Lorain County Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) Program

How it works

Lorain County’s Community Housing Impact and Preservation (CHIP) program is run in partnership with the Cities of Amherst, Oberlin, North Ridgeville, and Sheffield Lake. The official program notice says it provides home repairs or private rehabilitations for income-eligible homeowners in Lorain County, excluding the Cities of Elyria and Lorain.

The flyer says the Home Repair Program is fully grant-funded, meaning no repayment is required. The Private Owner Rehabilitation Program is a declining-forgivable loan with no monthly payments, no interest, no credit check, and 100% loan forgiveness after five years as long as the homeowner continues to own and occupy the home.

What the money covers

The county flyer lists eligible repair examples including:

• Roofs
• Gutters
• Windows
• Handrails
• Grab bars
• Walk-in showers
• Water heaters
• Furnaces
• Air conditioning units
• Electrical panels
• General electrical work
• Plumbing
• ADA accessibility modifications
• Other essential health and safety improvements

Amounts and matching

The official flyer excerpt available here does not state a dollar cap for the county CHIP home repair or rehabilitation programs.

How to apply

The official notice links to a 2026 CHIP info flyer and a pre-application. The excerpt does not provide additional step-by-step instructions.

Timing and deadlines

The official county notice was posted for the 2026 program cycle. The excerpt does not state a close date, and the materials should be checked for current application timing.