Home Improvement Programs

Overview

The Department of Housing and Community Development administers various home improvement programs for homeowners and renters listed below. Interested homeowners or renters can email Ryan Van Patten or call 571-367-8417 for more information about the programs and how to apply.

Home Accessibility and Repair Program (HARP)

The Home Accessibility and Repair Program (HARP) provides grants (up to $10,000) to assist homeowner-occupants to improve their homes by remedying health hazards, building code violations, addressing accessibility needs, lowering energy burden, and other conditions deemed eligible by the program. The application process can take two-to-three months because this program must meet certain federal requirements.

HARP is available to:

Homeowner-occupants who are at least 62 years or older and/or disabled, and/or
Have a dependent permanently residing in the household that is 62 years or older and/or disabled.
Households with total household income (before taxes) at or below 50% of the Area Median Income.
Current income limits are posted here.
Households with total household income between 51% and 80% of Area Median Income may be eligible, on a case-by-case basis.

Granting Freedom Program

The Granting Freedom Program* provides grants (up to $8,000) for homeowner-occupied and rental unit modifications to veterans and service members. To show that a requested modification may be necessary, there must be an identifiable relationship, or nexus, between the requested modification and the individual's disability.

Granting Freedom is available to:

Homeowner-occupants or renters
Veterans and service members who sustained a line-of-duty injury resulting in a service-connected disability:
- For Veterans: U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs Notification, Award, or Rating Letter citing service-connected disability
- For Servicemembers: MEB/PEB documentation citing service-connected disability

Rental Unit Accessibility Modification (RUAM) Program

The Rental Unit Accessibility Modification (RUAM) Program* provides grants (up to $8,000) to individuals with disabilities in order to repair and improve accessibility of their rental units. The funds do not pay for the cost of items that are required to be provided by the landlord.

RUAM is available to:

Renters only
Households with total household income (before taxes) at or below 80% of Area Median Income.
Current income limits are posted here .

Program Comparison Summary

Program Name	Homeowner or Renter	Eligibility	Household Income Requirements
Home Accessibility and Repair Program (HARP)	Homeowner-occupied only	62 years or older and/or disabled	At or below 50% AMI
Granting Freedom*	Homeowner-occupied and renters	Veterans and service members who sustained a line-of-duty injury resulting in a service-connected disability	N/A
Rental Unit Accessibility Modification (RUAM)*	Renters only	Individuals with disabilities	At or below 80% AMI

*The Department of Housing and Community Development is a participating agent for Granting Freedom and RUAM offered through Virginia Housing. Applications for both programs are submitted to Virginia Housing by Department of Housing and Community Development staff on behalf of the applicant.

To review program handbooks and application forms, visit the links below: