Detroit Offers Home Repairs For Low-Income Residents

DETROIT — Low-income senior citizens and homeowners with disabilities can now receive major home repairs funded by the city.

The home repair program will begin with replacing 1,000 roofs. Bids will start going out the in Fall of 2021 and repairs to begin in Spring 2022, officials said.

In order to be eligible, homeowners must meet the following criteria:

• Age 62 or older or be a homeowner of any age with a disability.
• Approved for a property tax exemption through the Homeowners Property Tax Assistance Program (HPTAP), recently re-named the Homeowner Property Exemption (HOPE). The program is designed to provide property tax relief to eligible lower-income homeowners. For eligibility requirements and to apply for the HPTAP program, visit detroitmi.gov/hptap.
• Have not received a home repair grant from the city of $10,000 or more in the past 10 years.

Once eligible, homeowners will be selected based on a point system that includes length of ownership, number of people in the home, level of their HOPE tax exemption (25%, 50% or 100%) and whether they were already are on a list for similar repairs with Wayne Metro or the city’s Senior Emergency Home Repair (SEHR) program, officials said.

Applications can be filled out online at www.detroitmi.gov/RenewDetroit or completed over the phone by calling 313-244-0274 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. The deadline is Oct. 31.

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Mayor Mike Duggan and Members of City Council launched the $30 million program last Thursday.

The $30 million assistance for essential home repairs is the first part of the Renew Detroit program, which aims to improve Detroit neighborhoods, reduce intergenerational poverty and improve safety and quality of life.

The entire program was given $400 million under President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.

"The most important thing we can do as a city is to make sure that long-time Detroiters are able to remain in their home, and a lot of times that depends on their ability to make major repairs," Duggan said. "Thanks to President’s Biden’s rescue plan and City Council’s commitment to this program, we are going to be able to reach triple the number of homeowners in need of help."