Grab bars, ramps, repairs that prevent falls, and end-of-life care.
Repairs, grab rails and ramps
Elder Home Repair — Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance
508-752-5519
A long-running Worcester programme that puts right what is dangerous in an older person's house: stairs, doors, windows, small plumbing and electrical faults. They also clear snow, cut grass and clean gutters for elder homeowners.
18 Chestnut St., Suite 100, Worcester, MA 01608
Their website
Grant funded. Labour is free; you pay only for materials, and a donation is invited but not required. You must be 60 or over and own the house you live in. Referrals come through a nurse or case manager - ask yours.
City of Worcester Elder Home Repair Program
508-799-1400
A city grant of up to $25,000 for homeowners of 62 and over on modest incomes: heating, roof, siding, windows, code faults, and work that makes a house easier to get around.
City Hall, Room 405, 455 Main St., Worcester, MA 01608
Their website
A grant, not a loan, but you agree to stay in the house for five years. You will need proof of income.
Habitat for Humanity — home repair
508-799-9259
Repairs for health, safety and code problems for homeowners on low and middle incomes, older people and veterans among them, in Worcester and the towns around it.
640 Lincoln St., Suite 100, Worcester, MA 01605
Their website
Their site mentions repair loans as well as grants, so ask at the start whether anything has to be paid back. You begin with a form on their site.
Home Modification Loan Program
866-500-5599
A state loan at no interest, not repaid until later, to make a house workable for somebody over 60 or disabled: ramps, a stairlift, the bathroom, the kitchen.
Their website
There are income limits and you must show the need. It does not cover windows, roofs, heating or septic systems.
Worcester Housing Now — owner-occupied repairs (Tier 1)
508-799-1400
A City of Worcester programme for owners who live in their own 1- to 4-unit house, such as a triple-decker, to get technical and financial help with overdue repairs, including sanitary, building and fire code problems. It is separate from the City's Elder Home Repair Program, which is already listed.
Housing & Neighborhood Development Division, City Hall, 4th Floor, 455 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm.
Their website
The City says it is accepting applications. The application form is on the page; ring the same number with questions. Income rules apply.
Worcester Lead Abatement Program
508-799-1400
A federally funded City grant towards the cost of removing lead paint from older homes. Both owner-occupied and rented properties may qualify. Massachusetts law requires lead paint hazards to be removed wherever a child under six lives, which matters for grandparents who look after young grandchildren.
Housing & Neighborhood Development Division, City Hall, 4th Floor, 455 Main Street, Worcester, MA 01608
Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5pm.
Their website
Income and rental restrictions may apply. Ask for the Healthy Homes Program Manager. Applications for homeowners, landlords and tenants are on the page.
Worcester Inspectional Services — Building & Zoning (permits)
508-799-1198
The city office that issues building permits for repairs, additions and alterations, and can tell a homeowner whether a job such as a ramp, porch or new roof needs a permit. Listed here as well as under Emergency because this is the permits side of the department, not its housing inspectors.
25 Meade Street, Worcester, MA 01610
Building & Zoning: Monday to Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.
Their website
A registered contractor should normally pull the permit for you; be wary of anyone who asks you to get it in your own name to avoid the rules.
Home Improvement Contractor (HIC) Program — check a builder
The state programme that registers home improvement contractors. You can look up whether a builder is registered before you hire them, complain about one, use its arbitration scheme if a job goes wrong, and in some cases claim up to $25,000 from its Guaranty Fund if a court has ruled in your favour and the contractor has not paid.
Their website
The only phone number on the page is a support line for contractors, so it is not given here. For advice as a homeowner, ring the state's consumer office, OCABR (listed under Legal and Financial). Always check registration before paying a deposit.
Heating and keeping the cold out
Fuel assistance and weatherising — Worcester Community Action Council
508-754-1176
Help paying the heating bill and arrears, for owners and renters on modest incomes - and, if you get it, free insulation, draught-proofing and a safety check of the boiler.
18 Chestnut St., Suite 500, Worcester, MA 01608
Their website
The heating season runs 1 November to 30 April. Say at once if you have no heat, a shut-off notice, or less than an eighth of a tank - those come first. Their site warns of delays and smaller payments this year.
Mass Save — free home energy assessment
1-866-527-7283
A free home visit, or video call, from an energy specialist who looks for draughts and heat loss and tells you which rebates you qualify for. Insulation can be 75 to 100 percent off, air sealing is free, and there is 0% financing for some upgrades. Income-qualified households can get insulation, air sealing and heat pumps at up to no cost.
Their website
The number is also written 866-527-SAVE. Mass Save warns that scam calls are on the rise, so ring them yourself rather than trusting someone who rings you. Also open to renters and landlords.
Hospice and comfort care at home
JHC Hospice
508-713-0512
Hospice care from the Jewish Healthcare Center, at home or wherever somebody is living, for the last stretch of an illness - and support for the family after.
646 Salisbury St., Worcester, MA 01609
Their website
The same line runs their bereavement group.
Notre Dame Hospice
508-852-5505
Medicare-certified hospice from Notre Dame Health Care, at home and elsewhere, with palliative care as well for people who are seriously ill but not at the end.
555–559 Plantation St., Worcester, MA 01605
The hospice team answers at any hour, every day.
Their website
VNA Care hospice
800-521-5539
Hospice and palliative care at home from the visiting nurse agency, whose Worcester office is on Millbrook Street.
67 Millbrook St., 500 North, Worcester, MA 01606
Their website
One number serves all their services - say you are ringing about hospice.
Rose Monahan Hospice Home
508-421-5120
A hospice residence in Worcester run by VNA Care, for people at the end of life who cannot be cared for at home. Nurses are on hand at all hours, and families can stay close; there is a lift between the two floors. Listed separately from VNA Care's hospice at home because this is a place to stay, not visits to your house.
10 Judith Road, Worcester
Their website
Bereavement support is offered to the family for up to a year afterwards. VNA Care's 24-hour line, 800-521-5539, is also on the page.
Ascend Health — Worcester hospice
508-229-8390
A hospice with an office on Belmont Street that cares for people at home, or wherever they live, when treatment is no longer aimed at a cure, for conditions such as cancer, heart and lung disease and dementia. It covers Worcester and nearby towns including Shrewsbury, Auburn, Millbury, Holden and Leicester.
352 Belmont St, Worcester, MA 01604
Their website
The site says support is available around the clock. The Worcester page also gives a company-wide number, 866-821-1212. Hospice is usually covered by Medicare; ask them to confirm for your plan.
Compassus — Auburn Hospice
508-500-6394
A hospice team based in Auburn that has cared for people in the Worcester area since 2004, covering all of Worcester County. The team can be reached at any hour, and the office is open on weekdays.
Hospice care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Office: Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
Their website
The page says hospice is fully covered by Medicare, including nursing, medicines, supplies and equipment related to the hospice diagnosis. The page does not give the office's street address.