New Partnership with AARP Foundation to Help Homeowners Age-in-Place

We are thrilled to announce that we will be partnering with Rebuilding Together National and AARP Foundation on a new pilot to help even more homeowners age-in-place.  Rebuilding Together Twin Cities is one of 12 Rebuilding Together affiliates selected to participate in this exciting pilot program, which is based off of our Safe at Home program.  The Safe at Home program focuses on providing low-income homeowners with free home safety and accessibility modifications.  Under this new pilot, we will be able to serve moderate-income homeowners who live above 50 percent of their area median income. These homeowners, who would usually not meet the financial criteria for our free home modification services, can now quality for home repairs based on a sliding payment scale.   The proceeds from this fee-for-service program will go towards providing more low-income families with free home repairs, allowing us to help a greater number of homeowners.

We will also be partnering with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) on this pilot. Through its national partnership with Rebuilding Together, AOTA will provide insights into prioritizing repairs so that we can ensure that our repairs allow recipients to age-in-place in a safe and healthy home.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, the majority of falls happen in or around the home. This makes providing fall prevention home improvements, like grab bars, all the more important. Falls are the most common cause of injury related deaths, nonfatal injuries, and trauma related hospital visits for older adults. These injuries cost the U.S. over $19 billion a year, a number that will rise as the baby boomer generation ages.

The other Rebuilding Together affiliates participating in the pilot are in: Sacramento, CA; Clay County, MO; Alexandria, VA; Central Ohio; Colorado Springs, CO; Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL; Oklahoma City, OK; Pittsburgh, PA; Silicon Valley, CA; and Omaha, NE.

Harvard University Releases Report Highlighting Rebuilding Together

A working paper recently released by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies focused on the role of nonprofits, including Rebuilding Together, in repairing U.S. homes.  Among other findings, the report noted that “Rebuilding Together participants reported significant improvements in health and safety concerns, improvements in accessibility, and energy use savings as a result of nonprofit involvement.” Read the full post and find the link to the report here: http://bit.ly/ZwN1m6.

Partnership with Wells Fargo to Rehabilitate Vacant, Foreclosed Home

We partnered with volunteers from Wells Fargo from March 25th through March 29th to rehabilitate a vacant, foreclosed home through our Real Estate Owned (REO) program.  This home was donated to Rebuilding Together Twin Cities.  After the renovation project is complete, this home will be placed for sale and available to low to moderate-income individuals and families.   The proceeds from this sale will be invested back into our programs to help more low-income homeowners live in safe and healthy homes.

Thank you to Wells Fargo for volunteering to help rehabilitate this home!  Through this partnership, we are able to help stabilize neighborhoods that have been hit by the foreclosure crisis, enable low and moderate families to purchase safe and affordable homes, and preserve affordable homeownership for existing homeowners in need.

More about the Real Estate Owned Program:

Through our Real Estate Owned (REO) program, Rebuilding Together Twin Cities’ volunteers transform vacant foreclosed homes into safe, healthy and affordable housing for new homeowners.  Rebuilding Together Twin Cities works with banks that have an inventory of foreclosed homes and would like to return them to productive use to select a home for renovation and resale.  Once a home has been selected, we reach out to community and neighborhood partners and to larger community organizations that work with first-time homebuyers, such as the Minnesota Homeownership Center and area NeighborWorks affiliates, to make them aware of the opportunity and ask them to refer potential buyers.  After the repairs and improvements are complete, we work with a REALTOR® to market and sell the property.  To be eligible to purchase one of these rehabilitated properties, the buyer’s maximum household income must be under 120% of the area median income or less and the buyer must complete a homebuyer education class.  The buyer also must live in the home; it cannot be sold to an investor.  Proceeds from the sale of these properties are invested back into Rebuilding Together Twin Cities programs that help preserve affordable homeownership opportunities for low-income homeowners and preserve neighborhoods throughout the Twin Cities.

Focus On Safe at Home

Our Safe at Home volunteers have been hard at work over the last few months!  The Safe at Home program provides minor home safety and accessibility modifications focused on ensuring that seniors and individuals living with a disability can live independently and safely in their home.  We recently helped a homeowner named Arlene, a single mother of six who works for the University of Minnesota and is the primary caregiver for her mother who struggles with cancer.

Arlene and her family moved into their Shoreview home three years ago, and while she does the best she can, raising six children makes even simple upkeep difficult.  To add to that stress, Arlene’s mother has mobility issues as a result of her cancer.  Our Safe at Home volunteers installed several grab bars, which will help Arlene’s mother live more safely and independently in their home.

If you are interested in learning more about how you can help older adults and individuals living with a disability live more independently in their homes, please contact us at volunteerservices@rebuildingtogether-twincities.org.  To learn more about our eligibility requirements or to request an application to receive services through Safe at Home, please email us at SafeAtHome@rebuildingtogether-twincities.org.