Make your home accessible with financial assistance

(NC) If you’re a person with a disability and a low income, this information may be of interest to you. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) provides financial assistance so that low-income people with disabilities can make home modifications to eliminate imminent life safety risks and physical barriers, and improve the ability of occupants to meet the demands of daily living within the home.

Begin with the persons with disabilities (PWD) website, at www.servicecanada.gc.ca – just click on “A person with a disability” and it will take you to the site you need. From there you can browse through such topics as Housing, Home Repair and Modifications or Rental Subsidies and Social Housing. You will see that one of the best programs available to homeowners and landlords with low-income occupants with disabilities is the Residential Rehabilitation Assistance Program for Persons with Disabilities (RRAP-D), offered by CMHC.

What assistance is offered?
Financial assistance is in the form of a forgivable loan. For eligible homeowners (see below), assistance is provided for 100 percent the total cost of the modifications up to the maximum loan amount for the region. Recipients must agree to continue to own and occupy the home for the term of the loan. For landlords, 100 percent forgiveness is available up to the maximum loan on eligible units (see below). Landlords must agree that the units will continue to be affordable to tenants, and in the case of rental units, new occupancy will be limited to households with incomes at, or below, established income limits. More information and loan examples are posted on the CMHC website, www.cmhc.ca.