Ontario Grants Fund Residential Rehab Assistance Renovations

By Bruce MacKinnon

A major tool for selling home renovations for people with disabilities are the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) forgivable-loans to homeowners and landlords.

CMHC reminds renovators that it has two programs to provide funding for residential upgrades for the disabled. The first is a forgivable loan of $24,000-$36,000 to create a self-contained housing unit within an existing home. Any changes must conform to local building and zoning laws. The loan is non-repayable if all program conditions are met.

The second program covers the costs of disability-specific modifications made to an existing residence. Qualified modifications would include, wheelchair ramps, safety features, and items to improve daily living conditions like adjusting the height of countertops, chair lifts, handrails and moving fire alarms and doorbells.

The program offers the same forgivable loans of $16,000 to $24,000 to homeowner and $24,000 to $36,000 to landlords.