What is RAHA?
Back in 2021 the Provincial Government and the Federal Government got together to provide an annual budget of $5,000,000 to assist certain of us to upgrade our residences. Manufactured home residences are quite eligible.
BC’s RAHA program stands for Rebate for Accessible Home Adaptations.
If you were familiar with the old HAFI program (Home Adaptations for Independence initiative), RAHA is it’s upgraded replacement. With this once-in-a- life-time grant, as much as $17,500 could be available to seniors and to the disabled in order to help make their homes more accessible. It provides “…financial assistance to eligible low-income and moderate-income households in order to complete home adaptations necessary for accessibility.”
One thing to keep in mind is that these funds may not always be available. It depends on how much the current allotment of funds the government has gone through in the last year, and on whether both governments remain in a agreement to continue with this program.
When funds are available, for manufactured home owners this program might approve exterior and interior wheelchair ramps, and/or door-widening. Such things as walk-in showers with grab bars and shower seats are applicable, roof and stair repairs and upgraded kitchen counters. Electric wheelchair lifts or stair lifts qualify as well.
As it’s name suggests, it operates on a rebate program. Hence, whatever work is done, after having obtained full approval from the RAHA and after all receipts are submitted, the owner or his/her contractor later receives the full cost from the government – less the GST. It takes a while for that rebate to arrive but, if all goes well, the only cost to the home owner is that GST.
Who is eligible? Obviously low-income and moderate-income citizens. But in order to qualify it is BC Housing that sets the limits as to what is low and what is moderate. Apparently, that maximum income an applicant can have is now $134,100 maximum annual household income.
And how disabled must one be in order to qualify? That basic information regarding one’s disability has to be submitted by the applicant. The program requires that a qualified occupational therapist, (OT) or physical therapist (PT) must be hired to make such an assessment.
The government has their own verified occupational therapists, but these therapists are so busy that that might take 6 months before one arrives at your door.
Instead, RAHA will cover the costs of hiring an independent therapist – at last count the fee for such runs about $275 – which will be rebated along with the final pay-out. (The program even offers advise on how to find an OT or a PT.)
The application form is quite extensive and asks for proof of assets, proof of income, estimates of work to be done, proof of citizenship and the value of one’s home – as well as the OT’s signed approval form,
But if you’re getting on in age or certain disabilities have crept on you so that things around your home are getting too difficult to contend with, it is well worth the effort to get this RAHA process started – even if you have to get your grandson/granddaughter to come in and give you a hand filling in the form.
To apply for this program, you can simply type RAHA on your browser’s search bar or log onto www.bchousing.org Or call BC Housing at 604-433-2218.
This article was kindly shared by Evan Brett, a valued associate member of LMMHOA. The thoughts and insights expressed are personal and offered for informational purposes, not as legal advice or representation of the organization.
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