Arizona has over 88 official home improvement grants, repairs grants, programs and local resources available to low income homeowner families and individuals (most programs are based on income). This article provides you with all the main home repair programs offered throughout the state in 2023.
Updated: November 14, 2023
There are 4 main sources of financial assistance for home improvement and repair in Arizona:
You can review the Federal and the State of Arizona home repair grants but ultimately your county and city are the ones you need to contact and where you apply for funding.
Every homeowner is eligible for home improvement and repairs grants and assistance in Arizona (find them all in this article). In reality, because the needs are so big, some groups like seniors, veterans, disabled and low-income households are given priority. Even in those cases, you need to apply as soon as possible because funds are limited.
So it’s often first arrived on a first served basis: apply early.
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.
In general, in Arizona repair and improvement help with:
More precisely the following work and repair are usually covered by home improvement grants programs:
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.
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 fixed 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 means you have nothing to pay monthly. The organization offering these loans usually takes a lien on your home to be certain to be paid in the future.
Forgivable home improvement loans: It’s a traditional loan but you do have to pay it back monthly. Instead after a few years the organization forgives your loan.
Note: In some rare cases you may find yourself with a mix of the types above. In all cases the important thing 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 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.
The State of Arizona have 2 programs helping homeowners:
HOME EMERGENCY REPAIRS
HOME REHABILITATION
Both programs are not offered direclty to residents. You can find below with your local community organization and county or city if they provide 1 or both programs.
These 35 non profits located throughout Arizona offer many services to their residents area. One is often home repair assistance programs for low and moderate income homeowners.
Find your area agency by looking in this page. Then contact your closest agency to see the programs they have for homeowners like you.
With 8 local organizations in Arizona and its volunteers, Habitat provide help to low income, disable and elderly homeowners to fix their home. Find and contact your local Habitat organization in Arizona.
ReStores provide discounted used and surplus building materials, plus appliances and furniture in 4 locations in Arizona: Peoria, Phoenix, West Phoenix, Prescott and Tempe.
RT helps homeowners in need repair or modify their home and be able to live safely in it much longer. RT have 2 local chapters in Santa Cruz County and the Valley of the Sun.
Home improvement & modification: Program provides medically necessary improvements and structural alterations to Veterans/Service members’ primary residence for $6,800.
Work purposes:
– Allowing entrance to or exit from the primary residence
– Use of essential lavatory and sanitary facilities (e.g. roll in showers)
– Allowing accessibility to kitchen or bathroom sinks or counters (e.g. lowering counters/sinks)
– Improving entrance paths or driveways in immediate area of the home to facilitate access to the home through construction of permanent ramping
– Improving plumbing or electrical systems made necessary due to installation of home medical equipment
Find more details and how to apply
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:
Find the program detail and find your county organization managing the local WAP program.
LIHEAP: This program is mostly to help pay your heating and cooling cost but it some cases it may also help fix, repair or replace broken windows for energy efficient ones.
Find more info about the program eligibility and apply online.
If you have been in a natural disaster such as fires, flooding, severe storms, you may qualify for some of Arizona’s Department of Homeland Security disaster programs.
If your area of Arizona is declared a Federal disaster area (you can verify here), FEMA can then be able to provide help with many programs.
These homeowners repair programs exist for a long duration after a natural disaster happened and they help repair homes after a natural disaster.
The USDA provide home improvement loans and government grants to low-income homeowners in Arizona’s rural areas.
Who may apply for this program? To qualify, you must:
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?
What are the terms of the loan or grant?
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.
There are official elderly home repair assistance in Arizona but they are not only for seniors. Seniors, just like all New Arizonians, are eligible to the same home improvement programs listed on this page.
You can also contact your local Area Agency on Aging to find local programs for seniors home repairs and home modifications.
You can also find home modification programs for seniors
Some Arizona counties have approved home repair and government grant programs and most major cities also have similar help for homeowners. You can find most of them below.
If you don’t see your county or city below you should contact it directly and ask them if the city have a home repair program. Then you should also verify if you are not considered living in a rural area and you may then be eligible to the USDA rural program.
Emergency Home Repair: Program helps eligible County homeowners within the service area repair health and safety concerns in their residence, including non-functioning air conditioning and heating systems.
Home Rehabilitation: The program assist income-eligible, owner-occupied homes in need of rehabilitation to ensure homes are healthy and safe to occupy.
Both programs information here
Emergency Repair: Program provides a grant, up to $10,000, for minor home improvements to single-family owner-occupied homes, condos, and townhouses. Homeowners must qualify as having low- to moderate-household income.
Examples of repairs:
Exterior Home Improvement: The program offers low and moderate-income a forgivable loan of up to $20,000 over 5 years to assist in making necessary improvements to the exterior of the home.
Possible work:
Home Modifications: Program offers a grant of up to $10,000 for home modifications for low to moderate-income persons with disabilities to modify their homes so they can continue to live safely and comfortably.
Eligible improvements:
Emergency and Minor Home Repair: Program offers repair funding to income-eligible Gilbert homeowners for health or safety-related home repairs.
Examples of repairs include:
Roofing Repair/Replacement: The program assists homeowners with extensive and costly roofing repairs or replacements that are beyond normal minor repairs. Projects have a monetary cap of $10,500, and homeowners would be responsible for incurring any costs over that amount.
EMERGENCY REPAIR: Program provides assistance through a grant to address household repairs that affect the immediate livability of the home. Repairs are limited and assistance is based on priority of emergency. The maximum grant is $10,000 per household per year.
Accessibility modifications needed for the elderly and disabled are also eligible under this program.
Eligible repairs:
Housing Rehabilitation: The program assists income-eligible, owner-occupied homes in need of rehabilitation to ensure homes are healthy and safe to occupy. These programs are also available to income-eligible homeowners with disabilities and/or seniors who need modifications to their residence to improve accessibility and safety.
Emergency Home Repair: Program is for eligible low-income homeowners to eliminate immediate threats to their health and safety. Up to $18,000 is available in grant assistance and there is no obligation to repay the funds.
Eligible repairs (among others):
HOME REPAIR ASSISTANCE: Program goals include improving living conditions, eliminating health and safety hazards, bringing major systems up to Code, improving home functionality and energy efficiency.
Housing Repair: Program offers up to $10,000.00 in the form of a grant. Rehabilitation projects up to $20,000 will have a recorded 10 year Lien for the amount over $10,000.
Eligible work:
Lead Hazard Reduction: Program provides lead hazards detection in eligible properties, and once found, every effort will be made to remove the identified lead hazard. This may require some housing rehabilitation services, such as painting, windows, doors, floor covering, stucco work, soil covering, and other necessary remediation work up to $20,000.
OWNER-OCCUPIED HOUSING REHABILITATION: The program assists low-income homeowners with the repair, rehabilitation, or reconstruction of housing in which they reside. Rehabilitation includes the alteration, improvement, or modification of an existing structure.
Home Repair & Modification: The program provides modifications (like ramps or grab bars), structural repairs, and/or modifications to the client’s home for the purpose of maintaining safety and independence.
Eligibility:
Verde Valley Habitat For Humanity (1 program)
Critical Home Repair: The program is for qualified Veterans, Seniors, and Low-income families to help with their critical repair needs. Currently, Habitat is only working on exterior home repairs and wheelchair ramps.
NACOG
This organization provide a housing rehabilitation program for the county residents.
Emergency Home Repair: The program is administered by Habitat for Humanity. It provides emergency home repairs to low/moderate-income homeowners. Repairs up to a lifetime maximum of $20,000 (Manufactured homes are limited to a maximum of $5,000) are provided at no cost to assist eligible residents to maintain safe and functional owner-occupied housing.
Examples of repairs:
Single Family Major Rehabilitation: The program assists eligible homeowners with comprehensive repairs to provide a safe home that is in compliance with all adopted City Codes. Assistance is a one-time, lifetime assistance to an individual, family, household, and property. Each dwelling will have a minimum investment of $20,001.
Examples of work:
Owner-Occupied Housing Rehabilitation: Program’s goals are to alleviate immediate health and safety issues in the home, including code violations, weatherization/energy efficiency, and accommodations for accessibility. Maximum assistance is $50,000. Amount of assistance is based on need and funding availability. This assistance is in the form of a deferred forgivable loan at 0% interest, with a 5/10/15 year recapture period. A lien is placed on the property until such time period is over. The loan is forgiven so long as the owner does not sell/transfer the property with the lien period. The following priority populations will have a preference:
Typical repairs may include:
Housing Rehabilitation: Program’s goal is to alleviate immediate health and safety issues in the home that pose or would pose a serious threat to the health and safety of the occupants. Typical repairs are replacement of water heaters, heating and cooling, roofing, septic systems, plumbing and electrical repairs and disability accommodations. All repairs are done by licensed contractors, procured by the county.
The program is not available for in-City of Yuma or Town of Wellton residents.
Housing Rehabilitation: Program assist low- and moderate-income homeowners with repairs to major systems such as plumbing, electric, heat and air conditioning, roof, or structural components. Funding is a non-performing loan to that becomes a grant after successful participation in the program.
No county specific program.
Owner Occupied Rehabilitation: The program provides no interest, no payment loans to low-income households, to help them repair critical home systems (heating, hot water, roofing, electrical) and modifications for handicapped accessibility.
Home Energy Retrofit: Program provides low-income and vulnerable residents help to make weatherization, electrification, and energy efficiency upgrades to their homes.
Home Weatherization and Energy Rebate: Program provides rebates to residents who make qualified improvements in their homes:
See available rebates and program information
Emergency Home Repair: The program goal is to alleviate the burden of these unexpected repairs by offering financial assistance to eligible homeowners.
Eligible repairs:
Native Partnership
Home Repair: The program repairs homes and weatherizes elder homes. Insulation is installed or added to help keep warm air in during long cold days. Seams around doors and windows are sealed to keep driving rain out during the spring and summer. Concrete floors can even be poured for residents who have only known a dirt floor.
Native Community Capital
Navajo Homeowners Fund: The program can help with a home repair assistance loan of a maximum of $100,000.