Homeowners know how costly it can be to repair a roof or fix a heating system, and such repairs are vital to maintaining the health and safety of its residents. To those families with low incomes, it can seem insurmountable, but they can take advantage of two programs from the City of Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development to get their houses in shape.

* The Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) offers grants of up to $30,000 to homeowners to get the home repairs they desperately need. The program helps Chicago homeowners whose income is less than 50% of the Area Median Income and whose property is not at risk of foreclosure. The grant covers roof or porch repair, residential heating repair and repairs relating to the health and safety of its residents.

Those interested in applying for the program can contact the Department of Housing and Economic Development (121 N. LaSalle St., 10th Floor, (312) 744-4190). Applicants are required to provide several documents to determine eligibility. A list of these documents, as well as other information, can be found by visiting http://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/dcd/provdrs/afford_hous/svcs/receive_emergencyhousingassistance.html.

* The Tax Increment Financing-Neighborhood Improvement Program has been providing home repair grants in eligible TIF districts since 1999. The program assists both single and multi-family residences with primarily exterior repairs, and 30 percent of the grat may be used for health- and safety-related interior repairs.

Different TIF-NIP grant amounts are offered for single family homes and multi-family homes. The single family program requires that homeowners have a household income at or below 100 percent of the area median income (AMI). If the household income is between 100 percent AMI -140 percent AMI, the homeowner must match, dollar for dollar, the grant amount. The multi-family program requires that building owners ...