County gets funding for weatherization, repairs for low-income households

PIMA COUNTY, Jan. 9, 2024 – Low-income homeowners looking to make their homes safer and more weatherproof may be able to get a helping hand from Pima County. 

The Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Jan. 7 to accept three federally funded grants from the Arizona Department of Housing that would provide additional funding for home energy efficiency measures and health and safety installation and repairs to qualified households. 

The funding would go to the Pima County Home Repair Program, which provides assistance for qualifying homeowners who are concerned about the health, safety and energy efficiency of their homes. 

The grants provide for $168,620 from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) and $566,252 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). 

“By providing low-income community members with assistance in making necessary home repairs, this funding reduces household costs and improves the health and safety of existing housing stock in the County,” said Dan Sullivan, director of the Pima County Community & Workforce Development Department. 

Weatherization aims to make a building safer from the elements and more energy-efficient. It can help homeowners heat or cool their homes more effectively, and it can also help them curb their heating and cooling expenses. 

The funding also covers home repairs that might be necessary to make a building safe and healthy for its occupants, such as badly needed roof or wall repairs or important updates to plumbing or electrical systems. 

The measures will be available to qualifying low-income, owner-occupied households within Pima County, excluding those within the city limits of the City of Tucson. Priority will be given to the elderly, individuals with disabilities, and families with children ages 5 or younger. 

Sullivan said the funding will help to foster the goals of the Prosperity Initiative, a wide-ranging set of policies adopted by the County in 2023 to reduce generational poverty in the community. 

The initiative’s recommendations include increasing housing stability for lower-income households. Because these households are likely to be disproportionately affected by the cost of utilities and medical expenses, making homes safer and more affordable to heat or cool can help these low-income residents be more secure in their homes. 

“Supporting housing stability is a central priority for the Prosperity Initiative, and programs like WAP and LIHEAP are an important part of that effort,” Sullivan said.