What Safe at Home pays for
The program pays for changes inside the home that lower the chance of a fall. DACL lists grab bars, handrails, bathtub cuts, shower seats and stair lifts, along with other adaptations of that kind.
A bathtub cut takes a section out of the tub wall, so your mother steps through a low gap instead of swinging a leg over the rim. The tub itself stays where it is.
Who qualifies for DC Safe at Home
You have to live in the District and be 60 or older, or be an adult 18 or older with a disability. The home must be your primary residence, and renters count as well as owners.
Household income has to sit at or below 100 percent of area median income. DACL sets that at $99,600 for one person and $113,850 for a household of two.
To apply, call DACL intake at (202) 724-5626. The program handles it from there.
How the work gets done under Safe at Home
DACL has the work done by its program partners. We are not one of them, so we cannot install what Safe at Home is paying for. If your parent qualifies, call DACL before you call anyone else, us included. Free beats any price we could write.
DACL treats two cases as private pay. One is a household above the income limit. The other is work that goes past what the program covers. Both are jobs we take on.
Where we fit next to the program
For a private job we start with the Livability Assessment. We walk every room, then write a report that ranks each danger with its fix, and anything you choose gets a written scope and a fixed price before a crew shows up.
Don't let one application hold up the rest of the house. If Safe at Home is handling the bars in the bathroom, the dark stair and the curling rug in the hall can still be fixed this month. We leave alone anything the program has said it will do.
Questions about DC Safe at Home
Can a renter in DC get Safe at Home work done?
Yes. DACL lets people who rent their primary residence apply, as well as owners. A landlord may still want a say in changes to the unit, so ask before the work is scheduled.
My father is over the Safe at Home income limit. What now?
DACL treats that as a private pay job. We can walk his house, rank what could hurt him and give you a written fixed price for the fixes you pick.
Services DC Safe at Home can pay for
Where this comes from
Safe at Home, run by DC Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL). Current as of October 2026. DC Safe at Home decides eligibility and amounts, so confirm its terms before you plan around it.