Mississippi
The Strengthen Mississippi Homes (SMH) program was established by SB 2409, the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act, and took effect July 1, 2026. It's administered by the Mississippi Insurance Department and funded by the insurance industry — not the state's general fund — with roughly $16 million available annually. Grants up to $10,000 go toward upgrading a roof to the IBHS FORTIFIED Roof standard, awarded through a lottery rather than first-come-first-served, and paid directly to the contractor after the FORTIFIED certificate is issued.
This is the part that trips people up: the program launched with Phase 1 limited to Mississippi Windstorm Underwriting Association (MWUA / "Wind Pool") policyholders in Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson counties who've held their MWUA policy for at least three consecutive years. If you're not in that group, you can't apply yet — the published framework names George, Pearl River, and Stone counties as part of the broader eventual scope, with full statewide rollout expected in early 2027. Some program pages have described the interest-registration process as temporarily paused — check current status directly with the Mississippi Insurance Department before assuming the window is open.
The grant targets the FORTIFIED Roof level first; if funding remains after the roof is covered, it can extend to FORTIFIED Silver-level items like opening protection (windows, doors, shutters). The FORTIFIED evaluator's fee is not included in the $10,000 and is paid separately by the homeowner.
All three currently-eligible counties are in Phase 1, under the same MWUA Wind Pool requirement:
Last reviewed: August 28, 2026