Guilford County launches grant program to help low-income homeowners

Guilford County is moving to cushion homeowners from the strain of higher tax bills and rising upkeep costs with a new Low Income Homeowner Assistance Grant, a one-time payment sent directly to qualifying residents. The program arrives as the county’s 2026 property reappraisal continues to unsettle many households, even with a proposed tax rate of 61 cents per $100 of assessed value, down from 73 cents.

The Board of County Commissioners approved the Department of Social Services to launch the grant program on Friday, March 27, 2026, and the county publicly announced it in a June 5 press release. Applications will open first to residents age 65 and older on Wednesday, July 15, then expand to all eligible homeowners on Sunday, Aug. 16.

Eligibility is limited to Guilford County homeowners earning up to 80% of the area median income. The county says grants will be awarded in the order complete applications are received until the money runs out, a structure that makes speed and paperwork matter as much as need. For older homeowners on fixed incomes, that means the first week of the program could be decisive.

The county is pitching the aid as part of a broader effort to keep residents in their homes as property values, taxes, insurance, and routine maintenance costs climb together. That matters most in neighborhoods where even modest repairs can become major financial shocks, and where a higher assessment can push an owner from managing the monthly budget to falling behind. The question for Guilford County is whether a one-time grant will be large enough to slow that pressure before it turns into displacement or visible housing decline.

The timing also reflects the intensity of the county’s reappraisal year. Guilford County says the 2026 reappraisal is required by North Carolina law and is based on county maps, aerial photography, street-level images, sales analysis, field visits, and comparable sales data. After notices are mailed, the Tax Department will offer an online process for property owners to check the accuracy of their assessed value.

The new grant adds another layer to existing state-authorized relief programs already available for low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and some disabled veterans or their unmarried surviving spouses who live in the home as a primary residence. In a year when residents have packed meetings at the Guilford County Center to ask how revaluation will affect their bills, the county is trying to answer with direct aid rather than tax-rate debate alone.