SACO — A new program aims to help make homes a safer place to live for qualifying seniors.

Age Friendly Saco, a volunteer group working to help older adults remain in their homes, has partnered with Habitat for Humanity and Biddeford Housing Authority to launch Comfortably Home.

Through Comfortably Home, qualifying home owners can receive up to $1,500 worth of services including minor repairs such as winterizing improvements, flooring repairs, gutter work and storm installation. Services also include accessibility modifications including installing shower seats and handrails and safety checks on household equipment and appliances such as smoke detectors, light bulbs and furnace filters.

The program is open to those who are ages 55 or older or have a disability and live in Saco, Biddeford or an adjacent town. Qualifying participants must meed income guidelines – $41,000 maximum household income for a one person household and $46,950 maximum annual household income for a two person household.

Age Friendly Saco volunteer Lynn Steed and Alana Shapiro with Habitat for Humanity were on hand at the Saco Parks and Recreation Seniority program’s annual barbecue on Thursday to give out information about Comfortably Home and tell people about the program and encourage them to pass information on to their friends and neighbors.

The Comfortably Home program was made possible thanks to grants from Maine Housing Authority and the Maine Community Foundation.

While the Comfortably Home program is new to the Saco and Biddeford area, similar programs are in place in other areas such as Bath.

“It’s been very successful in other communities,” said Shapiro.

Once someone qualifies for the program, an assessment will be done to create a customized work plan.

“We will try to really personalize it to what people need,” said Shapiro.

For example, she said, there may be a person who just needs weatherization improvements in their home, while someone else may need some changes made to make their house more accessible.

“It’s flexible,” said Steed. Some people may have a number of minor adjustments that need to be made while someone else may have one project that’s a little more substantial that needs to be completed.

According to information from the U.S. Census, about 17 percent of Saco residents and about 16 percent of Biddeford residents are 65 or older.

For more information on Comfortably Home, contact Age Friendly Saco at 710-5029.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.