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Helping local residents maintain their houses?
04/27/2009 8:00 AM by John M
Rebuilding Together is a national nonprofit working to help the elderly, handicapped, and low-income maintain their homes. A reader wants to know if there is anything local?
Is there a group within Church Hill that volunteers to help local residents maintain their houses? Some of the houses that are in disrepair are the result of owners, not renters or landlords, who need help maintaining their properties. Some volunteer work from neighbors could help them upgrade their properties and stave off violations and sales.
TAGGED: Rebuilding Together
Something like this would be great not only for the obvious help for the elderly and indigent, but it could certainly be a neighborly way make O&HD designations more palitable to neighbors on a fixed income.
Great idea as long as they stay within O&H guidelines. Would help preserve the older homes and keep them occupied rather than empty and dilapidated.
I just completed volunteer work for RT on Saturday in the Highland Park community. I agree, something like this would be great for Church Hill.
The executive director for RT-Richmond is Steve King (steve@techicalfoundations.com). His phone number is 804-328-4500.
I think this would be an amazing idea for the area. And I agree with the first posting that this could even become a community thing for anyone. Is there someone to contact about making this happen around here?
Also, I find it extremely ironic that there are 9 postings against the “electric eyesore” and only one for something like this which could help the people AND the “look” of the community
This type of program was reportedly very effective in pre-Katrina New Orleans and also in San Fransisco. We should look there for models. Imagine how nice it would be if an elderly neighbor could have his or her home fixed up as nice as a BHC house and not be intimidated by O&HD standards.
Neighbor – Thanks for noticing what I posted about the cost of the LED sign – Rebuilding Together is a great organization and one I’ve been meaning to support. Thanks for reminding me about their good work. Another great organization in our community is the Fulton Family Resource Center. I encourage everyone to check out their programs and tour their center and sign up for their 10K race this fall.
I’m very sad there weren’t more people concerned with what funding a nonprofit’s purchase of an expensive LED sign vs. the way the sign would look in our O&H district!
I have been a huge advocate of architectural preservation and have supported the local preservation groups as a volunteer, donor(i could afford to make VERY tiny annual gifts and am not able to make major contributions on a nonprofit salary) and advocate but have been less involved in promoting preservation because this neighborhood doesn’t seem to understand the value of mixed-income housing and the opportunity to create affordable housing for low-income individuals and families while preserving Richmond’s quantity of turn-of-the-century vacant, blighted and deteriorating homes.
Some people have posted comments on this blog that suggest Church Hill is only interested in affordable housing options like Section 8 or co-op land trusts. Section 8 housing wasn’t designed to keep poor people living in sub-standard, drug-infested housing like we have in Richmond. By concentrating poverty and putting all poor people in one place for housing allows criminals freedom to committ crime and sell drugs because their neighbors complaints won’t be heard or made by anybody rich and powerful enough to get our leaders and fellow citiczens attention required to create real change.
Instead I read comments from my neighbors about stopping crime and improving our neighborhood by keeping the “criminal element” out of our community. It is sad to hear such small-minded suggestions for cleaning up Church Hill that never consider the needs of people living in the nearby projects. They aren’t all involved in criminal activities and want a safe, affordable, diverse community to call home just like everyone else. This NIBY attitude makes me want to move out of CH before it is taken over by the crowd with the SOB vs. NOB mentality.
Be aware of a program sponsored by the Dept of Energy which gives grants to Low Income persons to help them weatherize their dwelling. This includes renters.
http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/weatherization/about.cfm
Click on “How Do I Apply”- supposedly the average expenditure per home is $6500.
You must be on assistance or below a threshold income to qualify. That’s probably almost no one reading this, but it may help someone you know.
I should have mentioned that the money for these grants is coming from the Economic Recovery Act. Had you been wondering where your bailout was…oh look, there goes some now
Mary Anne–so nice to hear YOU’LL be moving into Mosby Court, right?? Right??? Oh,no, I suppose that one-level housing would keep you from your holier-than-though vantage point. Puh-leeze. The neighborhood will miss ya.
I will contact Mr. King to discuss how we can adopt his organization’s activities in Church Hill, and keep the Church Hill Peoples News posted..
I also worked in Highland Park over last weekend with the IBEW local. Good program, lots of good work done by lots of people!