Next application round for $10,000 roof grant begins

By Wesley Muller
Contributing Writer

(lailluminator.com) — Louisiana’s roof grant program will hold its third application period Monday for homeowners to receive grants of up to $10,000 to replace or retrofit their roofs to new hurricane-proof standards.

The Louisiana Fortify Homes Program application period will open at noon Nov. 6 with slots for 750 homeowners on a first-come, first-served basis. This third round will be open to all eligible homeowners regardless of their insurance company.

The first two rounds were open only to homeowners insured through Louisiana Citizens Property Insurance Corp., the state’s insurer of last resort for those who cannot find coverage on the private market.

The first round held Oct. 2 saw a mad dash of applicants fill all available slots within just a few minutes. The second round on Oct. 16 lasted somewhat longer, but the third round may be just as popular as the first.

The Louisiana Department of Insurance, which administers the roof grants, set aside the first half of a $30 million allocation for Louisiana Citizens policyholders and the remaining $15 million for all other homeowners across the state. The grants are expected to “fortify” 3,000 homes statewide.

The Louisiana Legislature created the Fortify Homes Program in response to the state’s ongoing insurance crisis that emerged in 2020 with insurance companies going out of business or refusing to write new policies in the state. Other insurers have hiked premiums so high that people have been forced out of their homes.

Officials expect the fortified roofs will lower the risk of storm losses and keep underwriters in the state.

Unlike loans, grants are monetary gifts that recipients do not have to pay back. The roof grants will go toward the costs of better materials that allow roofs to withstand winds of up to 150 mph and keep water from leaking through to the wood below the shingles. Applicants who receive the money will have to pay for any costs that go beyond $10,000.

To qualify for the roof grants, homeowners have to get a state-approved evaluator to certify their home and then obtain bids from at least three insurance department-approved contractors who can do the work. The insurance department website lists all of their approved evaluators and approved contractors.

For more information, contact the Louisiana Department of Insurance by calling (225) 342-5900 or visiting www.ldi.la.gov/fortifyhomes.

This article originally published in the November 6, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.