Home Repair Program adds glow to 100 year-old home

Longtime Minneapolis residents Terry and Beverly Shingledecker recently found themselves caught in a predicament many homeowners come to dread: the need for immediate, extensive home repair. The need became increasingly apparent even as the possibility of seeking financial help grew more and more slim. Finally, the Shingledeckers happened to notice an advertisement in their community newsletter describing the requirements for the A Brush With Kindness (ABWK) Critical Home Repair Program that pairs low-income homeowners with able-bodied volunteers.

The elderly couple applied and were delighted to receive help with repairing their deteriorating home with new siding and an updated front porch. Volunteer Work on their property started in August and quickly progressed, thanks to 85 plus volunteers from Arizant Healthcare, International Orthodox Christian Charities and Pepsico.

“We are so thankful and appreciative for the help from the organization and the volunteers,” said Beverly. “We are retired, living off social security and saving up to dealing with some plumbing issues. There is no way we could have afforded this makeover on our own.”

“Everybody seemed to know exactly what they were doing,” Terry recalled. “They had great group leaders. Everybody helped and nobody goofed around. Their ladders were all out and people were always coming and going.

The Critical Home Repair Program is a new effort to expand our services to existing homeowners that addresses major health and safety issues that are beyond our traditional A Brush with Kindness program. The expanded services will cost up to $15,000 and provide more volunteer and sponsorship opportunities. Typical project activities in our expanded services will include roofing, window and siding replacement as well as a variety handicap accessibility work. To date eight of these types of projects have been completed.

“Although we’re in the early stages of the program it’s nice to be able to help a wider range of people,” said project supervisor Troy Blakestead. “Our goal is to preserve the housing stock in neighborhoods where homes need more extensive work than ABWK generally offers.”