The Whole-Home Repairs Program has opened for a second round of applications in Allegheny County.
The program, which is funded by the state but administered by Action Housing in the county, funds up to $50,000 in major home repairs for households earning less than 80% of the area’s median income, which works out to less than $80,000 for a family of four and less than $56,000 for an individual.
The deadline for applying is Nov.17. Action Housing is holding an informational zoom meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. and anyone can join.
Around 125 home repairs were funded during the first round, during which around 3,400 households applied, according to Dan Sullivan, who runs the program for Action Housing.
Homes that were not selected the first time can reapply; the reapplication should take less than 10 minutes, Sullivan said.
The homes are selected by lottery, so new applicants are weighted no differently than returning applicants.
But some kinds of applications do receive some additional weight. For example, households that will be prioritized include those with especially low incomes, one’s whose homes require very substantial and critical repair work, or those where young children might be exposed to health issues.
Every homeowner who is eligible and applies has some chance in the lottery, Sullivan said.
“You miss 100% of the shots you don't take,” he said. “If you don't do an application because it's not first come, first served, you don't know what your chances actually are of being part of that 4 to 5% that actually is going to get the assistance.”
Sullivan said that Action Housing will select the winning homes around a month after the Nov. 17 application closing date. He said hopes to start construction on some of the first homes sometime in early 2024.
The program has funding for about 250 homes in Allegheny County in total. So, if a homeowner doesn’t receive funding this time, there should be funding for around 50 more homes in the third round.
More information about the program, including who is eligible and how to apply, can be found on Action Housing’s website.
