Senior Housing Accessibility Modifications Program

FUNDED BY ALASKA HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION

This program, also called Senior Access, provides grants for modifications to improve accessibility for seniors (55 years of age or older) currently in need of of such modifications. Grants my be up to $12,000 for eligible senior homeowner households, or up to $8,000 for senior tenants in rental housing, or up to $5,000 for tenants living in small (5 beds or less) state-licensed assisted living facilities. Alaska CDC provides Senior Access services in the Mat-Su Valley, Kenai Peninsula, Copper River Basin, the city of Kodiak, and in Southeast Alaska.

Eligibility is determined by income, generally no more than 100 percent of median family income for the area as adjusted for family size. Contact Alaska CDC for an application or click on the program title to contact Lori Tice for more information about this program.

Click Here to download an application.

Housing Accessibility Improvement Program (HAIP) Grant

FUNDED THROUGH THE STATE OF ALASKA, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & SOCIAL SERVICES IN COOPERATION WITH THE ALASKA MENTAL HEALTH TRUST AUTHORITY

HAIP grants may be used for accessibility improvements to existing homes to mitigate functional limitations imposed by qualifying disabilities. The requested improvements must be necessary due to a related disability of a full-time resident (e.g., we will replace stairs with a ramp for a resident who depends on a wheelchair but not for a resident whose disability who does not make using stairs difficult). The disability and the need for the requested improvement must be verified by our staff. HAIP grants cannot be used for home repairs or maintenance.

Households must agree to sign a Promissory Note to pay back the entire grant if the intended beneficiary does not live in the home for 3 years after the work is done. Tenants and landlords also are required to sign lease agreements to ensure the beneficiary may remain in the home and benefit from the improvements. The lease term will depend on the amount of funding awarded for the project. All households must participate in annual residency reviews during the grant forgiveness period.

Funding for this program is very limited and generally will be allocated to households on a first-come, first-serve basis. In some cases when combining funds from several sources will provide cost savings to the program, households might be moved up the wait list.

The maximum grant available for owner-occupied homes is $15,000, $12,000 for rentals. (Landlord cooperation is required.) Maximum grant awards may be reduced by project coordination costs. Assisted Living Homes cannot be served by this program.

Alaska CDC administers HAIP grants in the Kenai Peninsula Borough, Mat-Su Borough, and the Valdez-Cordova Census area.

If you intend to apply to other home improvement programs that we administer, we encourage you to complete our general home improvement assistance application. It is designed to let you apply for one or more programs—including HAIP—which is easier than completing several individual program applications.

  • Click Here to apply for a HAIP grant AND one or more other home improvement programs.