Lehigh Valley homeowners could qualify for free home repairs. Here’s how
A one-of-a-kind state program that will provide hundreds of thousands of dollars in free home repairs to Lehigh Valley residents will soon start accepting applications.
The Whole Home Repairs program passed as part of the 2023 Pennsylvania state budget and provides $125 million for home repairs for people who make less than 80% of the area median income.
But that one-time expenditure is not enough to address the critical need for home improvements in the commonwealth: one in four Pennsylvania voters lives in a home that needs critical repairs, and one in three struggles to afford their utility bills, according to a poll from progressive organization People’s Action Institute.
That is why local leaders and advocates called on the Pennsylvania General Assembly to put $300 million toward the Whole Home Repairs program in the 2024 budget and every budget after that at a news conference Tuesday in Allentown.
The Whole Home Repairs program could benefit people like Carol Gonzalez, an Allentown resident whose 118-year-old house is in need of many repairs that she cannot afford.
“I’m kind of in between a rock and a hard place because I can’t afford to sell my home and rent, rents are through the roof,” Gonzalez said. “Not only that, but I’ve poured a ton of money into my home. I love my home, and I want to stay there.”
Community Action Lehigh Valley, the nonprofit which will be charged with distributing whole home repair funds in Lehigh County, expects to open applications to residents in late May. Anna Smith, director of Community Action Bethlehem, said the approximate $2 million in Whole Home Repairs funds they will receive should allow them to fund repairs to around 60 homes in Lehigh County.
The program will provide up to $50,000 in home repairs that address “habitability concerns, improving energy or water efficiency or making units accessible for people with disabilities,” according to the state Department of Community and Economic Development website.
State Sen. Nikil Saval, D-Philadelphia, who introduced the Whole Home Repairs program last year, said he is “optimistic” the General Assembly will fully fund the program next year, because it passed last year with bipartisan support and has been met with “unprecedented demand,” as 64 out of 67 Pennsylvania counties have applied to distribute the funding.
“The need, we know, is immense and it cuts across political boundaries, it cuts across geography,” Saval said.
Community Action Lehigh Valley will distribute whole home funding on a “first-come, first-served” basis, and expects demand to be high. For homeowners who qualify, the nonprofit will supervise all repairs and pay an approved contractor to complete them.
Interested Lehigh County residents can check Community Action’s website for updates on when applications will open.
Northampton County will distribute funds to local residents via its own staff, and has not yet announced when applications will open.