USDA Section 504 home repair program

USDA's Section 504 program lends and grants money to very-low-income homeowners in rural areas to repair their homes. Grants are for homeowners aged 62 or older.

Biggest loan: $40,000
Biggest grant: $10,000
Interest rate and loan term: A 1% rate over 20 years
Loan and grant together: As much as $50,000

Who the USDA Section 504 grant and loan are for

You own the home and live in it, and it's in a rural area that USDA serves.
Your household's income is at or under your county's very low limit, equal to 50% of median income in your area.
Grants require you to be 62 or older, and the money must go toward removing a health or safety hazard.
There's a lifetime cap of $10,000 on the grant, and you pay it back if the home sells within 3 years.

You can apply any time of year at your local Rural Development office. To find the very low limit for your county and household size, use the HUD income limits tool.

An older homeowner watching a carpenter replace a porch step

Home repair grants for seniors

The Section 504 grant is the main repair grant from the federal government for homeowners 62 and over. Combine it with a 504 loan and you can fund up to $50,000 in repairs. Full title service is required when a loan balance goes over $25,000. Find your office through USDA's Section 504 program page.

VA HISA grant

A grant called VA's Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) pays when a veteran's primary home needs medically required work, such as sinks and counters set lower, a roll-in shower or a permanent ramp reaching the door. Ordinary upkeep isn't covered, whether that's an air conditioner, a furnace or a new roof. Every project must be medically justified.

The amount is $6,800 for a service-connected disability, and it also applies to any disability when your service-connected rating reaches 50% or more.
A disability outside those groups qualifies for $2,000.
This benefit is a lifetime one. If you rent, you need the owner's permission, signed and notarized.

To check how much of your benefit is left, ask the Prosthetic and Sensory Aids Service near you, or read the VA HISA site.

VA home improvement grants and loans

Service members and veterans who have certain service-connected disabilities are also able to receive VA's grants for adapted housing. For FY 2026, VA caps the Specially Adapted Housing grant at $126,526 and the Special Home Adaptation grant at $25,350; you may use the funds up to 6 times. When repairs call for a loan instead of a grant, FHA 203(k) financing adds the repair cost to a purchase or a refinance.