Senior, Disabled, & Veterans Grants

 Grab Bars     Railing Picture     HARDE Ramp
Grab Bars                      Railing                     Access Ramps

Home Access & Repair for the Disabled and Elderly (HARDE) &

Veterans Home Improvement Program (VHIP)

A Quick Look:  How do I qualify for a HARDE or VHIP grant?

  1. You must be a Washington County resident (but not reside within Beaverton city limits)
  2. You must be disabled and/or elderly (62 years or older)
  3. Your assets must be below $15,000 (excluding your home, its furnishing & fixtures and one vehicle)
  4. Your income must be within the current income guidelines
  5. Your income taxes must be current if a homeowner
  6. You must permanently reside in the dwelling to be rehabbed
  7. VHIP ONLY: You must have a copy of your DD-214

What is the purpose of the HARDE and VHIP Programs?

  • General Repairs for Elderly: To assist low and moderate income owner occupants who are 62 years or older in making repairs of an urgent nature to their single family dwellings.
  • General Repairs for Disabled: To assist low and moderate income owner occupants who are disabled, in making repairs of an urgent and/or necessary nature to their single family dwellings.
  • Accessibility Improvements: To provide low and moderate income owner occupants and low income renters who are elderly or disabled or both, to access into and within their single family dwellings.  There is no age limit for this group.

How does the assistance work?

  • The assistance will be in the form of a grant to pay for the repairs.  Both labor and materials can be acquired.  The maximum grant is $8000 for HARDE, $10,000 for VHIP.
  • The owner occupant or renter of a dwelling who has a gross income at or below 50% of the annual median income of the Portland PMSA, based on family size, as certified annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, may qualify for a grant up to a maximum amount of $8000 for HARDE, $10,000 for VHIP.
  • Applicants who have received assistance in the form of an Interest Bearing Loan or Deferred Interest Bearing Loan (IBL or DIBL) from Washington County OCD may not receive a HARDE grant unless they have used all loan funds available to them and 3 years have passed since receiving the last loan.

What are eligibility criteria?

Structure 
  • The structure must need repairs of an urgent nature, have a defect that is health and safety related or lack access into and within the dwelling.
  • Necessary repairs must be able to be made for the $8000 limit for HARDE, $10,000 for VHIP.
  • The structure may be a mobile, manufactured or conventional dwelling for HARDE. Conventional dwelling only for VHIP. 
  • Owners of rental units must agree (in writing) to allow the accessibility modifications to be made.  In addition, the owner must agree to maintain the improvements to the unit for a minimum of two years and to not increase the rent as a result of the improvements.

Applicant

  • The applicant must permanently reside in the dwelling to be rehabilitated, or intend to reside in the dwelling when the rehabilitation is complete.
  • The applicant must have a "fee simple title", or a "purchaser's interest in a land sales contract", or a "certificate of title" for manufactured or mobile homes, or a valid lease or rental agreement for rental units.
  • The applicant's current assets plus fixed assets (excluding one vehicle, the subject property, its furnishings and fixtures) must be less than $15,000.

What are examples of urgent housing conditions that qualify for repairs?

  • Deteriorated roofing or siding
  • Failure of electrical or plumbing systems
  • Lack of hot or cold water
  • Defective sewage systems
  • Defective heating systems
  • Grab bars
  • Wheelchair ramps
  • Broken windows
  • Defective fuse box
  • Mold or dampness in habitable rooms