Last updated: July 28, 2026 Raw sewage in the home? Stop using sinks, toilets, showers, and appliances if you can do so safely. Keep children and pets away. Do not touch sewage with bare skin. Do not enter standing water near outlets, appliances, or an electrical panel. Call your sewer utility first to rule out … Read more
Last updated: July 28, 2026 Is the roof unsafe right now? Leave the affected area if the ceiling is sagging, water is reaching electrical wiring, a tree hit the home, or part of the roof may collapse. Call 911 for immediate danger. Call the electric utility from a safe place if water is near the … Read more
Last updated: July 28, 2026 Bottom line: Some nonprofits repair homes at no cost, but most do not hand homeowners a cash grant. Help is usually delivered through a local affiliate, volunteer crew, approved contractor, affordable loan, weatherization service, or locally funded repair program. Start with organizations that serve your ZIP code, ask what type … Read more
There are many home repair grants programs and projects across the U.S. that serve different populations and needs. Here are 20 examples of such programs, along with their brief descriptions and eligibility criteria: Federal Programs USDA Rural Development: This is a federal agency that offers loans and grants for home repairs and improvements in rural … Read more
Last updated: July 28, 2026 Do not wait for a repair program when the home is dangerous. Leave and call 911 for fire, smoke, carbon monoxide, sparking wires, a gas smell, a collapsing structure, or another immediate threat. Call the utility from outside if you smell gas. For no heat during severe cold, unsafe cooling … Read more
Last updated: July 28, 2026 Urgent fence danger: Keep people and pets away from a fence that is leaning into a street or walkway, has sharp exposed metal, surrounds a pool but no longer closes securely, or is touching a fallen utility line. Call 911 for an immediate life-safety emergency. Contact the utility company for … Read more
Last updated: July 28, 2026 Unsafe home right now? Call 911 for fire, gas, collapse, exposed live wiring, or another immediate danger. If a Veteran cannot safely enter, leave, bathe, or use the toilet, contact the VA care team or local VA medical center and ask for urgent help from social work, rehabilitation, or Prosthetic … Read more
Last updated: July 28, 2026 Immediate danger: Call 911 if a person at your home threatens you, refuses to leave, tries to enter, distracts you while another person moves around the property, or creates a fire, gas, electrical, or structural danger. Do not argue at the door. Lock the door and call for help. If … Read more
Last updated: July 28, 2026 If the home is dangerous now: Do not wait for FEMA to decide an appeal. Call 911 for fire, gas, electrical, structural, sewage, or other immediate danger. Leave the home if local officials say it is unsafe. Use the Red Cross shelter finder, call 211, or contact local emergency management … Read more
Last updated: June 3, 2026 Your roof is leaking, the furnace is unsafe, the bathroom floor is soft, or the plumbing repair cannot wait, but the price is too high to pay in cash. The hard part is not just finding money. It is choosing a repair loan that will not put your home, credit, … Read more