Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Grant

How it works

The Owner Occupied Rehabilitation Grant is a state program run by the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA). It does not pay homeowners directly. Instead, OCRA awards money to eligible Indiana communities, and those awarded communities create local home repair programs for owner-occupied residential properties.

The official page says the program is designed to improve housing stock and help low-income homeowners age in place, have better mobility, and make needed repairs for comfort and safety.

What the money covers

Communities may use the grant for rehabilitation activities on privately owned residences, including:

• roof repair or replacement
• heating and cooling replacement
• water heater replacement
• select lighting and electrical upgrades
• ADA accessibility modifications up to the threshold of the home
• select interior accessibility modifications

Amounts and matching

• Maximum grant award: $350,000 for cities and towns
• Maximum grant award: $500,000 for counties
• Required local match: 10% of total project cost
• CDBG funding is calculated at $5,000 per project beneficiary
• The page states the grant amount is not guaranteed and each application is reviewed based on project scope to determine whether a reduced funding level is appropriate

How to apply

• Lead applicants must be a non-entitlement local unit of government: a city, county, or incorporated town
• The applicant must have legal capacity to carry out the proposed program
• If the applicant has previously received CDBG funds through OCRA or IHCDA, it must have no unresolved monitoring/audit findings, overdue grant reports, or overdue closeout documents
• Applicants without previous OOR-related experience are required to have a site visit with their community liaison before applying
• The page encourages applicants to collaborate with community liaisons on application materials
• Applications are submitted through the Indiana Electronic Grants Management System

Timing and deadlines

• Applicants must notify their community liaison of intent to apply by 2026-06-26
• For the 2026 Cycle 2 funding round, applications were accepted from 2026-06-11 through 2026-07-12 at 11:59 p.m. ET
• The page recommends submitting before 3 p.m. ET on 2026-07-10 because technical assistance would not be available after that time

More information

The page references a Decision Making Guide, a webinar, PowerPoint slides, and additional resources on the CDBG Resources page.