Everything Texans Should Know About Elderly Assistance for Home Repairs

Are you a senior Texas homeowner looking for help with home repairs? Senior citizens in Texas have access to a number of repair assistance programs if they have a low to moderate income. Some programs are available throughout the state — others are administered through county or city governments. There are also some programs available specifically to senior homeowners while others are available to a broader range of residents.

We’ve reviewed all the assistance for homeowners in Texas and came up with a guide to help you navigate to the resources you need. Check it out.

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Home repair assistance for seniors in Texas

One of the larger states in the U.S., Texas offers quite a few programs for seniors to get home repairs.

We’ve gathered info on the agencies helping seniors with home repair assistance in the state. Each agency has different options, requirements, and guidelines. Some programs are specifically for aging residents, while others are income-specific. Peruse each option to get an idea of how they may be able to help senior homeowners with repairs.

Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants Program by the USDA

The USDA administers a slew of programs intended to keep residents healthy and happy in their homes so that communities remain strong. Through their Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants Program (sometimes called the Section 504 Home Repair Program), Texas homeowners in rural areas can apply for a loan, a grant, or both to help both maintain and modernize their home, and keep their home safe.

20-year loans of up to $40,000 at a fixed interest rate of 1% may be given to eligible applicants to make necessary repairs or modernize their home. Also, a grant of up to $10,000 may be given to elderly Texas homeowners to remove health and safety hazards.

Qualifications to apply for either option include being a homeowner and occupying the house full-time, being unable to find affordable credit anywhere else, and having a household income that is below the specified limit in your county. Use this map to find the limit for your county. To apply for the grant, homeowners must also be 62 or older and unable to pay for the repairs needed on their own.

Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

Texas residents have access to multiple home repair resources through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). Residents can visit their website to search programs available by city or county.

One home repair program administered by the TDHCA is the Home Investment Partnerships program. The program assists those in owner-occupied homes with major repairs, and may even provide assistance to completely rebuild a damaged home, if needed. The program helps low-income homeowners who have paid their property taxes on time, have proof of ownership of their home, and can provide a clear title.

For more info on this program and other home repair programs available to senior citizens in Texas, you can visit the THDCA program database.

Habitat for Humanity Texas

Habitat for Humanity provides home construction and repair programs of many different types by working with local partners to provide access to affordable housing in low-income communities. There are multiple Habitat for Humanity affiliates throughout the state of Texas. You can find your local branch through their website.

Helping local residents to age in place is one of the goals of Habitat’s work. Their Aging in Place program provides home repair assistance specifically to senior citizens. The program combines an assessment by a human services professional with applicable home repairs to provide aging individuals with thriving home environments.

Habitat for Humanity ReStores sell used and surplus building materials at a discount. If you need to DIY a repair, buying the supplies for less can help you stay on budget and avoid overspending.

Texas senior citizens can contact their local Habitat for Humanity branch to find out which programs may be available to them.

Veterans Home Repair and Rehabilitation

Aging residents in Texas who are also veterans can search for home repair or rehabilitation assistance through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). The VA administers all government-provided benefits for veterans.

Some of these benefits include help with housing. Different programs may provide program participants with various options for housing. One such program is the disability housing grants for veterans. These grants provide money for disabled veterans to buy, rehab, or build a permanent home. Applicants must have a qualifying disability to be able to participate in this program. The grant can provide up to $101,754 for disabled veterans who receive it in 2022.

Look for other ways the VA can provide housing assistance through their website.

Elder Options of Texas

Elder Options of Texas is an online hub for senior citizen resources in Texas. You can log on to the website and input your region to find all kinds of resources for local senior living.

For example, Seniors living in the Dallas area can find reverse mortgage lenders in the area through the site. Using a reverse mortgage, senior homeowners can take cash out of their home equity to fund any needed home repairs.

How to find county and city specific home repair assistance for seniors in Texas

It can feel like a large task to search statewide for programs that help aging Texas homeowners get home repair assistance. Searching locally can help narrow down your search, and may even uncover hidden programs specific to your area.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides a list of home repair programs available in Texas. They also list a number of programs by city or town, and by county. You can click on your region or city to navigate to the local website. There, you can find contact info for the agency that administers repair assistance programs.

Here’s how to find home repair help for seniors in these major Texas counties.

Harris County

Find a list of housing programs and services available to Harris County residents on the Harris County Community Development website. One helpful program is their home repair program that assists eligible homeowners of all ages with water well and septic repairs.

Travis County

The Travis County government website provides residents with a list of helpful resources for home repair assistance. Residents may be eligible for free weatherization repairs. They also have a program offering free basic home repairs to eligible low-income residents once in every ten year period. Repairs may include roofing repairs, HVAC updates, and improvements for ADA accessibility.

Hidalgo County

Eligible low to moderate income residents of any of the 17 member cities can apply for the Homeowner-Occupied Rehabilitation program in Hidalgo County. For more information and how to apply, homeowners can reach out to the county government by phone or email.

Fort Bend County

Fort Bend County has a number of programs available that help eligible homeowners make needed home repairs. The programs provide varying types of assistance to help with getting homes up to a more liveable standard. Some of the programs available are the HOME Investments Partnership and the Housing Rehabilitation Program.

Brazoria County

With homeowners facing a good amount of damage from floods and hurricanes, Brazoria County has a few different homeowner assistance programs that provide home repair help to houses damaged by these natural disasters. The Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) and others fund home rehab and reconstruction projects for eligible low to moderate income homeowners.

Finding the home repair help you need in Texas

Texas has a wide variety of home repairs assistance programs available throughout the state. Some help aging residents specifically, while other programs are available to a wider range of applicants.

If you are a senior citizen in Texas needing help with home repairs, compile a list of programs to apply for. You may also want to contact the local government in your city or county to find out if there are other programs not listed on their website.

DIY repairs can also be an option if you have a family member or friend who can help you. Check a local discount building store or salvage center for discounted building materials. You can also find more tips and tricks for increasing your property value on the HomeLight blog.