*****Author’s Note: The following post was published on May 20, 2018 and has not been updated since its initial publication. As this post was written as part of a bigger, older project that has already ended, I do not intend on updating this post with new information about the organizations featured in it. This means some or all of the information in this or other posts in this series may be outdated by the time you read this post.
If you need the latest information on these organizations, it is your responsibility to conduct that research on your own. These posts can be used as a jumping off point for that research, but it is still your responsibility to look up these organizations on your own to verify whether or not their services still exist or will actually work for your needs.
***This blog post is part of a weekly series titled #SignalBoostSunday. This series will highlight organizations and social causes that are of importance and provide assistance to the Greater Atlanta area. ***
Access to adequate, safe and affordable housing is not always easy to come by. And if you’re a member of a low-income family or a senior on a fixed income it can be especially difficult to finance and manage the necessary home repairs to continue on living in your own home.
Community organizations that offer free home repairs to those in need are especially helpful in those circumstances. This week, on #SignalBoostSunday, we’re featuring two particularly impactful Atlanta organizations that provide such assistance: Rebuilding Together Atlanta and Atlanta Habitat For Humanity’s Repair With Kindness program.
1.) Rebuilding Together Atlanta
Rebuilding Together Atlanta is a home repair organization that primarily serves low-income elderly homeowners as well the disabled, veterans and families with children in single family homes. At this time, RTA provides free home repairs to eligible households in the following counties: Fulton, DeKalb and Cobb.
The repairs are completed with donated supplies and by volunteers. Homeowners receiving RTA’s assistance are encouraged to help work on the repairs as well if they’re able to.
RTA provides a variety of home repairs and necessary upgrades for low-income homes in need and they do so through a program called Safe and Healthy Homes. Within this program, RTA provides two types of home repair: Safe At Home and the Green Housing Initiative.
Safe At Home provides repairs and upgrades that update the residences of elderly homeowners in such a way that they are able to continue to live and age in their homes “safely and independently.”
RTA’s Green Housing Initiative allows for the conservation of natural resources and helps eligible households save money on their utility bills by providing energy efficient upgrades to their homes.
2.) Atlanta Habitat for Humanity’s Repair With Kindness Program
Atlanta Habitat for Humanity is well-known for its charitable contributions towards providing affordable housing for those in need. Not as well-known is their charitable home repair program, Repair With Kindness.
A number of qualifications must be met to be eligible for assistance from AHFH’s Repair With Kindness, but it does serve the city of Atlanta and (South) Fulton County and provides services such as roof repairs, weatherization and accessibility upgrades.
Some of the requirements for eligibility include: active homeowner’s insurance, homes must be a minimum of 15 years old and homeowners must be present during the repairs.
Anita M. George: Journalist, Writer 