We were thrilled to recently host Jada Appling, a Fellow from Howard University, through a partnership between Rebuilding Together and Howard University! Jada spent time with our staff, including in our Southwest Minnesota office, learning about how we are supporting low-income older adults and individuals living with disabilities so they can remain safe and independent in their own homes!
The purpose of this program is for occupational therapy student fellows to help Rural Housing Development Organizations (RHDOs) establish a strong foundation to deliver home repair/modification services in rural communities in a cost-effective and impactful manner. Students work with Howard faculty to provide tailored technical assistance and training using a variety of occupational therapy approaches to ensure that the delivered home modifications will improve the functionality and increase independence of the neighbors receiving these services. Howard University was the first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges/Universities) to offer an occupational therapy program, and is ranked among the Top 100 Best Occupational Therapy graduate programs according to the US World and News Report. Among its talented and renowned faculty, the occupational therapy department includes eight faculty members who are Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists.
Rebuilding Together’s Howard University Fellowship program was made possible through a Rural Capacity Building grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). This is the second year that our national office, Rebuilding Together, Inc. has partnered with Howard University to offer occupational therapy students research fellowship opportunities in conjunction with developing the Rural Capacity Building (RCB) program. We are thankful for HUD’s commitment to affordable housing and community development activities in rural areas.
