USDA Expands Household Eligibility for Home Repair Program…Increases Homeowners’ Access to Affordable Financing for Essential Home Improvements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently raised the income limits for households seeking financial assistance for needed home repairs.  USDA Rural Development offers affordable financing to very-low-income homeowners who hope to improve the health, safety or efficiency of their homes through repairs or renovations through its Single Family Home Repair program.

USDA Rural Development 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.  Loans can be repaid over 20 years at a fixed one percent interest rate. Examples of home improvements supported through this program include renovating bathrooms to make them handicapped accessible and installing a new well to ensure that family members have access to safe drinking water.

Rural Development expanded program eligibility by banding together the income limits for families of one to four members, and of five to eight members.  With this change, the Agency aims to increase the number of households served by its Home Repair program and Single Family Direct Home Loan program.  Income limits vary by program and county.  The new limits come as part of a pilot program in effect until October 2017. 

Income limits for the Home Repair Program by county are as follows:

Households interested in applying for support should contact Rural Development at: (802) 828-6000.

USDA, through its RD mission area, administers and manages housing, business and community infrastructure programs through a national network of state and local offices. For more information on Rural Development visit the Vermont Rural Development website (www.rd.usda.gov/vt ) or contact USDA RD at (802) 828-6000.