By James Scurlock
How did Rebuilding Together come to be? In 1973, a small group of neighbors in Midland, Texas realized a growing need in their community. Many homes in what is largely considered the oil industry capital of Texas fell into disrepair. The owners, mostly oil rig workers, could not afford to fix them on their own. So, they volunteered their time and skills to rehabilitate their neighbors’ homes, free of charge.
Realizing the potential impact of this work in other areas during tough economic times, the group formed ‘Christmas in April’. The intention was to perform repair and rehabilitation work in their community every April. This is before the sweltering summer heat sets in. Years passed and news of the group’s good work spread slowly. However, eventually their charity achieved national recognition. The mission spread beyond the idea of providing service once a year in April to bringing together neighbors, from all walks of life, to help less-fortunate neighbors year-round. In 1988, the burgeoning group became Rebuilding Together and opened a national office.
Evolution of Rebuilding Together
Today, Rebuilding Together has 140 offices nationwide, including several in Florida, and more than 100,000 volunteers who organize every spring. Many of the volunteers are from IT companies like J.P. Morgan Chase, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lowe’s, Spectrum and USAA. The spirit of the event remains the same, but the name has changed, from Christmas in April to National Rebuilding Day. Instead of a few local houses, the organization now repairs over 10,000 homes each year under the mantra of “Safe and Healthy Homes.” Volunteers target significant safety and health hazards based on the eight principles of healthy homes. These principles are keep it dry, clean, pest-free, safe, contaminant-free, well-ventilated, maintained, and thermally controlled. Together, with their corporate and community partners, these neighbors repair homes, revitalize communities, and rebuild lives.
Challenges to Overcome
2022 was an especially challenging and meaningful year for National Rebuilding Day. It is not a single date, but a series of dates in April and May in which volunteers gather in various cities. While news of housing shortages, soaring rents, and record home prices convinced the public that most homeowners are fortunate, the opposite is true of those on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder. Higher prices for energy, including a doubling of gasoline prices, as well as food, insurance, and other essentials left less money available for regular maintenance. At the same time, a shrinking workforce and supply chain snags made home repairs far more expensive and difficult. In some parts of the country, staples like windows and garage doors are now on a six-month wait. Additionally, they cost double what they were just two short years ago.
Jose Garcia, Executive Director of Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, says that Central Florida saw applications for free repairs increase dramatically since the pandemic. This occurred even with Tampa becoming the country’s hottest housing market. This may seem counter-intuitive, he says, but it is not a contradiction. People get priced out of repairs just as they get priced out of homes. Making matters worse, the state also happens to be in the middle of a property insurance crisis. Several insurers are cancelling homeowner policies. The remaining insurers hiked up their prices, squeezing already-tight budgets.
Why? Real wages (i.e., the amount of wages paid minus inflation) are actually going down. In addition to this, most lower-income Americans have not received stimulus checks in two years.
Community Highlights
In Saint Petersburg, just across the bay from Tampa, Garcia points to the home of two military veterans whose son was kidnapped years before. The husband then suffered a heart attack which left him unable to work, while a live-in nephew’s autoimmune disorder produces a steady stream of medical bills. Rebuilding Together volunteers recently provided the family with a new front door, garage, and fresh exterior painting.
In Orlando, just a two-hour drive east on burgeoning Interstate-4, volunteers helped several veterans, a crossing guard, and a hospitality employee stay in their homes this year. Here, volunteers installed smoke detectors and made other urgent repairs required by building codes. In several cases, the homeowners lived in their residences for forty years or more.
“Hopefully we’ll see more volunteers here in Central Florida next fall,” Garcia says. The war in Europe and lockdowns in Asia still drive prices higher. He expects that the need for National Rebuilding Day, like the state’s population, will only continue growing.
Garcia notes that Rebuilding Together’s assistance is provided at no charge to the homeowners, and he encourages others to apply on their website. In order to qualify, however, you must live in and own your own home, be current with your taxes and mortgage, report household income of 120% or less than the area median income, and own no other properties. To become a corporate sponsor or volunteer in central Florida, visit https://www.rttb.org/get-involved.
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