Louisiana Fortify Homes program set to launch In October

The first round will award 500 grants to Citizens homeowner policyholders.

The grants offer up to $10,000 for homeowners to repair or replace their roofs to the FORTIFIED Roof standard of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. Credit: Ingo70/Shutterstock.com

Over the years, Louisiana homeowners have suffered significant property losses due to severe storms and hurricanes. Aiming to help homeowners prevent damage and save money on insurance premiums, the Louisiana Fortify Homes Program (LFHP) grant program has been established and will start its first round of grants on October 2, 2023, according to the Louisiana Department of Insurance.

Homeowners must have a policy with Louisiana’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, to be eligible for this first round. The first round will consist of 500 grants being awarded to eligible applicants on a first come, first served basis.

The grants offer up to $10,000 for homeowners to repair or replace their roofs to the FORTIFIED Roof standard of the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS). The standard is based on decades of research by IBHS and is designed to strengthen and protect homes against severe weather such as hail, hurricanes and tornadoes. 

The LFHP has secured enough funding to award around 3,000 grants. The plan is to award the first half of the grants to Citizens policyholders and the remaining half to all eligible homeowners across the state. 

Most primary residences are eligible for the program. New construction homes, condos and mobile homes are not. The eligibility requirements are:

Even for policyholders who don’t receive a grant, It may be beneficial in the long run to upgrade to a FORTIFIED Roof, whether that benefit comes in the form of reduced premiums, or through avoiding substantial losses in the future. 

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