$3 Million Available To Assist With Home Repairs Throughout Delaware

Dover, Del., August 7, 2023 – The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) today announced a partnership with all three Habitat for Humanity organizations in Delaware to administer a $3 million grant program to help eligible Delaware homeowners who need to make critical home repairs, but have been unable to because of the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Delaware Homeowner Assistance Fund (DEHAF) Home Repair Program grant for each household is capped at $20,000. Eligibility requirements include: 

• household income at or below 80% of the area median income (AMI)

• the property must be the homeowner’s primary residence
• the financial hardship must have occurred after January 21, 2020
• the property must be a single-family, detached or attached home or townhouse, a one-to-four-unit single-family condominium, or a mobile or manufactured home.  

The program is intended to address conditions severe enough that, for health or safety reasons, would involuntarily displace the homeowner from the property. Repair work to be done could include:

• pest abatement;
• insulation installation;
• mold and mildew remediation;
• asbestos and lead paint removal;
• heating, cooling, electrical, and plumbing repairs;
• structural issues such as roof, floor, stairway, porch, and window repairs or replacement;
• and the repair, replacement, or installation of accessibility aids such as hand railings, ramps, grab bars and wider doorways.

Homeowners can apply for the DEHAF Home Repair Program grant through their local Habitat for Humanity. Delaware’s three Habitat for Humanity organizations—Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County, Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity, and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity— will initiate the application process and obtain required documentation from their respective counties, determine eligibility, and oversee repair work for accepted applications. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the $3 million runs out.

“We are grateful to DSHA for the opportunity to serve more families impacted by COVID through these Homeowner Assistance Funds. Helping individuals and families sustain the homeownership they have worked so hard to obtain is one of our key programs. Our programs build strength, stability, and self-reliance,” said Kevin L. Smith, CEO, Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County.

“Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity extends its sincere gratitude for partnering with the three Habitat Affiliates in Delaware for this critical program. Serving the vulnerable population is our greatest priority and this funding will ensure much-needed support to those impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic. We believe in a world where everyone has a decent and safe place to call home,” said Timothy Bailey, CEO, Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity.

The program, tied into DSHA’s Delaware Mortgage Relief Program (DEMRP), is funded by the Homeowner Assistance Fund of the American Rescue Plan Act, which the U.S. Treasury Department distributed to the state of Delaware. The $50 million received is being administered by DSHA and will be available until 2025 or until funds run out, whichever occurs first.

“This funding focused on home repairs is an important step in addressing the housing crisis throughout the state of Delaware,” said Kevin Gilmore, CEO of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. “The need for this type of program in immense. More than 25,000 owner-occupied homes are in need of repairs in the state. Sussex County Habitat is looking forward to utilizing the funding to help families in our county.”

“Repairs are a part of owning a home; however, when those repairs threaten the safety, peace of mind, and stability of families, something must be done immediately,” said DSHA Director Eugene Young, Jr. “One of DSHA’s main priorities is to keep families in their homes, and we’re proud to partner with Delaware’s Habitats so that families across the state will no longer have to face the possibility of leaving the communities they call home.”

The Statewide Emergency Repair Program (SERP), also DSHA-funded, is managed by Milford Housing Development Corporation and is an additional ongoing program available to homeowners. For more information, please call (302) 491-4010 or toll-free at (844) 413-0038.

About the Delaware State Housing Authority

The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA), formed in 1968, provides quality, affordable housing opportunities and appropriate supportive services to low- and moderate-income Delawareans. In addition to its role as the State’s Housing Finance Agency, DSHA is unique because it serves as a Public Housing Authority in Kent and Sussex County and a Community Development and Planning Agency. For more information about the Delaware State Housing Authority, please call: (302) 739-4263 or visit our website at www.destatehousing.com.

About Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity

Since 1990, Central Delaware Habitat for Humanity (CCHFH) has built 80 affordable homes for individuals and families in-need in Kent County, DE. CDHFH has also served more than 500 households through critical repair, aging-in-place, and other housing and counseling programs. A key component in Habitat for Humanity’s global mission is bringing people together. In the last 33 years, CDHFH has brought more than 30,000 volunteers together to serve on build sites and in the ReStore, all in support of affordable housing solutions.

About Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County

Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County (HFHNCC) celebrated 37 years of impact in June of 2023. To date, HFHNCC has built or renovated over 300 homes and served over 1,000 families. Committed to changing lives and landscapes, HFHNCC provides affordable housing solutions for hard working, low-income families. Habitat engages residents in improving their neighborhoods, provides free critical home repairs to preserve existing homeownership, conducts financial literacy and home maintenance education for families in our homeownership program and builds affordable housing.

About Sussex County Habitat for Humanity
Sussex County Habitat for Humanity is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operated on Christian principles that seeks to put God’s love into action by building homes, communities and hope. Sussex County Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. Habitat for Humanity was founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety, and that decent shelter in decent communities should be a matter of conscience and action for all. For more information or to donate, visit SussexCountyHabitat.org.

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