Illinois Home Repair Assistance Can't Keep Pace With Need

Illinois home repair assistance can decide whether a family keeps a safe home or watches it fall apart. Across the state, many lower-income homeowners can't afford the repairs that keep their homes livable. A leaking roof, a failing furnace, or worn-out windows can quickly become a crisis.

A July 2025 report from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies shows how wide the gap is. Lower-income owners spend far less on their homes, yet repairs eat up a far bigger share of their income. For these households, every repair brings hardship, whether they pay for it or put it off.

The stakes run especially high for older adults. Nearly one in five Illinois homeowners is a senior living on a low income. More than eight in ten of them have owned the same house for at least ten years. Stronger repair programs would help them stay safe at home. Without them, homes deteriorate, health risks grow, and hard-earned equity slips away.

What Harvard Found About Home Repair Spending

Harvard's researchers analyzed 2023 data from HUD's American Housing Survey. Their findings, published as Home Repairs Are Out of Reach for Many Lower-Income Homeowners, paint a stark picture.

Homeowners in the bottom fifth of incomes, earning under $37,500, spent an average of $3,100 on improvements and repairs. That's less than a third of the $10,900 spent by the top fifth. The burden tells an even sharper story. Repairs and improvements consumed 16% of income for the lowest earners, compared to just under 4% for the highest.

Many lower-income owners could barely spend at all:

• 45% spent less than $500 on their homes all year

• 28% spent nothing, double the 14% share among higher-income owners

• Only 14% spent $10,000 or more, compared to 38% of higher-income owners

Where the money went matters, too. Maintenance, replacements, and disaster repairs made up 74% of lower-income owners' spending. For higher-income owners, those projects accounted for just 55%. Replacements included roofing, windows, siding, insulation, and HVAC systems. Meanwhile, discretionary projects like kitchen remodels and room additions made up only 18% of their spending. Higher-income owners devoted 30% to these upgrades.

In short, lower-income homeowners aren't remodeling. They spend what little they can on keeping their homes safe and livable.

Why Illinois Home Repair Assistance Matters Now

Skipping repairs doesn't make the problem go away. According to the Harvard report, unaddressed deterioration drives up long-term repair costs. It also threatens residents' health and can cause a home's value to stagnate or fall.

The national need is enormous. In 2023, 2.9 million homeowner households lived in homes HUD classified as moderately or severely inadequate. Those homes had water leaks, large cracks, holes in the floor, or serious plumbing, electrical, or heating problems. In 2022, an estimated 27 million owner-occupied homes needed at least one repair, totaling $98 billion.

Illinois feels the strain, especially among older homeowners. Our data shows close to 570,000 low-income seniors own one- to four-unit homes across the state. DePaul's Institute for Housing Studies found that most low-income senior homeowners in Illinois live in very old homes.

Demand for help far outstrips supply. When Chicago opened registration for its home repair program in March 2025, 6,818 homeowners applied or called in eleven days. The city expected to serve only 250 to 300 of them. Each unmet request represents a homeowner left to manage on their own.

That shortfall reflects a national pattern. Harvard found that home repair assistance programs meet only a fraction of the need. For seniors on fixed incomes, waiting means living with unsafe conditions in the meantime.

Protecting Funding for Illinois Home Repair Assistance

Proven models already exist. Harvard points to Pennsylvania's Whole-Home Repairs Program as one initiative that expanded the pool of available assistance. Our coalition is pursuing a similar one-stop model for Illinois through the Senior Home Preservation Program Act.

Yet federal support was under threat when Harvard published its findings in July 2025. The draft FY26 House appropriations bill proposed reducing or eliminating funding for key repair programs. Those included the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes. The Senate's version, by contrast, proposed level or greater funding for many housing programs. Harvard warned that without action to protect and expand funding, more lower-income households would go without critical repairs. Their homes would deteriorate faster, hitting hardest those least able to absorb the impact.

Our coalition works on several fronts to close the gap:

• Advocating for stronger state and federal policies that fund home repairs

• Connecting homeowners to local, state, and federal programs through our services directory

• Pushing for equitable investment in neighborhoods that have been historically underfunded

When a home falls into disrepair, the damage goes beyond bricks and mortar. It affects a family's health, stability, and financial future.

Expanding Illinois Home Repair Assistance Together

No one should have to live in an unsafe home because they can't afford repairs. The Harvard data makes the case clearly. Lower-income homeowners already stretch their budgets to cover essential fixes, yet many repairs remain beyond their means. Every repair left undone today becomes a bigger, costlier problem tomorrow.

Better-funded repair programs would help close that gap. They would keep seniors safe, protect neighborhoods, and preserve the wealth families have built in their homes.

You can help move that work forward:

• Read and share the Harvard study with your network

• Contact your state and federal representatives and urge full funding for repair programs

• Share your story so policymakers understand what's at stake

Every voice adds weight to the call for action. Together, we can make sure every Illinois homeowner has the resources to keep their home safe, healthy, and strong. To stay updated on local and national efforts, join the Fix Our Homes Illinois Coalition today.