THDA Home Modifications Emergency Repair Program
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The Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) offers multiple programs to assist Tennessee homeowners with home modifications to increase safety, livability, and visitability. This article is about the Emergency Repair Program.
Emergency Repair Program (ERP): The Emergency Repair Program allocates funds to make essential home repairs for elderly or disabled homeowners. The program is administered statewide by eight development districts and one human resource agency. This is not a comprehensive home renovation program. The ERP corrects, repairs, or replaces an essential system and/or critical structural problem for low-income homeowners who are age 60 and older or persons with a disability. These repairs or renovations should include aging-in-place considerations. The following repairs are eligible under the Emergency Repair Program:
Roofs
Electrical systems
Plumbing systems
Septic systems
Heating and air (HVAC) systems
Repairs to floors or walls
Insulation
Window and door replacement
Bathroom modifications and ramps necessary for the homeowner with a physical disability to safely access and use the home for basic life functions
The following repairs/purchases are NOT eligible under the Emergency Repair Program:
The purchase or repair of appliances not permanently attached to the home, including refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, and dryers.
Off-site infrastructure (sheds, barns, fences, bridges, etc.)
Landscaping, except for the restoration of the site following an eligible activity or for health and safety reasons.
Driveway repairs, except as part of an eligible accessibility activity for ingress/egress to the home.
Relocation costs of the homeowner.
Tools and work related appliances that will not stay with the home.
Approximately $2.7 million is allocated state-wide every year, upon approval by THDA's Board of Directors. These funds come from the Tennessee Housing Trust Fund, which is financed by profits from THDA's mortgage loan program.
Creating a home that is safer, more livable, and more visitable should involve Universal Design (UD). The principles of UD contribute to the safety, convenience, and function of products and home spaces by making products and spaces safer, easier to use and, more accessible. For additional information about UD please see Universal Design.
Careful planning is important to creating a home that is safer, more livable, and more visitable using UD. A home that is safer, more livable, and more visitable should include aging-in-place considerations.
Universal Design is a key part of aging-in-place home modifications. A Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) is trained in the application of UD for home modifications to help aging and disabled individuals remain in their homes longer. CAPS consultants and UD incorporate the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Housing Act (FHA) into residential home design and modifications.
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