Avery Habitat’s Critical Home Repair program provides comprehensive repairs designed to address issues where an income-qualified homeowner’s health and safety might be at risk. Extending the functional life of the home allows the owners, often seniors living on fixed incomes, to age in place in the safety and security of their own home, while also preserving more of our community’s affordable housing units.

About the Program

The Critical Home Repair program operates via an open/close application cycle. To receive an application, interested homeowners or advocates of homeowners must submit an interest form. Based on the information you submit, our Family Services team will perform a pre-screening to determine if you meet some our basic eligibility criteria for the Critical Home Repair program.  

If you are interested in receiving an application, please fill out our interest form by clicking the button below.

If you have questions or concerns, please email info@averyhabitat.org or call the Avery Habitat Office at at 828.733.1909

Covered Repairs

Critical Home Repair addresses repairs where the owner’s health and safety may be at risk, with the goal of allowing homeowners to age safely in their homes without fear of displacement. For each project, a home assessment is completed to identify critical repairs needed. Here are some items that Critical Home Repair does and does not address.

repairs we do:

• unsafe structures (roofing, flooring, etc.)
• lack of heating and cooling
• electrical or plumbing hazards
• accessibility needs (limited to ramps, railings, walk-in showers, etc.)

repairs we don’t do:

• painting and other visual updates
• replacing carpeting or flooring (unless part of structural repairs)
• window replacement (unless rotted or containing lead)
• bathroom or kitchen remodels (unless for accessibility, structural, or plumbing repairs
• emergency repairs

If you aren’t sure if your home’s needed repairs would fall into this list, please reach out to our office team at 828.733.1909.

Eligibility & Program Process

In order to qualify for the Critical Home Repair program, certain criteria must be met by the applicants and the home itself. These criteria include, but are not limited to:

• The property must be located in Avery County.
• Single-family detached home or manufactured mobile home affixed to a permanent location (Townhomes, Condos and Multi-Residences) are ineligible at this time.
• Must have owned the property for 5 years & must be owner-occupied.
• Cannot be in danger of foreclosure by way of mortgage delinquencies, property liens or have property taxes more than 1 year delinquent.
• Cannot own any additional residential property.
• Homeowners who were previously served through Habitat’s Critical Home Repair program can reapply after 10 years of the work complete date.  
• AMI eligibility criteria will be based off of the current needs of the Critical Home Repair pipeline and will be set before each application cycle.

Upcoming applications will be reviewed from households earning 50% or below the HUD Area Median Annual Income (See Table Below). Proof of income for the entire household will be required to determine income eligibility.

full program requirements

Program Partnerships

Approved families for the Critical Home Repair program must also agree to the following conditions to participate in the program:

Willingness to Partner

Partner families must be willing to actively participate in the partnership with Avery Habitat including but not limited to:

• Providing accurate and honest information and documentation
• Open and timely communication
• Providing a Safe and Accessible work environment for Habitat staff, subcontractors and volunteers

Commitment to Affordability

Avery Habitat’s mission is to help to preserve the affordable housing in the Avery County through the completion of extensive repairs on owner-occupied homes. In partnership, Habitat will ask to commit to certain restrictions on the use and sale of your home for up to a 5-year period.