Revere trust board approves $50,000 senior home repairs program, caps awards at $5,000

The Revere Affordable Housing Trust Fund Board approved a new senior home repairs program at its July 2025 meeting, allocating $37,500 from the trust and pairing it with a $12,500 donation from former Speaker Robert DeLeo to create a $50,000 grant pool.

Chair Joe Gravalese presented the program design to help low‑income, owner‑occupied seniors age in place by funding home repairs and safety upgrades. Under the program, eligible applicants must be Revere residents age 60 or older, owner‑occupants and at or below 80% of area median income. Awards will be grants (not loans), capped at $5,000 per household, provided as reimbursements after verified completion of the approved work.

Gravalese said the treasurer and city elder affairs staff will administer the application and verification process. Applicants will submit a contractor estimate, proof of owner occupancy and income, and the city will verify contractor licensing and perform a site visit after work is completed before authorizing reimbursement. The city will also offer in‑person assistance through senior center staff and an online portal is being prepared.

The board voted to allocate the $37,500 and to approve the program design, application language and terms and conditions. The allocation will be administered through the Department of Elder Affairs; the $12,500 gift from Robert DeLeo was already committed to the program.

Gravalese said staff expects to open the application after a brief training and marketing period, tentatively in about six weeks following approval, and that funds will be distributed on a first‑come, first‑served basis until exhausted. Board members discussed tracking and transparency for trust balances and agreed to seek more frequent statements from the treasurer’s office to help budget future commitments.

The motions to allocate funding and to approve the program design passed without recorded opposition.