Gauging and Responding to the Need for Home Repair Assistance in Delaware

Abstract

We review the extent of the need for home repair assistance for low-income homeowners in Delaware, and steps being taken to address this need. Delaware contains an estimated 25,000 homes owned by low-income households that need repair, of which an estimated 5,000 are in substandard condition. There is an estimated $96 million total cost associated with this home repair need, with eighty percent of this cost ($76 million) coming from the twenty percent (5,000) of these homes that are in substandard condition. In order to address this need for repair assistance, Delaware's three Habitat for Humanity organizations have designed the Statewide Healthy Homes Program, which centers on the intersection of health and housing. The vision of the Habitat for Humanity Statewide Healthy Homes Program is to increase capacity for home repair assistance across Delaware. Additionally, the program seeks to include partnerships with healthcare providers to ensure a holistic approach to home repairs, improving each resident's quality of life.