AmeriCorps Perspective: MLK Week of Service Trip

Written by our AmeriCorps Members: Steven Abrams and Jacob Ames

This January, Rebuilding Together held its annual MLK Week of Service in Lafayette, Louisiana, a town hard hit by last August’s massive floods. CapacityCorps members from Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide converged on Cajun Country, and in conjunction with AmeriCorps members serving locally, performed a wide-range of renovations on a half dozen homes and a local Boys & Girls Club. Jacob was most proud of a ramp he and his team built that provided a homeowner easy access to his shed, while Steven took satisfaction in the role he played in constructing a drainage trench.

After several days of hard work, Steven and Jacob were afforded the opportunity to visit New Orleans for some much welcome R & R. Joined by a dozen other CapacityCorps members, the MLK Week of Service came to a celebratory close in the Crescent City. All told, the project was a major success, with Rebuilding Together CapacityCorps members providing material, as well as emotional uplift, to the aching but undeterred communities of Acadiana.

Rebuilding Together AmeriCorps Members Repair Flood-Damaged Homes in Louisiana for MLK Day

Last week, our AmeriCorps members Steve and Jacob, joined AmeriCorps members from Rebuilding Together affiliates nationwide in Lafayette, Louisiana, to rebuild six homes affected by the recent flood with Rebuilding Together Acadiana. One of these homes belongs to a retired nurse who lost her husband, a World War II veteran. During the flood, her home was inundated with a foot of water, displacing them for a week. Many homeowners in the area did not have flood insurance.

“Many older homeowners affected by the recent floods are unable to perform repairs on their own,” said Jodee Ware, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Acadiana. “The support of AmeriCorps members coming from across the country to repair these homes, will allow these older adults to remain safely remain in their neighborhood and get their lives back on track.”

The U. S. Congress designated the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. as a holiday in 1983, it later became a national day of service led by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) under which the AmeriCorps program resides. Bill Basl, Director of AmeriCorps, acknowledged, “This day is an effort to honor the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and this project epitomizes his servant leader spirit. The AmeriCorps members with Rebuilding Together understand the value of service and are leading the way to transform communities.”

“Long after other organizations have left, Rebuilding Together continues its support of victims of natural disasters by helping them rebuild their homes,” said Caroline Blakely, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “We are grateful for our AmeriCorps members who are joining hands in Louisiana and in the spirit of MLK Day are supporting homeowners who are still recovering from the devastating floods in the southeastern part of the state.”

Rebuilding Together has been a recipient of the AmeriCorps program since 2008. This year Rebuilding Together has received a $781,697 AmeriCorps grant from CNCS to support 87 AmeriCorps members who are providing critical support to our mission of transforming the lives of low-income homeowners by improving the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing our communities. This grant is supporting AmeriCorps members in 28 cities and 19 states across the country.

How We Help Seniors

The news that Americans are living longer won’t come as surprise to anyone. According to the Administration on Aging, the number of people over 65 in the U.S. has increased by 27.7% between 2004 and 2014. As of 2014, Minnesota’s senior population totaled about 780,142.  Search the news and it’s easy to find a multitude of discussions about how the growing population of older adults affects healthcare, social services and the economy. Housing is not left out of the discussion. One facet of this topic is the concept of aging in place or the ability for older adults to remain in their homes at an advanced age. To many staying in their home, a comforting and familiar environment is preferable to relocating to a relative’s house or assisted living facilities such as nursing homes. Living out their later years in the home they own allows them to preserve dignity and dollars.

As they grow older, some seniors may become less capable of performing the basic home maintenance needed to maintain a healthy living environment. Minnesota Compass reports that Minnesotans in the age range of 65-74 years old have a disability rate of 20%. For people past the age of 74, this rate continues to increase dramatically. Disabilities make staying on top of basic home care such as cleaning gutters, painting and weatherproofing extremely difficult.  The same goes for safety precautions like maintaining functional smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Even moving around the home can be unsafe and areas of the house that they were once able to reach can become inaccessible.

For many older adults, these challenges are compounded by poverty.  Statewide, there are approximately 58,510 seniors living below the poverty line. AARP reports that roughly 3 in 10 Minnesotans ages 65 or older rely solely on Social Security for their income. Living on fixed incomes and dealing with the mounting medical expenses that can occur as one grows older can prohibit seniors from hiring people to perform home maintenance for them. Sometimes family members are able to step in and help, but there are plenty of instances where they are unwilling or unable to do so.

Rebuilding Together Twin Cities works with a large clientele of seniors. Rebuilding Together is able to do those basic but critical tasks that low-income clients can’t physically do or afford to hire a traditional business to do for them, including everything from giving a home a fresh coat of paint to installing a new roof.  Rebuilding Together’s Safe at Home program addresses the issue of safety by adapting the home to meet the needs of the residents who are older adults or are living with a disability. For seniors in need, the installation of grab bars, railings, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors can make all the difference. Aging in place shouldn’t mean aging without help. This is one of the reasons Rebuilding Together Twin Cities exists. If you know of an older adult homeowner in need, please don’t hesitate to refer them to us.  For more information, please visit www.rebuildingtogether-twincities.org.

This story was written by Kyle Sharp, a former AmeriCorps member with Rebuilding Together Twin Cities.

Welcome New AmeriCorps Members!

Please join us in welcoming two new AmeriCorps members to the Rebuilding Together Twin Cities team: Jacob Ames and Steve Abrams; along with our New Sector Alliance RISE Fellow: Dan Frankenfeld

Jacob is a recent graduate of the University of Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts.  He has experience in coordinating volunteers and working with nonprofit organizations and is proficient in Spanish.

Steve has a Bachelor of Arts in History from Boston University.  He has experience in coordinating projects between multiple partnering organizations and has strong communication, research, and organizational skills.

As a New Sector Alliance RISE Fellow, Dan’s host project with us is complimented by a nonprofit leadership curriculum.  He has a Bachelor of Arts from St. Olaf College and has experience in working with nonprofit organizations, governance, volunteer management and event planning.

Welcome Jacob, Steve and Dan!

This is the ninth year that Rebuilding Together has been awarded an AmeriCorps grant through the Corporation for National and Community Service.  The goal of the AmeriCorps CapacityCorps program is to build the capacity of grassroots Rebuilding Together programs so they can be more sustainable, effective, and efficient in helping homeowners in need, and the AmeriCorps program plays an important role in our ability to help low-income homeowners in our community.  This is also the second year that we have worked with the New Sector Alliance RISE Fellow program.