Wake County: Resilient Homes offers up to $35,000 for needed home repairs

Wake County has opened a home-repair grant program for income-qualified homeowners.

The county announced Resilient Homes on Monday, Oct. 12. It is working with the nonprofit Preserving Home. The county said eligible homeowners can get help with needed repairs, including up to $35,000 in county grant funding. Online applications are open on the county's announcement page.

The announcement does not say the money is limited to storm damage. It describes needed repairs that keep a house safe and livable.

Who can apply

Wake County listed these rules:

• Household income below 50 percent of area median income. The county's examples of the current limit are $52,950 for a household of two and $66,150 for a household of four.
• Less than $25,000 in assets, not counting the home.
• A home on a permanent foundation in Wake County, but not in Raleigh or Cary.
• Current on property taxes.

What repairs the county listed

The county said the program is meant to cover weatherization, mobility and accessibility work, radon and lead-based paint hazards, and repairs to unsafe or outdated systems.

Examples on the announcement include faulty wiring, plumbing problems, failing heating and cooling systems, unsafe stairs, roof problems, and other conditions that affect safety and livability.

Wake County said Resilient Homes combines its home-repair work into one program and raises the amount of help available per household. The work sits in the Housing Affordability and Community Revitalization Department.

Tara Waters, with the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said the program is meant to keep a costly repair from becoming a reason someone cannot stay in a home they already own.

The county did not say how long applications will stay open, or how many households the first round will fund.