If you are a senior citizen and need home improvement assistance, there are programs available that can help. The first place to look is your local area agency on aging or the corresponding department in your state. These will provide grants depending on your age and income. The federal government also has home repair and modification grants for seniors that are administered by HUD. Most states, counties and cities have their own housing departments that will have grant programs as well. The best way to find out about these is to contact the city, county or borough housing department and ask them what is available in your area.
Most of these programs are aimed at repairing or modifying homes to address health, safety and energy related issues that can be expensive. Some of these include LIHEAP, which helps low-income households pay for heating and cooling costs and can make other energy-related repairs. Another is the Section 504 Home Repair program, which provides grants for elderly very-low-income homeowners who need to make repairs or improvements to their single-family homes.
Other programs focus on addressing specific needs such as accessibility. These could include the installation of grab bars, walk-in tubs or wheelchair ramps. There are also programs that cover roof repairs or replacement, windows and doors, and heating systems. Some programs even provide grants for kitchen remodels or other non-energy related improvements that can boost the value of your home. The most important thing to remember is that these programs are limited and are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. So the sooner you start looking, the better your chances are of getting some free money to do whatever you want to your home.