Focus On: Safe at Home

Have you ever wondered how to apply for home accessibility and safety modifications through our Safe at Home program?  Or what types of modifications we make through that program?  We have the answers to all of your questions here!

What is Safe at Home?  Our Safe at Home program provides minor home safety and accessibility modifications for low-income homeowners who are older adults (+55) or individuals living with a disability.  These modifications are provided at no cost to the homeowner.  Projects are completed by two to four volunteers in about four hours.

What types of modifications are provided through Safe at Home?  Typical tasks include installing grab bars, hand-held shower units, no-slip bath treads, raised toilet seat adapters, handrails, door and window locks, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and more.

Who qualifies for Safe at Home?  Qualified Safe at Home applicants must:

* Own and reside in their homes, have homeowners insurance and be up-to-date on mortgage payments;
* Plan to remain in their home for at least two years;
* Live in one of the following counties:  Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington;
* Have a household income that is at or below 50% of the median area income for the Twin Cities Metro Area, as determined by HUD.  Currently for a one person household this is $28,950 and for a two-person household this is $33,100;
* Have at least one household member who is an older adult (+55) or is living with a disability.

How do I apply?  You can either call our office to request an application at 651-776-4273 or download an application from our website.

What happens after I submit an application?  Once we receive your application and supporting documentation, we will review it to make sure you are eligible for our program.  If you are eligible, we will schedule a home preview to determine what safety and accessibility modifications we could make at your home.  Based on the home preview, we will determine if your home is a good fit for the Safe at Home program and if so, we will schedule a project day for the work to be completed.  Two to four volunteers will come that day to make the safety and accessibility modifications to your home.

Want more information?  If you would like more information or if you have questions about the Safe at Home program, please feel free to contact Tyler, AmeriCorps Safe at Home Coordinator, at t.white@rebuildingtogether-twincities.org or 651-776-4273.

2011: A Year In Review

2011 was a busy year!  We partnered with 665 volunteers who dedicated more than 6,600 hours of service to repair 74 homes and three non-profit facilities.  Thank you to all of our volunteers who dedicated their time and energy to these projects!

We would also like to recognize our generous sponsors and partners.  Your support enables us to stretch our resources further and help more low-income homeowners live independently in safe and warm homes.  The following organizations provided support for Rebuilding Together Twin Cities from July 1, 2010 through June 30, 2011:

$20,000 – $50,000
Honeywell
Mosaic Company
Otto Bremer Foundation
Sears Holdings Corp.
The Michelle & David Fries Charitable Fund
Travelers
Wells Fargo Foundation

$10,000 – $19,999
Ameriprise Financial
Choice Hotels
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
F.R. Bigelow Foundation
GLS Companies
Mardag Foundation
MidCountry Bank
Saint Paul Foundation
Stevens Square Foundation
Sundance Pay It Forward Foundation

$5,000 – $9,999
Lowe’s
Marathon Petroleum
Richard A Newman Foundation
Turner Family Foundation
WSB & Associates

Up to $4,999
Allegra Print & Imaging
Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Econo Lodge Franchisee Association
EMC Insurance Foundation
Guy Carpenter
Mohn Brothers’ Vineyard, LLC
Morgan Stanley
Mortenson Construction
Nauen Mobile Accounting Inc.
Nemer Fieger
Northern Tier Energy
Padilla Speer Beardsley
Saunders Family Foundation
Tee It Up for the Troops
Wayzata Community Church
Western Bank
Willis North America Inc.

IN-KIND GIFTS

$5,000+
Honeywell
Nemer Fieger
Number42 Creative Services
Select Evergreen Roofing
Standard Heating & Air Conditioning
Tile by Design
Valspar

$2,500-$4,999
ABC Supply Company
DayCo Concrete Company

Up to $2,500
AgeRight Retrofit
Allegra Print & Imaging – Footprints Fund
Cemstone
Citi-Cargo & Storage
Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Eddington’s
Great Harvest Bread Co.
Home Depot
J.G. Hause Construction
On Site Sanitation
Pizza Luce
Presswrite Printing, Inc.
Sherwin-Williams
Subway

We would also like to recognize Dunwoody College of Technology as a partner in 2011.  Students from Dunwoody’s Construction Project Supervision Program served in key leadership roles on both Home Repair and Safe at Home projects, and they were involved in all aspects of the home repair project, including previewing the home, planning the scope of work and supervising volunteers on the project day.  Through this partnership, Dunwoody students have an opportunity to apply their skills outside of the classroom and they are helping us help more homeowners live independently in safe and warm homes.  We are excited about continuing this partnership in 2012!

In addition to helping more homeowners and communities than ever, we also grew in terms of staff in 2011.  In August, we hired Stephen Burk as our Business Development Director.  Three new AmeriCorps members also joined us in August.

As the need for our services continues to grow, we plan to help more homeowners than ever in 2012.

Thank you again for helping us ensure that more people can live independently in homes that are safe and warm!