Homeowners, Property Tax & Repairs · Surprise rank #255
Dangerous Condition in Your NYC Home? A $20,000 City-Backed Loan Can Fix It
Project HELP lends NYC homeowners up to $20,000 to correct hazardous conditions and code violations. It runs through Neighborhood Housing Services offices rather than a city counter.
Who
NYC homeowners of small residential properties facing hazardous conditions or violations who need financing to make the repairs.
Where: New York City, through borough-based Neighborhood Housing Services offices.
What to do
Start here: Call Neighborhood Housing Services of New York City, or the NHS office serving your borough, and ask specifically about Project HELP. HPD directs applicants to NHS rather than taking applications itself. Calling 311 and asking for home repair assistance will also route you.
Eligibility: Set by the administering Neighborhood Housing Services office and can differ by borough, since NHS offices operate as independent local organizations. Expect income limits, owner-occupancy requirements and credit review.
What you get
Project HELP is a home-improvement loan program listed among HPD's homeowner resources and administered by Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS) offices in the boroughs. It is designed for repairs that address hazardous conditions and outstanding violations on small homes — the kind of work that must be done quickly and that owners often cannot finance conventionally.
Benefit: A home-repair loan of up to $20,000 to correct hazardous conditions, with NHS handling underwriting and counseling.
Possible value: Up to $20,000 per HPD's published maximum. That is enough for a serious single-system repair — a boiler, electrical work, a roof section — but not a gut rehabilitation; larger needs are typically routed to HomeFix instead.
Good to know
Important: Because Project HELP is delivered by independent NHS offices rather than by HPD directly, availability, income limits and even whether a given office is currently originating these loans can vary by borough and by year. Confirm with the specific NHS office before counting on it, and ask how it compares with HomeFix for your situation — the two programs overlap and one may be a much better fit.
Availability: Active per HPD's homeowner resources page; delivered locally through Neighborhood Housing Services offices, so availability varies by borough — confirm with the NHS office directly.
Why people miss it: The program is not run out of a city office and has a name that says nothing about home repair, so homeowners searching city websites for repair help rarely land on it.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026