OHA Healthy Homes Grant Program Helps Eastern Oregon Families Stay Safe, cool and Healthy - 07/08/26
Click here for a video of an Eastern Oregon grant recipient (in both Spanish and English).
Click here for a video (in English only) of an Eastern Oregon grant recipient.
July 8, 2026
Media contact: Larry Bingham, PHD.Communications@oha.oregon.gov
OHA Healthy Homes Grant Program helps Eastern Oregon families stay safe, cool and healthy
Weatherization, electrical upgrades improve quality of life for residents in Ontario, Burns
ONTARIO, Ore. – For families across Eastern Oregon, a safe and healthy home can mean lower utility bills, fewer safety hazards and greater peace of mind.
Through Oregon Health Authority’s Healthy Homes Grant Program, organizations like Community in Action are helping make that possible for residents in Harney and Malheur counties. Community in Action helps low and moderate-income individuals and families – providing education and counseling, skills development, and access to community resources that help create self-sufficiency.
Community in Action received $211,191 from OHA’s Healthy Homes Grant Program toward completion of home repair projects for clients in rural Malheur and Harney Counties.
Angelica Manriquez shows repairs done to her home in Ontario
The Healthy Homes program funds critical home repairs and improvements that help keep people in Oregon safe, comfortable and healthy in the places they call home.
For Angelica Manriquez and her multi-generational family in Ontario, Healthy Homes grant funding made it possible to replace aging windows and doors in their home—improvements that have already made a noticeable difference.
“Before the repairs, it could get really cold in the winter and hot in the summer,” said Manriquez. “The new windows and doors have made our home feel much more comfortable for everyone living here.”
Manriquez said the weatherization upgrades also brought a renewed sense of stability and pride for her family.
“These repairs may seem simple, but they changed a lot for us,” she said. “We’re very grateful.”
The Healthy Homes Grant Program helps organizations make home improvements that reduce health and safety risks, improve indoor conditions and create healthier living environments for people in Oregon, particularly those in low-income or historically underserved communities. Ensuring safe and accessible housing is one of the goals of OHA’s 2025-2027 Strategic Plan. Among the plan’s key strategies is implementing policies and procedures “that facilitate equitable access to quality housing.” The Healthy Homes Grant Program is helping OHA to meet this goal.
In Burns, Paula Vaughan and Jeff Rohwer also benefited from Healthy Homes grant funding through Community in Action. Their home received important electrical upgrades that improved both safety and functionality. Prior to their electrical upgrades, Vaughan and Rohwer said they could not get their home insured, due to its poor wiring and age.
“The house was built in 1924. I couldn’t get insurance on the home; they wouldn’t touch it,” said Rohwer. “I couldn’t have insulation done until the wiring was fixed. We got used to only using one utility out of each plug instead of two. Now that the rewiring’s been done, I don’t have to worry about burning my house down.”
“Healthy homes are foundational to healthy communities,” said Brett Sherry, Healthy Homes Grant Program manager at OHA’s Public Health Division. “Through the Healthy Homes Grant Program, OHA can partner with organizations like Community in Action that are creating healthier spaces for people — especially in rural and frontier communities — and remain safely housed in homes that support their health and well-being.”
The Healthy Homes Grant Program supports projects that address housing-related health and safety concerns, including weatherization, ventilation, mold remediation, accessibility improvements and electrical or structural repairs.
Organizations such as Community in Action work directly with eligible homeowners and families to identify needed repairs and coordinate improvements funded through the grant program.
OHA’s Healthy Homes Grant Program released a Request for Grant Applications (RFGA) June 30, which will remain open until Sept. 29. Total funding for this RFGA is $4,700,000. This funding is used to make home improvements for low-income individuals, specifically individuals with disabilities and older adults (55 years of age and older).
The maximum grant awards will be $500,000 and successful grantees will have three years to spend the funds.
(Note: OHA provides grants to eligible entities who in turn provide services directly to the community. OHA does not provide home improvement services directly to the public.)
Click here to learn more about the RFGA.
Click here to learn more about OHA’s Healthy Homes Grant Program.
About OHA
Oregon Health Authority works to improve the health and well-being of all Oregonians by ensuring access to effective, equitable and affordable health care and by supporting safe and healthy environments statewide.
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