Free or low-cost home repair help for seniors and low-income homeowners in southeast Pennsylvania

Updated November 10, 2026 · KeystoneProGuide editorial team

Is there help paying for home repairs?

Yes, but it is patchy, income-tested and often wait-listed. The largest recent source, the state's Whole-Home Repairs grants, was a one-time pot of federal money that several counties have now spent. What remains are city and county programs for emergencies, seniors, disability adaptations, lead hazards and weatherization. This guide lists what the program pages themselves say, with their dates, because availability changes.

What was the Whole-Home Repairs Program?

A state program run through one agency per county. The Department of Community and Economic Development says it funded county agencies to address habitability and safety, improve energy or water efficiency and make homes accessible, for homeowners with household income no higher than 80 percent of the area median. A single grant could not exceed $50,000 per home. To apply, you go to the agency serving your county. Its status differs county by county, below.

What is available in Philadelphia?

Several city-backed programs, all free to those who qualify.

• Basic Systems Repair Program. The Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation provides free emergency repairs to electrical, plumbing, heating, roofing and limited structural and carpentry problems in owner-occupied homes. Eligible emergencies include dangerous wiring, broken sewer or water lines, utility or city violations, and roof leaks that have brought down 4 square feet or more of ceiling. You must own and live in the house, own no other residential property in the city, be current or on a payment plan for property taxes and water, and meet the income limit: $85,900 for one person, $122,700 for four. Call 215-448-2160.
• Heater Hotline. Free emergency heater repairs for eligible households: 215-568-7190.
• Adaptive Modifications Program. Free adaptations, such as railings, ramps, lifts, stair elevators and barrier-free showers, for low-income residents with a permanent physical disability, owners or tenants with the owner's permission; home repairs are not included. The income limit for one person is $68,750.
• Senior Housing Assistance Repair Program. The city says this program, run by the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging, makes minor repairs and modifications in homes owned by residents 60 and older who meet income rules; call (215) 765-9040. In a 2022 article, the corporation described repairs such as railings, grab bars, intercoms, wooden basement steps, electrical fixtures and leaky faucets and toilets, free at or below 200% of the federal poverty level and cost-shared above it, and said the program had a waiting list.

What about Bucks County?

Its Whole-Home Repairs program, the Bucks County Home Repair Program, stopped taking new applications on October 21, 2025, because the money was a one-time grant. The county page links a list of other federal, state, local and non-profit repair grants and loans for residents.

What about Chester County?

Chester County runs several standing programs alongside its share of the state grants. Its housing resources page lists:

• a Housing Rehabilitation Program for code violations, up to $25,000 per home, at or below 80% of area median income;
• a Senior Citizen Home Maintenance Program for owners 65 and older, covering roof, minor plumbing, flooring and general repairs, up to $4,500, at or below 50% of area median income;
• a Home Repair Program, generally under $5,000 a household, at or below 150 to 175 percent of the poverty level.

The county's Whole-Home Repairs program ends on December 31, 2026, when its federal money runs out; the county says it repaired nearly 200 homes, that more people applied than it could help, and that its partner agencies will keep taking repair requests.

What about Delaware County?

Its Whole-Home Repairs program offered income-qualified owners repairs of up to $50,000, including porch, plumbing, minor electrical and bathroom repairs, grab bars and handrails, door widening and stair lifts. The county's announcement said all funds had to be spent by the end of 2026 and that the program is not an emergency resource; for urgent dangers it says to dial 211. Delaware County's health department also arranges a free home lead inspection when a child's blood-lead level reaches 3.5 micrograms per deciliter or more.

What about Montgomery County?

Its general repair program is closed: the county says it is not accepting applications or adding to its waitlist, and that its Whole-Home Repairs grant will not reopen. Its Lead Hazard Control Program is open to owners and renters of pre-1978 homes with a child under 6 or a pregnant woman, under income limits ($68,750 for one person). A certified contractor repairs lead hazards at no cost, and a Healthy Homes inspection can add stair repairs and railings, exhaust fans and minor structural work.

What applies everywhere?

• Weatherization. The state's Weatherization Assistance Program, run through local agencies in all 67 counties for households at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines, gives priority to elderly residents, people with disabilities and families with children, and can include installing carbon monoxide alarms.
• Fall prevention. The National Institute on Aging says many state and local governments run home modification programs for older people, and suggests the Eldercare Locator, 800-677-1116.

What should you watch out for?

Program work comes with conditions: Bucks County's program, for example, paid contractors directly rather than homeowners and recorded half of each award as a deferred loan against the property. Read the terms before you sign. And keep your guard up: the Attorney General says scam artists target older Pennsylvanians and lists shoddy home improvement work among the warning signs. Its senior helpline is 1-866-623-2137. The scams guide explains the common tactics, and county details are in the Chester County guide and the Philadelphia guide.

Sources

1. Adaptive Modifications Program, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation
2. Need home repairs? Help is available to older Philadelphians, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
3. Whole Home Repairs Program Has Changed Lives, Chester County
4. Delaware County Council Announces Additional $2.7M in Funding for Delaware County Whole Home Repair Program, Delaware County
5. Lead Free 1-2-3, Delaware County
6. Lead Hazard Control Program, Montgomery County
7. Weatherization in PA, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
8. Preventing Falls at Home: Room by Room, National Institute on Aging
9. Protecting Seniors, Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General
10. COVID-19 ARPA Whole-Home Repairs Program, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development
11. Basic Systems Repair Program, Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation
12. Get home repairs and modifications for seniors, City of Philadelphia
13. Bucks County Home Repair Program, Bucks County
14. Housing Resources, Chester County
15. Home Repairs Program, Montgomery County