My husband & I are over 62 years & have our home paid in full. However, we only get SS income which pay our debts. Is there any help we can get for much needed home improvement. Our home is 35 years old & falling apart with much draftiness & old HVAC equipment, along with other problems. Any programs that will help us?

Talk to someone, your bank maybe, about the many ways you can use your home value to secure the funds for improvement and pay off your debts. Structured right, a reverse mortgage can eliminate your debts, but it's not your only option. Are either of you veterans?

Fair warning, only deal with reputable people/institutions, because there are sharks everywhere.

Help without cost is a very local thing, and you just can't expect much.

Here's the deal as I see it:
You either get a reverse mortgage, in which you are paid monthly for your house, and then lose it to the lender, or you take out a loan, which I don't think you can afford (and you can't get a reverse mortgage with a loan lien on it). One big problem with them is that the lender is going to value your home less than it's probably worth, to cover themselves 30 years from now, or whenever it's ended. And they won't even give you a reverse mortgage if you home isn't up to their standards of sellable. I know someone who was refused just because several homes shared a well.

OR

You start planning now for a retirement facility, a step down community, with various housing options as you age and need more care. Because you do have the asset of a fully paid for home, I would look for a place that is non-profit, and has a deal where they take all your assets, but never kick you out, no matter what it costs them over and above your worth when you go in. And if your home isn't suited to old age needs in the first place, that's what I would do.

You can start by talking to the senior center and seeing if they have programs locally. Most are.

Also at 62 you are allowed to make some income up to limits. So a part time job for one or both may be needed