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Program to help low- and moderate-income homeowners with repairs in Allegheny County is now open

A home in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood.
Katie Blackley
/
90.5 WESA
A home in Pittsburgh's Homewood neighborhood.

Allegheny County residents can now apply for up to $50,000 in funding for home repairs as part of a new state program.

The Whole-Home Repairs Program launched today. It is being administered locally by nonprofit Action Housing.

To qualify for the program:

  • You must own and live in a home in Allegheny County
  • The home must have “significant” habitability issues, such as unsafe wiring or a damaged roof
  • Your income must not be greater than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), roughly $80,000 for a family of four

Action Housing officials say funding constraints mean not all applicants will be able to get assistance, and they will prioritize homes with the most significant habitability issues, as well as making accessibility modifications to allow people with disabilities to live in their homes.

The $125 million program, which won bipartisan support in Harrisburg, was included in the state budget last year for the first time. Advocates are hoping that the program can be permanently included in future budgets.

Apply online here, or by calling Action Housing at (412) 248-0021, or in-person at the Housing Stabilization Center at 415 Seventh Avenue downtown.

Applications will close June 30.

Kate Giammarise focuses her reporting on poverty, social services and affordable housing. Before joining WESA, she covered those topics for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for nearly five years; prior to that, she spent several years in the paper’s Harrisburg bureau covering the legislature, governor and state government. She can be reached at kgiammarise@wesa.fm or 412-697-2953.