As many as 117 low-income, elderly homeowners on Maui will have access to $580,000 in federal money to make their homes safer and more accessible, Maui Mayor Charmaine Tavares announced.

Through the Senior Home Accessibility Retrofit (SHAR) program, the county will partner with Habitat for Humanity and the state Department of Health to recruit applicants and perform retrofit modifications.

The program will serve low-income, older adult homeowners who are assessed as having physical limitations, impairment, disabilities and/or other health issues. The funds were awarded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Home modifications will include converting tubs to showers, installing grab bars in showers, replacing door handles and faucets with ones that operate easily, installing handrails on both sides of hallways, staircases and outside steps, installing ramps, widening doorways and removing carpet.

For more information, or to apply for the SHAR program, contact Habitat for Humanity Maui at 893-0334.