Duke Energy offering grant money to help seniors make home repairs

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - One of the state’s biggest utility providers wants to help seniors make home repairs and improvements.

Duke Energy is offering up to $200,000 total to South Carolina organizations that help seniors make needed home repairs and improvements.

This is a part of the company’s home repair program, which offers qualifying nonprofits the chance to apply up to $25,000 each.

The homes must be located in Duke Energy’s South Carolina service territory. It can cover the needs of “an individual home or multiple homes, reflecting the needs and mission of the applying nonprofit,” a news release from Duke Energy reads.

The grant usage can include installing safety handrails in bathrooms, replacing rotting floors, installing handicap ramps and repairing unsafe steps. The funding cannot go toward weatherization, energy efficiency upgrades, or solar products and equipment.

“South Carolina’s senior population should never have to decide between basic necessities and living out their lives in safety in their own home,” Mike Callahan, Duke Energy’s South Carolina state president, said. “A simple home repair or safety improvement can be the big difference.”

The grant application process is open through the end of October.