The City of Covington announced that it has been able to help approximately 124 homeowners in need of urgent repairs over the past ten years. The repairs often fixed problems that posed threats to the health and safety of the people living there.
Now, Covington is looking to double those efforts.
Covington allocated $200,000 to the Homeowner Repair Program with the goal of helping 20 qualifying homeowners each year.
The program aims to help residents who are elderly, veterans, those with disabilities or who are low-income. General repair costs have increased due to a variety of factors, such as inflation, supply-chain issues, the COVID-19 pandemic and labor shortage.
“Many of the people who receive help through this program simply couldn’t afford these types of necessary repairs on their own,” Covington Housing Development Specialist Archie Ice said. “Even before prices started skyrocketing, we saw many residents – especially those living on fixed or low income – who struggled to address problems that had suddenly developed in their homes and were threatening their health and safety.”
Covington has implemented changes to the program over the past year in order to make it more effective and readily available for homeowners:
- Financial help now comes in the form of a grant, instead of a loan
- Maximum amount available per repair has risen from $5,000 to $10,000
- Household income eligibility standards set by the federal government have risen
- List of eligible repairs has expanded to include wheelchair ramps, handrails, and other exterior modifications needed to help someone with a disability
Homeowners are responsible for finding a contractor to make the repair and signing the repair contract themselves. The city makes the payment directly to the contractor or repair person.
Repair grants are available citywide for owner-occupied, single-family homes whose owners have not received city assistance for housing repairs in the previous five years.
Eligible applicants must not exceed 60 percent of the area’s median income. For a household of four, for example, the median income is $57,300. Applicants must also have good credit and not exceed $10,000 in liquid assets. Click here for more information about who is eligible.
Eligible repairs include:
- Certain electrical problems
- Plumbing issues, including broken water heaters and leaks to gas lines, water pipes, and sanitary sewer lines
- HVAC problems, including carbon monoxide leaks and malfunctioning AC units and furnaces
- Roofs, gutters, and downspouts in disrepair
- Accessibility modifications
