Richmond
City Council – Richmond City Hall - 900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305 - Richmond, Virginia 23219
U.S.A. - www.council.richmondva.gov
COUNCIL PUBLIC INFORMATION NEWS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE TO BE FORWARDED AND SHARED
Wednesday,
22 April 2015
Councilman Parker
C. Agelasto invites our community to see 36 homeowners receive free home repairs
in Richmond’s Swansboro Neighborhood during Rebuilding Together of Richmond’s
(National) Rebuilding Day on Saturday, April 25, 2015
More than 800 volunteers to fix homes
owned by seniors and people with disabilities and work on other community
projects
WHAT (Richmond,
Virginia U.S.A.) – The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto,
Councilman, Richmond City
Council, Richmond Central 5th Voter District, invites the entire community
to come out and see 36 homeowners in Richmond’s Swansboro Neighborhood,
primarily in the Richmond Central 5th Voter District, receive free home repairs
during Rebuilding Together of Richmond’s (National) Rebuilding Day on Saturday,
April 25, 2015. The project includes homes owned by seniors with low-income and
people with disabilities; and, other community projects.
WHEN Saturday, April 25, 2015
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Media
tours to be held between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.
WHERE Headquarters
Swansboro Baptist Church, 3801 Midlothian Turnpike
Richmond,
Virginia 23224
WHO The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto,
Councilman
Richmond City Council,
Richmond Central 5th Voter District
Ms. Mary Kay Huss, Executive Director
Rebuilding
Together of Richmond
CONTACT For more information, please contact:
The Honorable Parker C. Agelasto, Councilman
Richmond City Council,
Richmond Central 5th Voter District,
at 804.646.6050 (tel), or parker.agelasto@richmondgov.com (email)
Ms. Mary Kay Huss, Executive Director
Rebuilding
Together of Richmond, at 804.398.0212 (tel); or marykay@rebuildingtogetherrichmond.org
(email)
Background
Rebuilding Together of Richmond is a local nonprofit
agency that was established in 1992 and is part of the national Rebuilding
Together organization. Repairs are made during special events throughout the
year and culminate in a one-day event. Each year a different Richmond-area
neighborhood is selected by Rebuilding Together
of Richmond and hundreds of volunteers deploy to complete repairs at selected
homes.
Rebuilding Together of Richmond
receives its supplies and funding from local
businesses, individuals and entities.
Produced and managed by Rebuilding Together of Richmond, the
upcoming Richmond Rebuilding Day event is part of a national event and locally
represents a year’s worth of dedication and hundreds of hours of planning,
preparation and production. Work completed up to this point has included
soliciting and reviewing applications; coordination of funding and supplies;
months of skilled trades work done in preparation; and, coordination and
management of hundreds of community volunteers.
Examples
of repairs and renovations include painting, heating/cooling systems, roofs,
windows, handrails, porch repairs, lighting and removal of dangerous trip/ fall
hazards.
Homes to be repaired are chosen annually
from applications submitted to Rebuilding Together
of Richmond in the previous year. Criteria for
assistance include: homeowners who are 55 years of age or older or have
disabilities; have a household income 50 percent AMI or less; and, living in a
property in a selected project area (assessed annually).
In addition to its core home repair work,
Rebuilding Together also rehabilitates community centers and conducts home
modification and repair programs that focus on aging in place. Rebuilding
Together has programs dedicated to energy efficiency, veteran’s housing, and
disaster recovery and reconstruction. For more information, please visit the
Rebuilding Together website, at www.rebuildingtogetherrichmond.org
Rebuilding
Together of Richmond key points
·
Rebuilding Together believes that "Community
Starts at Home."
·
Rebuilding Together works to preserve affordable
homeownership and revitalize neighborhoods by providing critical home
repair, accessibility modifications and energy efficient upgrades to those in
need at no cost to homeowners.
·
Part of a national effort, Rebuilding Together
affiliates across the country will mobilize thousands
of volunteers to rehabilitate and improve hundreds of homes during
this month. Recipients of services include the elderly, persons with
disabilities, military veterans and families in need.
·
It is estimated that Rebuilding Together turns
every $1 donated into $4 in equivalent market value by leveraging donations of
goods and services from corporate partners and skilled trade associations.
·
Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing
Studies found that the homeowners served by Rebuilding Together would not be
able to do the critical home repairs they need without the help of local
Rebuilding Together affiliates.
·
Studies show that homeowners often must choose to
put aside basic home maintenance for basic necessities such as food and
healthcare and that Rebuilding Together is often a last resort.
·
Rebuilding Together works to stabilize
neighborhoods by focusing efforts on communities where foreclosures are
highest.
- E N D -
Steve Skinner
Council Public Information Manager
RICHMOND CITY COUNCIL
OFFICE OF THE COUNCIL CHIEF OF STAFF
Richmond City Hall
900 E. Broad Street, Suite 305
Richmond, Virginia 23219 U.S.A.
804.646.6052 (office)
804.335.4054 (mobile)
804.937.1386 (home/mobile)
804.646.5468 (fax)
steven.skinner@richmondgov.com (email)
www.council.richmondva.gov(website)
____________________________________________________
MISSION The mission of Richmond City Council is to
represent citizens in creating and amending local laws,
providing government
policy and oversight, and
approving the city budget.
VISION Richmond City Council is committed to
creating a vibrant community that is a great place
to live, work, learn, play, visit and raise a family.