Rhode Island may fund grants to strengthen homes against severe weather

The law provides a program that may offer grants for work to strengthen homes against severe weather. The program may support work on insurable property, including residential homes and eligible projects run by nonprofit groups. The program does not guarantee grants or require the state to pay for inspections, construction, or retrofits. Implementation depends on federal grants or funds from other sources; the insurance superintendent must make best efforts to seek funding. Work must have required local permits and inspections and follow local building codes and approved home-strengthening standards. The program may also make funding available to nonprofit groups for eligible hurricane or catastrophic windstorm projects. The law takes effect upon passage. It gives no date for when grant applications begin.

Homeowners must meet program requirements, and grant money is paid to the contractor after the required work is certified. Applicants must claim their primary residence in a county where grants are approved for the property. The home must be an owner-occupied, single-family primary residence in a county where grants are approved; condominiums and mobile homes do not qualify. Applicants need wind insurance and, if the home is in a special flood hazard area, flood insurance. They must pay the evaluator's fee and any contractor costs above the grant. Grant funds cannot pay for maintenance or repairs, but may be used with repairs or rebuilding needed after a catastrophic event. Applicants must meet the program's other requirements, including using approved evaluators and contractors and meeting an approved strengthening standard. Retrofits must be completed within three months after the homeowner receives grant approval. The insurance superintendent sets the deadline for new builds; late work may lead to loss of the grant.