Florida SHIP home repair help, county by county

What is Florida's SHIP program?

The State Housing Initiatives Partnership, or SHIP, is a state housing fund that Florida hands to local governments. The Florida Housing Finance Corporation distributes SHIP money to all 67 counties and 55 cities on a population formula, with a minimum of $350,000 per county. Each local government writes a Local Housing Assistance Plan that says how it will spend the money.

Most plans include help for people who already own their home. That help shows up under names like "owner-occupied rehabilitation," "emergency repair" and "special needs." For an older homeowner of modest means, this is often the most realistic local source of money for safety repairs, including some bathroom changes.

Florida Housing's rules aim the money at households of modest means. At least 30% of funds go to very low income households (up to 50% of area median income), another 30% to low income households (up to 80%), and the remainder can serve households up to 140% of area median income. At least 65% must be spent on homeownership and at least 75% on construction activities, a category that includes repair and rehabilitation.

Will SHIP pay for a walk-in tub or roll-in shower?

It depends on your county's plan, your income and what the inspector writes up. SHIP repair programs fix what is unsafe or inaccessible, so the request has to be framed around need, not comfort. A barrier-free shower for a wheelchair user is a clear accessibility case. A walk-in tub can also be an accessibility fix for someone who cannot step over a tub wall, but extras like jets or heated seats are comfort features a repair program is unlikely to pay for.

Two published county examples show the range:

• Hillsborough County runs an owner-occupied rehabilitation program for unincorporated Hillsborough, Plant City and Temple Terrace. It says accessibility improvements for people with disabilities or special needs are eligible. Help is an interest-free deferred loan forgiven over 5 to 15 years if you keep living in the home, and applicants need a homestead exemption for at least two years.
• Pinellas County announced in July 2024 that its home repair program rose to $75,000 as a fully forgivable loan, with a separate Independent Living Grant of up to $20,000 for items such as wheelchair ramps, grab bars and roll-in showers. Belleair Shore, Clearwater, Largo and St. Petersburg were not included in that county program.

If your county will not cover the bathroom, ask whether it can cover the parts that make an install possible, such as a new water heater, a dedicated electrical circuit or subfloor repair. Then compare the rest with the other ways Floridians pay in our Florida payment guide.