Building A Healthy Neighborhood
The Building a Healthy Neighborhood (BaHN) program brings together Rebuilding Together’s strategic community development approach, the Community Revitalization Partnership, and our core practice model, Safe and Healthy Housing. Through Safe and Healthy Housing, we seek to advance health equity by improving health and housing outcomes for our neighbors in need in economically distressed communities. Our experience working in these communities has taught us that systematic, coordinated approaches are needed to improve quality of life at the individual and community level. Accordingly, our Community Revitalization Partnership (CRP) model has called on our organization to adopt a deeper and longer-term (one year minimum) focus at the neighborhood level. By targeting our service delivery in specific neighborhoods – for example, Druid Hills in 2019 and 2020 – and aligning our work more closely with other nonprofit providers and community leadership, Rebuilding Together of Greater Charlotte improves the health and safety conditions of entire neighborhoods, not just individual homes.
Emergency Repair Program
Launched in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the Emergency Repair Program (ERP) focuses on urgent, time-sensitive home repairs that are required in order to keep the homeowner safe, warm, and dry. Open to homeowners throughout Mecklenburg County, ERP provides significant and urgent solutions repairs that can keep families in their homes, avoiding health department or social service interventions. To facilitate our rapid response, RTGC relies upon paid skilled professionals to complete the work in most cases. We have strong relationships with many licensed contractors, often providing in kind supplies and discounted labor, lessening our financial burden to make these repairs.
Safe At Home (Launching Fall 2020)
At Rebuilding Together, we believe that older adults should be able to remain safe, healthy, and independent in their own homes and communities – safe at home. Safe at Home (SaH) is RTGC’s signature program designed to improve aging-in-place outcomes for low-income older adults and people living with disabilities. This program offers targeted repairs and safety modifications to improve home accessibility, reduce falls, increase independence at home, eliminate major medical expenditures and increase the potential for homeowners to age in place. As the program grows, we also envision expanding repairs to include fire prevention and asthma and allergy reduction.
Through partnerships with local hospitals and occupational therapists, SaH prioritizes older residents throughout Charlotte who are in need of critical repairs in order to remain in their homes, expanding our work beyond our prioritized neighborhoods to serve aging and disabled residents in both owner-occupied and rental properties throughout Charlotte. SaH modifications are provided at no cost to the resident. RTGC completes a comprehensive in-home assessment using our Safe and Healthy Housing model that is based on the Eight Principles of Healthy Homes framework developed by the National Center for Healthy Housing. A solutions-based work scope is then developed to remedy home hazards and provide necessary modifications. Ultimately, repairs contribute to three core outcomes: increased opportunities for older adults and people with disabilities to live safely in their homes, improved quality of life for those served, and increased independence and social connectedness.
Through partnerships with local hospitals and occupational therapists, SaH prioritizes older residents throughout Charlotte who are in need of critical repairs in order to remain in their homes, expanding our work beyond our prioritized neighborhoods to serve aging and disabled residents in both owner-occupied and rental properties throughout Charlotte. SaH modifications are provided at no cost to the resident. RTGC completes a comprehensive in-home assessment using our Safe and Healthy Housing model that is based on the Eight Principles of Healthy Homes framework developed by the National Center for Healthy Housing. A solutions-based work scope is then developed to remedy home hazards and provide necessary modifications. Ultimately, repairs contribute to three core outcomes: increased opportunities for older adults and people with disabilities to live safely in their homes, improved quality of life for those served, and increased independence and social connectedness.
She Builds (Launching Fall 2020)
Women-led and women focused, She Builds provides critical repairs for women-headed households and women-focused community spaces to empower women to maintain safe and healthy homes, make a difference in their communities and build a supportive community network. This program is a collaboration between RTGC, corporate and community leaders who are dedicated to advancing the housing and community issues affecting women.
Participants come to the builds with a myriad of experiences and skills to share and learn from each another. Programming includes participation in a home or community center renovation led by women, home repair trainings on how to maintain safe and healthy homes and leadership training and mentoring to encourage community participation and empowerment. Participants learn basic carpentry and plumbing skills, electrical safety do’s and don’ts and other on-the-job training while working on these repair projects to improve the health and safety of their own living conditions. Learning how to complete home repairs independently not only saves money but builds confidence in self-sufficiency. She Builds brings women together to support one another and encourages them to be change-makers in their own communities.
Participants come to the builds with a myriad of experiences and skills to share and learn from each another. Programming includes participation in a home or community center renovation led by women, home repair trainings on how to maintain safe and healthy homes and leadership training and mentoring to encourage community participation and empowerment. Participants learn basic carpentry and plumbing skills, electrical safety do’s and don’ts and other on-the-job training while working on these repair projects to improve the health and safety of their own living conditions. Learning how to complete home repairs independently not only saves money but builds confidence in self-sufficiency. She Builds brings women together to support one another and encourages them to be change-makers in their own communities.