Please note: Due to overwhelming interest, we have temporarily paused the acceptance of applications for our Home Preservation and VetRepair programs. Thank you for your understanding — we hope to be able to serve you soon! Find other resources ➜

Affordable home repairs preserve homeownership in our community.

Our skilled construction staff and volunteers help qualified homeowners with limited incomes with a variety of exterior repairs meant to preserve the house. Homeowners are left with a renewed sense of pride and the ability to enjoy their homes in dignity and safety for years to come.

General repair services and VetRepair — our repair home repair program serving local veterans — are both available countywide.

We facilitate a variety of exterior improvements, including:

  • exterior paint

  • fence repair or replacement
  • sustainable landscaping

Our Home Preservation program aims to provide stability for homeowners by preserving older homes for safer, easier maintenance.

health + safety

Safe, healthy homes help homeowners age in place and reduce risk of medical complications and injury.

energy efficiency + weatherization

Energy-efficient homes can reduce utility costs for homeowners on limited incomes.

sustainability

By conserving and recycling resources, we build a better future for homeowners and our planet.

Habitat’s unique approach to community development is known as Neighborhood Revitalization.

integrated + collaborative

assists entire communities

develops sense of well-being

preserves quality of life

We achieve these goals through home repair and preservation, and improvements to public spaces — in partnership with community leaders and other private, faith-based, and nonprofit organizations.

How do I get started?

Our Home Preservation program is offered on a first-qualified, first-served basis and is dependent on financial qualification, need, willingness to partner with Habitat, and the availability of funding.

If you are a veteran, please visit our VetRepair program page.

Please note: Due to overwhelming interest, we have temporarily paused the acceptance of applications for our Home Preservation and VetRepair programs. Thank you for your understanding — we hope to be able to serve you soon! Find other resources ➜

Here’s how the process works:

  • Submit an Interest Form

  • Apply

  • Home Assessment

  • Financial Review

Have more questions? VIEW FAQS ➜

How do I qualify?

Applicants must meet six criteria to qualify for our Home Preservation program.

1. You own and occupy your home located within San Diego County.

You own your single-family home, and it is your primary residence.

2. You have a need for improved housing.

Your home is causing negative effects on your health, safety, or financial well-being.

3. You are willing to partner with Habitat.

Our programs are built on partnership, and able-bodied applicants provide “sweat equity” working with Habitat construction staff and volunteers on home repair projects.

4. You meet the income guidelines.

Our repair program serves homeowners who earn less than 80% of the Area Median Income.

VIEW INCOME GUIDELINES ➜

5. You want to pay it forward.

We request a $100 “pay it forward” donation to help another homeowner in need of repairs.

The work done on our home was very high quality and is beautiful beyond our expectations. From the start of our application to the completion of the job, we were treated with the utmost respect.
Yolanda, El Cajon
Because of your generosity, we have new windows that even lock — with screens! — a new house heater, and my beloved stove. My old oven didn’t hold heat or even ignite all the time. It’s going to be cookies for the kids at church for Christmas!
Susan + Earnest, Chula Vista

We are very grateful for the assistance Habitat provided for our family. We now have the access ramp for Alejandro’s wheelchair and a walk-in bathtub that makes our caregiving much easier. The new furnace and double-paned thermal patio door keeps us very comfortable in the winter.

Rizalina + Alejandro, San Diego

If we can’t assist you, we’ll help find someone who can.

There are many local nonprofit organizations that we have the pleasure of partnering with to offer aid to homeowners and communities. If our program isn’t a fit for you, we encourage you to review these informational resources:

Interfaith Community Services

Jewish Family Service Fix-It Service

Here are answers to the questions we hear most.

The repairs to your home are offered free of charge, as they are funded by generous donors and government partners. We do request that the homeowner or a qualifying family member complete 15 hours of “sweat equity” and a one-time minimum $100 “pay-it-forward” donation toward the program.

This is a donation of your time. You or a qualifying family member must work alongside Habitat construction superintendents and Habitat volunteers, either on the work on your home, welcoming volunteers, or other volunteer work on Habitat job sites, in our offices, or in our ReStores. A total of 15 hours is required, and can be completed by you and/or a family member.

This is a one-time payment of a minimum of $100. The tax-deductible donation is an act of good faith that goes toward helping another family receive home repair. Payment plans can be arranged.

Home Preservation services are made possible thanks to the hard work of our volunteers and corporate sponsors under the supervision of experienced Habitat for Humanity construction superintendents.

Larger, more complicated projects or those that require skilled labor may be conducted by licensed subcontractors and Habitat for Humanity construction superintendents.

We are unable to conduct work on multifamily units, condos, or mobile homes, unless they are owned and occupied by a veteran qualifying for our VetRepair program.

Yes. The home must be owner-occupied.

We can perform repairs on mobile homes ONLY if they are owned and occupied by qualified veterans through our VetRepair program.

There are many wonderful organizations in San Diego County that offer home repair and other services. Please click here to visit our resources page.

Habitat asks for tax and other income verification documents to fulfill our grant obligations. We are only allowed to serve homeowners whose income does not exceed 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for San Diego County. If we do not verify income, we could lose our funding, and the program would cease to exist.

Only the home where the homeowner resides can be included on the application and qualified for repairs. The income received from the renter must be included as a source of the applicant’s income on the application.

As part of your partnership with Habitat, we ask that you serve as an ambassador for our organization and the repair programs we provide. You can tell your story better than anyone else, and you can help reach other homeowners who may need our services. You can also help us attract large donors to the program by allowing us to showcase your project.