A Prisoner In Her Own Home
Ms. Evelyn is 69 years old and a double amputee. Wheelchair bound, Ms. Evelyn lives with her daughter. She was confined to her living room, which served as her bedroom. Nothing in the house was wheelchair accessible. There was no privacy when using the bathroom. Ms. Evelyn had to call her neighbors or family to carry her outside. She was a prisoner in her own home.
Rebuilding Together, a national nonprofit in Washington, D.C. with affiliates in more than 200 cities and serving in excess of 1,000 towns throughout the United States—and its diverse team of volunteers—converted the house into a wheelchair accessible home. They installed widened doors in the hallways and bathrooms and gave Ms. Evelyn back her privacy, dignity and independence.
This is one of thousands of stories in the library of Rebuilding Together’s experiences. Rebuilding Together was born out of a fundamental belief that all people deserve to live in safe and decent housing. Their mission is to preserve and revitalize houses and communities throughout the United States. Their work ensures that low-income homeowners, particularly those who are elderly and disabled, as well as families with children, live in warmth, safety and independence.
Since its inception, Rebuilding Together and its army of 2.5 million volunteers have rehabilitated over 96,000 homes and nonprofit facilities throughout the U.S. The volunteers have logged 24 million hours of work and added in excess of $900 million in market value to the projects they’ve completed.
Winter Blues
What many of us don’t realize is that there are many homeowners in our own communities who are living without heat or hot water. Behind many closed doors are great-grandmothers catching rain water in buckets and babies without heat this winter. And for 24 million low-income homeowners, this will be a particularly challenging winter. In addition, home heating costs have risen nearly 30% for oil heat and 50% for gas heat. Families already struggling to meet increasing property taxes, medical expenses, and utility costs will find themselves left in the cold. Rebuilding Together provides a critical service by improving insulation and other cost-efficient methods of home heating.
This year Rebuilding Together will transform 8,700 houses, bringing safe, warm, and dry conditions to people in need. The recipients are all low-income and they all desperately need our help. The differences we can make in the lives of the elderly and disabled and families with children are enormous. Visit National Impact.
Rebuild 1000! ... Responding to Hurricane Katrina
Hundreds of thousands of residents of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are still suffering the effects of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The recent storms touched each of us as we saw the devastation and heard about the tremendous need.
Rebuilding Together has pledged to rehabilitate 1,000 houses in the Gulf. In November we began our aggressive effort by rehabbing three houses in the Lower Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. All had significant roof and interior damage, and all belong to elderly people who were eager to regain their homes.
Countrywide Financial Corporation has pledged $500,000 in support of Rebuild 1000! and they will match your individual or corporate donations dollar for dollar, up to an additional $500,000! With your support we will rebuild 1,000 homes in the Gulf Coast region. Your contributions to the Rebuilding with Countrywide Challenge will help us reach our goal of $4 million. Please donate now! You can also help us help others by volunteering. We especially need skilled volunteers as we begin the rebuilding efforts. Visit Rebuilding With Countrywide.
Highlights of 2005
Paint On! 2005 Rock & Roll Paint-A-Thon. Arizona affiliate Valley of the Sun was a community-based effort designed to paint homes of low-income elderly and disabled homeowners who were unable to do the work themselves. This creative endeavor, started in 2004, drew more than 2,300 volunteers from the community and revitalized 102 homes in one day!
Oklahoma City’s Inaugural Construction Derby was launched to increase awareness of Rebuilding Together, raise funds, and bring the community together. Each derby entry was non-motorized and was required to incorporate at least 4 items commonly used to make home repairs.
National Rebuilding Day 2005 Over 225,000 volunteers in more than 1,800 communities across the country picked up hammers, paint brushes, saws and other tools to rehabilitate over 8,700 homes and community centers, schools, boys and girls clubs, and other non-profit facilities.
Facing the Loss of Her Family Home
Joy H., a mother of two and a grandmother of six in Clebourne, Texas, had lived in her house for 27 years, but when she retired and was placed on a fixed income, she struggled to keep the house repaired. Over the past two years, as the roof began to cave in and the plumbing deteriorated, she was forced to heat water on the stove in order to take warm baths and wash dishes.
“If I didn’t do something soon,” she said, “I was going to lose my house, and I don’t know where I would go.”
Rebuilding Together and the Clebourne community rallied to provide Joy with a new roof and fixed the plumbing and water heater. Volunteer labor and donations from companies such as Home Depot resulted in more than $20,000 worth of work being completed for only $8,000—all of it free to Joy.
“I found out that there are people out there that still care,” said Joy.
Whether it is rebuilding in the Gulf or providing comfort in your own community, each and every home is treasured. Together we will make a difference. We are truly rebuilding together!
Please visit our website at www.rebuildingtogether.org
- Learn more about Rebuilding Together and our programs
- Find your local affiliate
- Volunteer your time in a community near you
- Donate to our programs or to Hurricane Relief
"Until the next hurricane, New Orleans is still part of Louisiana, and thanks to Rebuilding Together, hopefully we'll live to see the Cresent City rebuilt and back before we know it."
— Michael Doucet of the acclaimed Cajun band Beausoleil
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