Home repair lottery: city reports 52 expected repairs in current round; Habitat for Humanity managing work

Wilmington — The city's neighborhood stabilization home repair lottery is under way, and city staff told the Finance and Economic Development Committee that the program is targeting critical home repairs for owner-occupants with an emphasis on preserving older housing stock.

"They are awarded one critical repair for up to $10,000," Real Estate and Housing Director Bob Weir told the committee, describing the program's eligibility and scope.

Why it matters: The program is aimed at low- and moderate-income owner-occupants and is intended to preserve housing, reduce blight and address safety issues such as failing roofs or heating systems.

Program details provided at the committee

- Budget and scope: This lottery cycle has a $1.5 million budget with up to 15% for administration. Staff said the program aims to complete roughly 52 homes in the current cycle and hold a second lottery later this year with remaining funds.

- Award size and averages: Awards are capped at $10,000 per household for "critical repairs." Weir said the program's first round averaged about $11,000 per home (slightly over budget), and the current round is averaging about $9,300 per home.

- Administration and delivery: Habitat for Humanity is the city's delivery partner. Staff described an intake and assessment process that includes an in-home interview, a health assessment, a scope-of-work development, competitive bids and a city review of completed work.

- Target population and outreach: This cycle prioritized applicants age 65 and older. The department conducted direct mail outreach (including stamped return envelopes) and repeated mailings and phone follow-ups to reach applicants; 30 of the 65 drawn in December had been assessed and were awaiting bids at the time of the briefing.

- Eligibility and process notes: The program requires owner-occupancy and an income cap tied to area median income (AMI). Weir said about 13 drawn applicants were either nonresponsive or determined ineligible after review; six cases required additional work to resolve title or household composition questions.

Stakeholder comments and follow-up

Council members asked about tracking by district, photos of before-and-after work, contractor diversity and whether residents must reapply for future lotteries. Director Weir said parcel-level records exist and staff can provide a district breakdown; he said photos exist for some projects but the department can do more to document outcomes. He confirmed applicants must reenter each round to be considered again.

Next steps

Staff said work on the current batch of awarded homes will continue over several months; the committee was told that the program remains demand-driven and that council may consider additional funding requests in the upcoming budget if council chooses to expand the program.