Housing and Energy

Emergency Home Repair

Emergency Home Repair Grants up to $24,999.99 are available at no cost to an applicant. Grant funds can only be used to eliminate threats to the life, safety, or health of home occupants. You will review and approve eligible repairs prior to work starting on your home!

Types of Emergency Repair:

• Failure of heating, air conditioning, or plumbing/septic system;
• Malfunctioning hot water equipment;
• Roof repairs or replacement;
• Electrical and gas line repairs;
• A structural failure of the home;
• Accessibility need;
• Environmental hazards such as asbestos, lead, mold or radon;
• Non-functioning doors and/or windows;
• Destructive pest damage;
• Other emergency conditions that could cause the home to be uninhabitable.

Additional Requirements for Emergency Repair:

• Repairs for external housing systems (i.e. septic systems), in the case of a manufactured home situated on leased land, are not eligible under this program;
• Be current on Knox County property taxes unless have a written agreement with the County outlining a payment plan for delinquent taxes and are abiding to the written agreement;
• Have not received home repair grant funds from Knox County in the previous five (5) years. Special consideration may be made in in the case of an emergency at the discretion of Knox County Community Development.

If you need several emergency home repairs, forgivable grants are available if repair costs are $25,000.00 or more; a lien for the total repair cost will be placed on the property. As long as you remain in your home for 3 years after the work is completed and meet program requirements, the lien will be entirely forgiven (prorated annually). *The lien will be forgiven in its entirety at the end of the three-year period, prorated annually upon the homeowner’s continued occupation of the dwelling as their primary residence for the duration of the lien.

Minor Home Repair

Under the CAC Minor Home Repair loan, you may be eligible for other identified repairs and/or replacements that do not meet the CAC Emergency Home Repair Standards, but could improve the comfort, long term sustainability, and/or energy efficiency of your home.

For the Minor Home Repair Program the household may qualify for a Zero Percent (0%) interest loan for qualifying repairs. Loan payments will be set at a rate that is affordable. Partial loan forgiveness may be available for Extremely Low-Income Households (30% AMI or lower). *In households with income at or below 30% AMI, the applicant will pay back 50% of the loan at a rate that is affordable. The other 50% of the loan will be forgiven if the homeowner lives in the dwelling and meets all program requirements for 5 years following the completion of the project (prorated annually).

Additional Requirements for Minor Repair:

• A lien will be placed on property for the total cost of the repairs.
• Must be current on Knox County Property taxes at time of application.
• Manufactured Home: applicant must own the land and home must be on a permanent foundation
• Debt-to-income ratio may not exceed 43% of the household’s gross annual income.
• No liens or judgements against applicant(s).
• Must have Homeowner’s Insurance.
• Must have flood insurance, if applicable.
• No more than one mortgage on the property.
• No current loans with Knox County Community Development.
• Reverse Mortgages not allowed on home.
• In cases of bankruptcy, discharge of the debt is required.
• Funding Source Approval

Future Responsibilities: The applicant(s) will agree to keep the Knox County Property (land) taxes current, remain current on the loan, keep homeowner and flood insurance (if applicable) current and remain in the home for the full time of the loan. Unpaid loan balance shall be repaid to Knox County upon sale of the property. If you do not fulfill your obligation you may be required to repay a portion of the loan or in full. Any amount that has been forgiven will not be required to be repaid.

NOTE: Exemption for loan repayment upon sale or transfer of property may be made if an immediate family member who qualifies under the income guidelines may assume the loans with the same terms as in the original agreement. Immediate family members are defined as Homeowner’s spouse, child, stepchild, sister, brother, mother, father, grandchildren, and/or grandparents. If the property isn’t transferred or sold to an eligible recipient, then the unpaid balance of the loan shall become due and payable.

Eligibility Requirements:

• WSP is for households in the KUB customer service area.
• Priority will be given to homes that are currently on the CAC Weatherization waiting list and customers referred by KUB as a result of high bill complaints or attendance at KUB’s energy and water efficiency workshops.
• Applicants must meet Income Standards. The total countable income of the household must be equal to or less than 200% of the federal poverty level for the household size (current at the time of eligibility determination).  If the income exceeds 200% of poverty, the household no longer meets income guidelines and will not be eligible to receive services, unless documentation is provided to show the household meets the “Income Prequalification” standards. For the WSP, a household is defined as those persons living in the home at time of application for service.
• Income Pre-qualifications: A household is considered to meet income requirements for the WSP if one or more household members are approved for, or have been approved for in the past 12 months preceding the date of application, one of the following:
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI),
• Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP),
• Head Start,
• Housing Choice Voucher (formerly Section 8)
• Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
• A Tennessee Family Assistance program as verified by ACCENT (Tennessee’s eligibility system for Family Assistance programs),
• And/Or any other CAC Housing & Energy Services Program 

Once a household is pre-qualified, no further income documentation will be required.