Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Volunteer Home Repairs for the Needy and Elderly

Most people know about Habitat for Humanity, a group that creates homes for the poor out of voluntary community labor, in which the new homeowners are required to contribute "sweat equity." In Toledo and the Maumee Valley area, HFH also does home repairs.  But there are also organizations that help pitch in and help poor and elderly homeowners repair their homes.

One is Christmas in Action, which provides home repairs for people on a fixed income who are over 60 or physicallly disabled.  You need to live in an area that has a local affiliate nearby and contact that affiliate group.

A much larger network of volunteer home fixer-uppers is Rebuilding Together, with over 200 local affiliates around the United States.  They help low-income homeowners fix their homes without the qualification of being elderly or disabled.  They also do community rebuilding work in partnership with other local organizations.  If you do not live near a local Rebuilding group, get in touch with the national organization at 1-800-473-4229.

Remember that if you are elderly, the federal government has a page on home repair and modification, and how to find it.  Your best bet is to find a local office on aging in your community, or call 211 if your area has it, and ask for a home repair agency.  For people in Toledo and northwest Ohio, an extra list is here.

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