Home Repairs: A Smart Government Investment in Affordable Housing
- Joe Sylo
- Jul 14
- 2 min read
A simple home repair—such as fixing a leaky roof or building an accessibility ramp—can restore safety, dignity, and independence for low-income seniors and people with disabilities. Yet these essential repairs are often overlooked in the broader conversation about affordable housing. As the affordable housing crisis deepens nationwide, it’s time for local, state, and federal governments to recognize home repair as a vital part of the solution—and invest accordingly.
Our nation’s housing stock is aging. According to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, nearly 80% of today’s senior homeowners live in homes built before 1990. Many of these homes were not designed for aging in place and have fallen into disrepair after decades of deferred maintenance. For low-income homeowners, the cost of even minor repairs can be out of reach. Left unaddressed, these issues can force residents out of their homes, placing further strain on already limited affordable housing resources.
Government investment in home repair programs is not only compassionate—it’s cost-effective. It is far less expensive to preserve existing housing through targeted repairs than to build new units from the ground up. In fact, the National Low Income Housing Coalition has long advocated for preserving existing affordable housing as a key strategy to meet growing demand. Repairs that make a home safe and accessible can also help seniors avoid costly institutional care and hospitalizations, saving Medicaid and Medicare millions of dollars each year.
Despite these clear benefits, funding for home repair initiatives remains woefully inadequate. Programs like HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships and Community Development Block Grants provide some support, but the need far exceeds available resources. Nonprofits like Servants fill the gap wherever we can—but we cannot meet the demand alone. Increased government investment is essential to scale these efforts and reach the most vulnerable.
By prioritizing home repair in housing policy and funding decisions, governments can protect existing affordable housing, help people remain in their homes, and reduce long-term public expenses. It’s a practical, humane, and fiscally responsible response to a growing crisis.
At Servants, we’re committed to being part of the solution. We invite our government partners to join us in making home repair a foundational piece of a more just and affordable housing future.
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