not existing-homeowner repairs — check Oklahoma City's local program in our city and county guide.
• South Carolina: The SC Housing Trust Fund's Housing Preservation Initiative is a grant under $15,000 (a forgivable loan above that), delivered only through SC Housing-approved local sponsor organizations.
• Tennessee: THDA's Emergency Repair Program is a grant with a $24,999 lifetime cap for homeowners 60+ or disabled, applied for through one of Tennessee's nine regional development districts.
• Texas: TDHCA's Homeowner Reconstruction Assistance Program funds full home reconstruction (not incremental repair) for households at or below 80% AMI, and only in rural areas outside HUD entitlement cities — see Houston, Harris County, Austin, Travis County, and Dallas in our city and county guide instead.
• Virginia: DHCD's Essential Home and Accessibility Repair Program (EHARP) grants up to $4,000 for households at or below 80% AMI — but it's unavailable in Virginia's 23 entitlement cities and 6 entitlement counties (including Richmond, Virginia Beach, and Arlington), which get direct federal CDBG funding instead.
• West Virginia: No general repair program. WVHDF offers only a narrow loan for failing septic systems.
• Washington, D.C.: DHCD's Single Family Residential Rehabilitation Program grants up to 50% of a home's tax-assessed value for roofing, structural, and accessibility work — the District pays contractors directly, at no cost to the homeowner.

West

• Alaska: AHFC runs a statewide Weatherization Assistance Program plus a Senior Access Program — accessibility grants for homeowners 55+, $15,000 in Anchorage/Fairbanks/Kenai and $30,000 elsewhere in the state.
• Arizona: ADOH's HOME Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation program awards funding annually to cities, counties, and nonprofits, who run local application processes for households at or below 80% AMI.
• California: HCD's CalHome Program funds deferred-payment rehab loans through local agencies for households at or below 80% AMI, but its funding round is currently closed while it's folded into a broader statewide NOFA.
• Colorado: CDOLA's Single Family Owner-Occupied Rehabilitation Program is a loan capped at $24,999, run through regional local administrators for households at or below 80–100% AMI.
• Hawaii: No general statewide repair program. HCAP's Weatherization Assistance Program covers energy measures only through county Community Action Agencies, and explicitly excludes general repairs like roof leaks.
• Idaho: No broad income-gated statewide grant. IHFA's Home Renovation Loan Program is a roughly 7%-interest loan mostly limited to existing IHFA mortgage customers; the state's weatherization program covers energy measures only.
• Montana: No dedicated repair program. Montana Housing's Homeowner Assistance Fund covers only mortgage, tax, and utility arrears — not repairs — and is winding down through mid-2026.
• Nevada: The Affordable Housing Trust Fund's homeowner rehabilitation set-aside is a grant for households at or below 60% AMI, delivered through participating local jurisdictions.
• New Mexico: Housing New Mexico's HOME Rehabilitation Program is a 0%-interest, deferred, forgivable loan for households at or below 80% AMI, applied for through seven regional partner organizations.
• Oregon: OHCS's Restore Health and Safety program funds accessibility and emergency repairs through local nonprofits — the state's own page currently describes it as veterans-only, so confirm current eligibility with OHCS (800-453-5511) before applying.
• Utah: The Olene Walker Housing Loan Fund's Rural Single Family Housing Rehabilitation grant is a forgivable grant for households at or below 80% of county AMI, limited to rural Utah communities.
• Washington: The Home Rehabilitation Grant Program is a genuine grant, but rural-only — it explicitly excludes King, Pierce, Snohomish, Clark, and several other urbanized counties.
• Wyoming: No home repair or rehabilitation program exists. WCDA offers only first-time-buyer mortgages and down-payment assistance.

Don't see help where you live? Check the city and county level next

A dead end at the state level doesn't mean there's nothing — a lot of real repair money moves through cities and counties directly, funded by HUD's Community Development Block Grant program. We've verified the current status of programs in New York City, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Houston, Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and over a dozen other metro areas in our companion city and county home repair grants guide — including which ones are open right now and which have quietly run out of funding.