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Loading...There are over 93 programs of home repair grants, home improvement grants and many local resources in Alabama’s cities available to lower income homeowner families and individuals. This article provides you with all the main home repair programs offered throughout the state in 2023.
Who provide grants for home repairs in the State of Alabama?
There are 3 main sources of financial assistance for home improvement in Alabama:
- 1- Federal Programs : HUD (Housing and Urban Development) is the Federal housing agency providing programs and funds to the State, Counties and cities.
- 2- State of Alabama : Alabama Finance Housing Authority (AFHA) is a state agency offering funds to Counties, cities and local organisations throughout Alabama.
- 3- Community organisations: Local and state wide non profit organisations are there to help with small and bigger home repairs.
- 4- Counties and cities programs : The main organizations offering funds and programs to help Alabama residents with home repair, rehabilitation and improvement are at your county and city level.
You can review Federal and Alabama State home repair grants but ultimately your county and city housing departments are the ones you need to contact and where you can apply for funding.
Who is eligible for government home improvement grant?
In Alabama all homeowners are eligible to home improvement and repairs grants and assistance (find them all in this article). In reality, because the needs are so big, some groups like seniors, veterans, disable and low-income households are given priority. Even in those case, you need to apply as soon as possible because funds are limited.
So it’s often first arrived first served basis: apply early, don’t wait.
Each programs have their own eligibility, so you need to verify with programs in your area to see info you meet the income eligibility level.
Can I get a $10,000 grant for home improvement?
Can you get a $10,000 grant for home improvement? Quick answer is yes. Find on this page all the information you need for home improvement programs by the State of Alabama, by cities and by counties. Learn: how much they provide, if you’re eligible and where to apply.
Which home improvement & repair work is covered?
In general, all repair and improvement programs are there to help with:
- – Ensure your home does not harm its residents’ health.
- – Ensure your home structure is safe and may not risk hurting its resident.
- – Help seniors and disabled residents stay in their homes longer and safer.
More precisely the following work and repair are usually covered by home improvement grants programs:
- – Roof: Grants for roof placement. Also see our Guide to repair, fix or change your roof.
- – Windows & doors: Windows replacement grants and exterior doors. We have also a Windows Replacement Guide.
- – Foundations: Foundation repair grants and programs usually covers home foundation repairs.
- – Electrical & plumbing : Grants for electrical repair and plumbing assistance repairs are covered as long as they bring your home electrical and plumbing up to the local code.
- – Heating & cooling: Some States and Counties have heating grants and cooling programs to bring your system up to actual living standards.
- – Lead paints & pipes plus asbestos: Most programs cover the removal and change of lead and asbestos materials dangerous to your health.
- – Sewers and water line: Most home improvement grant programs cover funds to have your home connected to your town water and sewer system and in other cases to your well or septic tank.
- – Home structure: In some cases, if your home structure is no longer safe, programs will help with fixing the home structural problems. Note: in some cases the cost may be too high to fix and another program can help get a new one.
- – Home remodeling: In some cases a home can be remodeled if they need major repairs as long as the cost is not prohibitive. Since the total amount vary by program you have to verify on this page for programs in your area.
- – Bathroom remodeling: Some programs let you remodel a bathroom in order to bring them to sanitary and health standard.
- – Home modifications for seniors: There are multiple programs to modify seniors’ homes to help them living longer independently at home. Common modification are ramps, handle bars, bathrooms modification and kitchen are adaptations. You can find those resources in our resource for senior home modifications.
Confused about home improvement programs terms?
It can be confusing to understand the terms. Lots of different organizations have different words for the same type of help programs: home improvement grant, home repair grants, programs, free grants, relief service, repair assistance, etc. They are all synonyms of programs designed to help low and moderate income homeowners repair and fix important element of their house.
Seniors & Elders Help for Home Repairs (1 program)
Home Modification and Repair: This program promote the safety and well-being of adults in their homes; designed to increase accessibility, reduce the risk of injury, and improve older adults’ ability to stay at home; it may also include the purchase of certain assistive devices. It’s managed locally by your local Area Agencies on Aging.
What types of home improvement help is in Alabama?
Home repair programs comes in many form but they are usually in the 5 types:
Home Repair Grants & Home Improvement Grants: Typically grants don’t need to be repaid. The organization providing the funding covers the cost of the work and you don’t pay anything back.
Volunteers and charities home repairs: Some organizations rely on volunteers to repair your home so there’s no cost to you.
Home improvement loans: These are traditional loans where you have to repay a fix amount monthly but they are usually with a lower than normal interest rate.
Home improvement loans paid at term: It’s a traditional loan paid back in full only when you leave or sell your home. This mean you have nothing to pay monthly. The organization offering these loans usually take a lien on your home to be certain to be paid in the future.
Forgivable home improvement loans: It’s a traditional loans but you do have to pay it back monthly. Instead after a few years the organization forgive your loan.
Note: In some rare case you may find yourself with a mix of the types above. In all cases the important is you get help to fix your home and keep it secured and a place for you to live in a safe and healthy home.
HUD (Urban Housing Department) (1 program)
HUD is the federal agency providing help and funding to States’ Housing agencies, Counties and Cities. HUD have many programs from home-buyer help, renter help, homeowners funding for home repairs and improvements, among many programs.
Alabama Housing Finance Authority (0 program)
The AHFA does not have a program for home preservation or repair.
Alabama’s WAP & LIHEAP (3 programs)
WAP: Weatherization Assistant Program (WAP) is funded by the Federal but managed locally. It helps improve or change windows for energy efficient ones at no cost. It also pay for attic insulation and ventilation, repair or replace broken heating, cooling and water heaters, as well as many other small work to improve your home’s energy efficiency.
Types of assistance:
- – Address air infiltration with weather stripping, caulking, thresholds, minor repairs to walls, ceilings and floors, and window and door replacement
- – Install attic and floor insulation.
- – Install attic ventilation.
- – Apply solar reflective coating to manufactured homes.
- – Install solar screens.
- – Repair or replace inefficient heating and cooling units.
- – Repair or replace water heaters.
Find the program detail and contact your local organization managing WAP.
LIHEAP: This program is mostly to help pay your heating and cooling cost but it may also help fix, repair or replace broken windows for energy efficient ones.
Find more info about the program eligibility and your regional agency managing LIHEAP .
LIHWAP: This program is mostly to help provide emergency assistance to low-income households for drinking water and wastewater services..
Find more info about the program eligibility and your regional agency managing LIHEAP .
Free Roof Replacement in Alabama (many programs)
Major storms, hurricanes and fires often damage roofs, and Alabama have many of programs for free roof grants and assistance. There’s not one specific program only for roof but most programs on this page include roof repair and replacement. The programs on this page cover roofs damages either in form of grants, interest free loans or low interest loans.
Verify if your City and County have a roof repair assistance program and if you live in a rural area the USDA can help you.
Once it’s time to find a roofer, our community selection of Alabama’s best roofers can help.
Free window replacement program Alabama (2 programs)
Window replacement can be done for homeowners with 2 different programs (some cities and counties also have a program for window only).
It’s also important to verify with your local community organization plus your county and city to see if their home repair and improvement programs include windows replacement.
WAP: Weatherization Assistant Program (WAP) can help you change windows on your home.
Find the program detail and contact your local organisation managing WAP.
LIHEAP: This program is mostly to help pay your heating and cooling cost but it may also help fix, repair or replace broken windows for energy efficient ones.
Find more info about the program eligibility and your local organisation managing LIHEAP.
State wide community organisations
Habitat for Humanity Alabama (25 programs)
With 25 local organisations throughout the State serving over 39 counties in Alabama Habitat provide help for new homeowners and in some case home repairs..
Habitat Restores Alabama
With 16 stores in Alabama, Habitat Restore offer low cost home repair materials as well as funitures and appliances.
NeighborWorks (4 programs)
Neighbor Works help seniors and low-income household with emergency and health related repairs. The organisation have 4 local chapters to help Alabamians.
Rebuilding Together (Central Alabama) (1 program)
RT help low income household of all ages fix and repair their homes in order to make it safe and healthy.
You can apply for their service here.
Rebuilding Together Of South Alabama (no program yet)
This organisation will soon start offering programs. Verify with their site if they started.
Community Action Agencies of Alabama (CAA) (18 programs)
These 18 non profits located throughout Alabama offer many services to their residents area. One is often home repair assistance programs for low and moderate income homeowners.
Find your area CAA by looking on this map. Then contact your closest agency to see the programs they have for homeowners like you.
Seniors Help for a Healthy Home (1 program)
The State offer a home modification program to help seniors to go back to their home after a time spent in a nursing home. The program name is “Alabama Community Transition”. It can help make change to their home in order to make it safe to return. You can find the program details here.
You can also see all aging programs offered by the State of Alabama.
Alabama Rural Residents (1 program)
The USDA provide home improvement loans and government grants for home repairs to low-income homeowners in rural areas
Who may apply for this program?
To qualify, you must:
- – Be the homeowner and occupy the house
- – Be unable to obtain affordable credit elsewhere
- – Have a family income below 50 percent of the area median income
- – For grants, be age 62 or older and not be able to repay a repair loan
What is an eligible area?
Applicants may check the address of their home to determine eligibility.
How may funds be used?
- – Loans may be used to repair, improve or modernize housing or remove health and safety hazards
- – Grants must be used to remove health and safety hazards
How much money can I get?
- – Maximum loan is $20,000
- – Maximum grant is $7,500
- – Loans and grants can be combined for up to $27,500 in payment assistance
What are the terms of the loan or grant?
- – Loans can be repaid over 20 years
- – Loan interest rate is fixed at 1%
- – Full title service is required for loans of $7,500 or more
- – Grants have a lifetime limit of $7,500
- – Grants must be repaid if the property is sold in less than 3 years
- – If applicants can repay part, but not all of the costs, applicants may be offered a loan and grant combination
Is there a deadline to apply?
Applications for this program are accepted through your local USDA’s RD office all year round
How long does an application take?
Approval times depend on funds availability in your area.
Alabama Counties and Cities (36 programs)
Jefferson County (2 programs)
CDBG HOUSING REHABILITATION: Home Repairs Include: Electrical, Plumbing, Roofing, Flooring, HVAC, Doors, Accessibility, Ramps, Septic Tanks.
Find the program details here.
Birmingham city (1 program)
Critical repair housing rehab: In 2023, only the first 200 applicants were accepted.
Eligible repair: roof, exterior paint, plumbing, electrical, heat/air insulation and structural.
Hoover city (0 program)
The city does not have its own home repair programs but Hoover resident can use Jefferson County housing rehabilitation programs.
Mobile County (2 programs)
Critical repairs: The program help homeowners repair or change their rood and other critical home structures. Applications are taken once a year in the Spring.
Verify this year dates to miss the deadline and latest program information.
Mobile city (1 program)
Housing Rehab Programs: Provides a grant of up to $10,000 for home repair for qualified homeowners.
Madison County (4 programs)
The county does not have a home repair program at this time. But the organisation below can help with some work.
Community Action Agency of Huntsville, Madison, Limestone Counties (1 program)
Weatherization Assistance Program: The goal is to improve the energy efficiency of the dwelling while ensuring the health and safety of the individuals.
Qualified work include: Air sealing the conditioned space of the home Installing insulation as required Sealing duct work Performing HVAC system cleaning Repairing leaky and/or faulty windows and doors Replacing incandescent light bulbs with highly efficient LED bulbs Health and safety checks on the home.
Huntsville city (2 programs)
The city of Huntsville have 2 programs for home repair but you need to contact them to find more information about them:
Deferred Home Maintenance Repair Program
World Changers/Community Changers
Madison city (1 program)
Community Action Agency of Huntsville, Madison, Limestone Counties (1 program)
Weatherization program: Offers help and funding to qualified applicants including the following work:
- – Air sealing the conditioned space of the home
- – Installing insulation as required
- – Sealing duct work
- – Performing HVAC system cleaning
- – Repairing leaky and/or faulty windows and doors
- – Replacing incandescent light bulbs with highly efficient LED bulbs
- – Health and safety checks on the home
Community Action Agency of South Alabama (1 program)
Weatherization Assistance Program: The program’s reduce energy costs for low-income families, particularly the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, by improving the energy efficiency of homes while ensuring health and safety.
Work involves insulating side walls, attic and ceiling cavities, sealing air leaks around windows and doors, water heater ceiling, smart thermostats and changing air filters.
Mobile Community Action Agency (1 program)
Weatherization services: Provides free of charge to all eligible households in the MCA coverage area to services to reduce energy bills of low-income families by providing home repairs proven to be cost-effective and result in energy efficiency.
Typical energy saving measures include:
- – Installing attic and wall insulation
- – Reducing air infiltration with caulking
- – Door weather stripping
- – Replacing broken glass panes
- – Performing basic tune-ups to heating and cooling systems
- – Replacing some appliances with more efficient units
- – And replacing incandescent lighting with compact fluorescent bulbs.
Tuscaloosa County (3 programs)
Community Service Programs of WEST ALABAMA (2 programs)
This organisation administer 2 programs for the counties of Bibb, Fayette, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Pickens, Sumter, and Tuscaloosa.
Weatherization: Program goal is to reduce energy costs for low-income families, particularly for the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, by improving the energy efficiency of their homes while ensuring their health and safety.
Typical measures include:
- – Air sealing and insulating the building shell
- – Heating and cooling system tune-ups, repairs, or replacements
- – Duct sealing and insulation
- – Installation of compact fluorescent light bulbs
Housing rehabilitation: Funds are used to improve the energy efficiency of low-income homes using the most advanced technologies and testing protocols available in the housing industry.
Tuscaloosa city (0 program)
The city does not have a home repair program. You need to verify with the local non profit.
S.D. Allen Ministries (1 program)
Rehab and Repair Ministries: Program assists community members with free home repair and safety modification services, at no cost to the recipient.
Tuscaloosa, Greene, Hale, Pickens County (3 programs)
Habitat for Humanity (3 programs)
Lead hazard: Goal of the program is to improve the health and homes of low income residents of the city of Tuscaloosa by identifying and abating lead paint hazards.
Windows, door, paint, trim & siding: Homeowners and rental property owners within the Tuscaloosa city limits may qualify for grants to fund improvements for new windows,new doors, fresh paint, aluminum trim, vinyl siding.
Roof Replacement: Humanity of Tuscaloosa has partnered with Strengthen Alabama Homes to provide wind mitigation on existing, owner-occupied, single family homes in our service area. You may be eligible for a $10,000 grant to help replace your roof for a Fortified one.
Your home needs to be located in Greene, Hale, Pickens or Tuscaloosa County.
More program details and eligibility.
Shelby County (0 program)
Hoover city (Jefferson county too)
Hoover city does not have a home repair program. You need to verify with the local non profit and if you’re located in an eligible USDA area for their home repair program.
Montgomery County (1 program)
Montgomery Community Action Agency (1 program)
This organisation can provide on a case by case basis help with urgent repairs and housing health and safety issues. Contact them to find out the funds available and if you may be eligible.
Montgomery city (0 program)
No city program.
Lee County (4 programs)
Auburn city (1 program)
Alabama Council on Human Relations
Emergency Services: The organisation offer various programs to families and homeowners to, among others, save on home energy and home safety repairs.
Macon-Russell Community Action Agency (1 program)
Their programs for energy assistance help low income homeowners save on their energy bills.
See their program details and all their other homeowners services
Chambers-Tallapoosa-Coosa Community Action Committee (2 programs)
This organisation offer 2 programs helping homeowners with home weatherization and energy assistance.
Morgan County (1 program)
Community Action Partnership of North Alabama (1 program)
Offers a weatherization program to save on energy bills.
Decatur city (0 program)
The City of Decatur doesn’t have its own home repair program for resident. Look at the State program or with the USDA.
Calhoun County (6 programs)
Community Action Agency of Talladega, Clay, Randolph, Calhoun, Cleburne Counties (3 programs)
Home Repair Assistance: Provides funds to homeowners needing home repairs to eliminate safety and health threats. Applicant must be actively receiving assistance with weatherization services or have an extreme emergent need for assistance with housing repair as relating to daily living or energy efficiency. For example, elderly with weather related illnesses, no heat or air currently in-home, high-energy burden, major appliances failing, or accessibility issues.
Program covers:
- – Steps & ramps
- – Doors
- – Floor repairs
- – Repairing HVAC
- – Installing heat/air window units
- – Water heaters, and refrigerators.
- – Clients may qualify to receive assistance with correcting electrical issues or small roofing repairs within the home as long as it is in conjunction with the work being performed through the Weatherization Program.
WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM: Reduce energy cost for low income Alabama Citizens by improving the energy efficiency of their homes.
Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP): Provides assistance to pay energy bills for heating and cooling costs.
Program details and contact information
Community Action of Etowah County (3 programs)
3 programs offering help with Utility, Water and Weatherization for homeowners and renters.
Limestone County (3 programs)
Community Action Agency of Huntsville, Madison, Limestone Counties (1 program)
Weatherization: The program reduce energy costs for individuals and families by improving the energy efficiency of the dwelling while ensuring their health and safety.
Measures may include:
- – Air sealing the conditioned space of the home
- – Installing insulation as required
- – Sealing duct work
- – Performing HVAC system cleaning
- – Repairing leaky and/or faulty windows and doors
- – Replacing incandescent light bulbs with highly efficient LED bulbs
- – Health and safety checks on the home
Community Action Partnership of North Alabama (2 programs)
2 programs offering Energy Assistance and Weatherization for area residents.
Houston County (2 programs)
Dothan city (2 programs)
Southeast Alabama Community Action Partnership
Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP): Provides assistance to pay energy bills for heating and cooling costs.
Etowah County (3 programs)
Community Action of Etowah County
3 programs offering help with Utility, Water and Weatherization for homeowners and renters.
Marshall County (0 program)
Marshall County does not have a home repair program. You need to verify with the local non profit and if you’re located in an eligible USDA area for their home repair program.