Wells Fargo Volunteers Make Health and Safety Repairs to Three Homes

Thanks to a generous grant from Wells Fargo, we were thrilled to be one of just eight Rebuilding Together affiliates to participate in the Healthy Housing Challenge this year, which focuses on making health and safety-related repairs for low-income homeowners.  On September 18th, we partnered with 45 volunteers from Wells Fargo to complete health and safety repairs at three homes across the Twin Cities.

We continued to make accessibility modifications to a donated Real Estate Owned (REO) in Columbia Heights. We are remodeling this home to make it completely handicap-accessible.  Wells Fargo volunteers repaired and stained the wheelchair ramp, installed window wells, finished interior demolition and framed interior walls to accommodate Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.  When the renovations to this home are completed, we will sell it to a low-income family, an individual living with disability, or an older adult looking to remain in their home for many years to come.

We also helped Ms. Priscilla in the Longfellow Neighborhood of Minneapolis. A long-time nurse at a local nursing home, Ms. Priscilla has lived in her Minneapolis home for 52 years. She raised three children there and currently has three grandchildren, who love coming over to sample her cookies and breads. Ms. Priscilla was recently cited by the city for a code violation with her garage and could not afford to fix the problem herself. The volunteers from Wells Fargo spent the day stripping the garage and re-painting it.

We were also able to repair the home of Mary and Charles, who have been married for over 38 years and have lived in their home in the Central/North End area of St. Paul since 1999. They raised their three sons there, one of whom passed away. Currently, they have one son and one grandson living with them. Unfortunately, due to Mary experiencing complications related to her diabetes and Charles suffering a massive stroke two years ago, they were forced into early retirement. Charles and Mary would like to enjoy this retirement in their beloved home, but health problems and limited finances prevent them from performing the necessary repairs and upkeep to do so. Volunteers from Wells Fargo replaced flooring in the kitchen, painted the kitchen and dining rooms, fixed up the mudroom, and weather-stripped the doors.

THANKS to Wells Fargo for your continued support of our efforts to help homeowners in need live in safe and healthy homes!

Today Is Falls Prevention Awareness Day

One in three Americans aged 65+ falls each year.

Every 15 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall.

Every 29 minutes, an older adult dies following a fall.

Together, we can help prevent older adults from falling in their homes.  Through our Safe at Home program, volunteers make accessibility modifications, such as installing grab bars and handrails, which the Centers for Disease Control recommends in order to reduce the risk of falls.  Last year, our incredible volunteers provided these modifications for 74 low-income homeowners.

We would like to recognize the core of our Safe at Home volunteer team: Wesley Anderson, Mariette Cole, Steve Ivancic, and Colin Levine-Horrigan.  Without the hard work of these dedicated volunteers, we would not be able to provide homeowners in need who are older adults or are living with a disability with the modifications they need to live independently and safely in their homes.

If you or someone you know might benefit from our Safe at Home program or if you would like to volunteer for this program, please contact us at SafeAtHome@RebuildingTogether-TwinCities.org or 651-776-4273.

Thanks To….

Collaborative Design Group – volunteers renovated the donated REO home in Columbia Heights on September 13th.

Ameriprise – four volunteers from long-time supporter Ameriprise provided ramp maintenance for a homeowner in need living with disability on August 28th.

UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans Make a Difference for Minnesota’s Veterans

On Wednesday, July 30th, we partnered with volunteers from UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans to make improvements to the Minnesota Veterans Home in Minneapolis.  The Minnesota Veterans Home is dedicated to providing Minnesota’s veterans and their families with high-quality and dignified health care in a nurturing and engaging environment.

Volunteers spent the day building a weather-protected bus shelter, installing pavers in the picnic area, creating wheelchair-accessible areas on the grounds, doing general landscaping and installing a new flagpole. When the work was complete, a group of local veterans performed a flag-raising ceremony and enjoyed an ice cream social with the UnitedHealthcare volunteers, Minnesota Veterans Home residents and local public officials, including Minnesota Veterans Home Minneapolis Administrator, Cory Glad; Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner, Larry Shellito; Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs Legislative Director Mike McElhiney, and First Lieutenant Andrea Kostiuk, a representative of the Minnesota Army National Guard, and other members of the National Guard,  Nichole Ly from Senator Al Franken’s office and Tim Cossalter from Senator Amy Klobuchar’s office.

Thank you to UnitedHealthcare Military & Veterans for your continued partnership and support of our efforts to help veterans in need in our community!