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Fix First Home › Tennessee › THDA Emergency Repair Program

THDA Emergency Repair Program open

Administered by the Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA), through local agencies.

Grants to fix or replace an essential system that endangers a low-income homeowner who is 60 or older or disabled, including a heating or air conditioning system that fails at a dangerous time, a leaking roof, or failed wiring or plumbing. THDA puts $2.7 million a year into it statewide.

source · verified 2 October 2026 · amounts in US dollars

What it pays

No published cap — and that is the honest answer

THDA's page gives no per-home maximum and no income table; both are set with the local agency, which may add its own criteria.

Repairs it can pay for

  • Roofs with structural failure or active leaks
  • Failed or dangerous electrical systems
  • Failed plumbing, sanitation or septic systems
  • Heating or air conditioning that has failed when outside temperatures threaten life, safety or health
  • Structural floor and wall repairs
  • Windows and doors where needed for safety
  • Accessibility improvements for age-related limitations or disability

What it will not pay for

  • Appliances not attached to the home, such as refrigerators, washers and dryers
  • Sheds, barns, fences and other off-site structures
  • Landscaping and driveways, with narrow exceptions
  • Relocation costs

Who is eligible

age or disability
At least 60 years old, or disabled.
home
Your principal residence, owned (an ownership interest), lived in for at least three years.
income
Limits depend on where you live and household size; ask the local ERP agency.

Where the application goes

THDA does not take applications from homeowners; apply to your local ERP agency.

Where the application goes
If this is youApply here
Program pagethda.org

The thing most pages get wrong

This is not a renovation grant. THDA: 'This is not a comprehensive home renovation program'; it stabilizes the home with emergency repairs so the owner can stay safely, and a working but old furnace does not qualify on its own.

Where the money comes from

The Tennessee Housing Trust Fund, financed by profits from THDA's mortgage loans, provides the $2.7 million a year, subject to THDA's board.

Sources