Fix First Home › Virginia › Virginia Essential Home and Accessibility Repair Program (EHARP)
Virginia Essential Home and Accessibility Repair Program (EHARP) open
Administered by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), through local administrators.
DHCD pays up to $4,000 per home for urgent repairs, including repairing or replacing heating and air conditioning, roofs, plumbing and electrical hazards, and for wheelchair ramps and other accessibility work, for households under 80% of area median income. It is not available in 24 cities and six counties, among them Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Fairfax and Arlington.
source · verified 2 October 2026 · amounts in US dollars
What it pays
| Upgrade | Condition | Up to |
|---|---|---|
| Essential and accessibility repairs | Per job from EHARP; more only if other money is leveraged, or with DHCD approval in extreme cases | $4,000 |
What it can pay for
- Structural hazards: leaking roofs, rotted floors, unsafe stairs
- Electric and other fire hazards
- Roof repair or replacement
- Repair or replacement of heating systems
- Repair or replacement of air conditioning
- Water, plumbing, well pump and septic repairs
- Exterior doors that cannot be locked
- Ramps, grab bars, doorway widening and kitchen and bath modifications (ADA standards)
Who is eligible
- income
- Total gross household income at or below 80% of area median income, adjusted for family size (HUD).
- who
- Occupied homes; eligibility is by essential need and income, not age; first come, first served while the local administrator has money.
- where
- Not in the federally designated entitlement jurisdictions: Alexandria, Bristol, Charlottesville, Chesapeake, Colonial Heights, Danville, Fairfax, Falls Church, Fredericksburg, Hampton, Harrisonburg, Hopewell, Lynchburg, Manassas, Manassas Park, Newport News, Norfolk, Petersburg, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, Suffolk, Virginia Beach and Winchester, or Arlington, Chesterfield, Fairfax, Henrico, Loudoun and Prince William counties.
What disqualifies you
The rules people find out about after the work is done.
- Vacant homes.
- Purely cosmetic repairs, sheds and outbuildings, and driveways that are not an accessibility improvement.
- A home in one of the excluded cities or counties.
Where the application goes
Apply to the local administrator for your area; residents of excluded localities ask their city or county about its own repair programs.
| If this is you | Apply here |
|---|---|
| Program page and contacts | dhcd.virginia.gov |
| FAQ | dhcd.virginia.gov |
The thing most pages get wrong
A statewide repair grant does not mean every Virginian can get it. DHCD lists 24 cities and six counties, including Richmond, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun, Prince William, Henrico and Chesterfield, where EHARP is not available because they receive their own federal entitlement grants.
Not just for seniors
DHCD's FAQ answers a single mother who heard the program was for the elderly: eligibility is based on essential need and income, and age is not a priority.
Can you apply twice?
Yes, if a new essential repair arises, the local administrator has money and the household still meets the income test.