News fromHome Spring 2014

The Newsletter of Home Repair Services of Kent County, MI. Vol. 16, Issue 1

www.HomeRepairServices.org

Community Collaborations Help Lower-income Homeowners Remain In Their HomesHome Repair Services and Four Partners Bridge Gaps, Work as One

them need our services less often.”Partnering with Healthy Homes

and the Salvation Army helps Home Repair Services prioritize limited resources. “We get funding for just 25 weatherization jobs a year,” notes Dave Jacobs, Home Repair Services’ executive director. “It’s important to pick those that will provide the greatest benefit.”

Partnerships with Senior Neighbors and DAKC also help target services where they’re most needed.

“This collaboration helps people remain in their homes instead of having to move to a nursing home”, says Joanne Feutz, a Registered Occupational Therapist and Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist at DAKC. “We determine if they need a wheelchair ramp or maybe a step-in shower by assessing their mobility and the existing environment. Home Repair Services then completes the structural work.”

Senior Neighbors’ Tom Oosterbaan refers seniors for home repairs and foreclosure intervention. “Getting a furnace fixed or avoiding foreclosure helps our senior citizens maintain their independence,” Tom notes. “The quality of Home Repair Services’ work gives us confidence we can be successful at meeting our goal of helping people stay independent.”

“These partnerships help us be more sensitive to particular segments of vulnerable people,” says Dave Jacobs. “Without them, sometimes we wouldn’t see those needs so clearly.”

Four non-profit organizations, each with a specialized mission, help Home Repair Services to focus on the most vulnerable people in our community.

The Healthy Homes Coalition connects Home Repair Services to the families of children with serious asthma. The Salvation Army refers homeowners who have chronically depended on the State for help with their utility bills. Disability Advocates of Kent County (DAKC) and Senior Neighbors link Home Repair Services to homeowners with physical disabilities and senior citizens.

Healthy Homes works to address mold and moisture in older homes. Weatherization and proper air ventilation in these homes help eliminate conditions that can send children with asthma to emergency rooms.

“One intervention yields two positive results – we eliminate the moisture and improve the air quality,” says Healthy Homes Executive Director Paul Haan. “Working with Home Repair Services helps us go into a home and get things right the first time.”

At the Salvation Army’s Booth Family Services, Operations Coordinator Darcy Cunningham refers families to Home Repair Services for air sealing assessments and related home repairs.

“We identify necessary repairs and the energy audits help families find and fix the reasons their energy usage is so high,” Darcy says. “We hope this helps

Todd Calhoun adds sidewall insulation during a weatherization project.

Wheelchair ramps help seniors remain independent in their homes.

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Do you have too much month at the end of your money? If so, Money Matters classes can help you turn things around.

“Money is not a topic people like to talk about, but it’s a topic that we all deal with every day,” says Tracie Coffman, financial counseling program manager. “Money Matters classes offer solutions to common challenges. Ideas don’t come just from the instructor; they come from other class members, as well. The solutions relieve the stress money can cause, and give people control over their lives.”

Money Matters classes are free and open to everyone, regardless of income level. The topics cover financial basics, such as Money Habits, The Power of Cash, Credit Repair, and Insurance. Classes are offered in both English and Spanish and participants can attend as many of the classes as they like. Home Repair Services’ Financial Counselors teach all of the classes except the insurance class, which is taught by an insurance expert.

Financial Counselor Leticia Garcia says she has discovered that many people are afraid to look at their expenses because it can be overwhelming.

“They have to think about their goals so that they can be motivated to start a budget,” she says. “They come to the classes

Money Matters Getting You Down? Money Matters Classes Help You Take Control

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and take home a lot of ideas on organizing their money. I’ve heard people say that they’ve been able to stick to their budget after they learn how to organize their finances -- they write things down, they save more money, they have more control of what’s coming in and what’s going out, and they know where their paycheck goes. It’s empowering.”

Helping homeowners be financially able to make house payments, repairs, and remain in their homes is a focus of the classes.

“Financial stability is the biggest issue that allows someone to keep their house,” says Financial Counselor Jesse Rodriguez. “Good planning increases stability. Homeowners might overlook the expense of maintaining the lawn or repairing the roof. Money Matters classes help homeowners plan for all their financial needs.”

Jesse says two of his most popular classes are Credit Repair and Foreclosure 101. “The classes map out a foreclosure or a bad credit rating on a timeline. We equip participants with the knowledge to speak to the bank or credit reporting agency on their own behalf.”

Participants do not need to register in advance for Money Matters classes. For the class schedule, visit www.homerepairservices.org.

Money Matters classes help families get a handle on their finances.

Home Repair Services’ Kitchen Assist program can take a do-it-yourself kitchen remodeling project from dream to reality. Kitchen Assist extends the Remodeling Together program to homeowners at all income levels, offering expert kitchen design, Fix-it School classes, one-on-one coaching, and brand name kitchen cabinets to more Grand Rapids homeowners than ever before.

“Kitchen Assist brings Remodeling Together services to all of the homeowners within select Grand Rapids neighborhoods,” says Self Help Program Manager BJ Jordan. “We offer free estimates, free design services, and we’ll help them plan the project. If they decide to move forward, they’ll choose the cabinets, colors, and countertops and we place the orders. The only requirements are that they must be the homeowner and they must live there.”

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Williams Kitchen & Bath, Standard Kitchens, and Custom Countertop support the program by generously providing a selection of new kitchen cabinets and countertops at deeply discounted prices.

For homeowners who want to work with a remodeling coach, Rookie

Over the last several months, volunteer Eric Bennett has seen more than his share of dirty, messy repair jobs, says Repair Team Manager Bob Hengeveld. But Eric’s attitude is always, “What’s the next job you have for me?”

Eric handles mostly carpentry work, including replacing floors in mobile homes. Bob says the work is always difficult and often unpleasant. “You can find moldy insulation, sometimes an animal skeleton and who knows what,” Bob says. “These are the jobs where you’re on your knees a lot, and scratch your head and say ‘Where do I start and where do I stop?’”

Some of the most beneficial services Eric offers Home Repair Services are his enthusiasm in reaching out to other prospective volunteers to get them involved, and connecting prospective clients with Home Repair Services’ programs. If Eric needs extra help, he recruits his adult son Rick, and reaches out to others as well. He lives near Rockford and is working with Home Repair Services to get more lower-income homeowners in northern Kent County connected with the help they need to maintain their homes.

That effort goes hand-in-hand with Eric’s outreach to potential volunteers from Rockford, Sparta, and Cedar Springs who could serve lower-income homeowners who live near them.

“Eric is active in the community and that helps him find people who are not already clients of Home Repair Services,” Bob says. “He helps us find the people who need help fixing their homes, and he helps us connect with more volunteers to do that work. Without Eric’s willingness to do the dirtier jobs and to dig in and get the job done, we’d have a longer waiting list and wouldn’t be able to keep up as well as we do.”

Thank you, Eric!

People Who Make a Difference: Eric Bennett

Renovator classes offered in the Fix-it School equip them with basic skills in plumbing, electrical work, ceramic tile installation, drywall repair and cabinet installation. There’s also a project design class to get everything started on the right foot. After they complete the classes, Home Repair Services matches homeowners with a coach, who guides the homeowner with onsite tips and techniques.

“We’re a nonprofit working to empower homeowners to improve their homes,” BJ says. “Kitchen Assist is just one more way we can do that. We’ve got the best deal in town. You can’t beat the prices, the classes and coaching instill confidence and homeowners will have the great satisfaction of completing a successful project themselves.”

To find out more about Kitchen Assist, call BJ at 616-241-2601, extension 226.

Kitchen Assist Makes Home Repair Services the Go-To Place for Kitchen Remodeling Help, Regardless of Income Level

THE POWER OF DIY THE ADVANTAGE OF HRS

kitchenASSIST

you can do this!

New Volunteer Opportunities Help Beautify Wheelchair Ramp Projects

Pride of homeownership is one of the inspirations for the lower-income families Home Repair Services helps. That pride encompasses an entire home, inside and out, so when a wheelchair ramp alters a home’s exterior appearance, a little extra TLC may be in order.

Last fall, a group of volunteers from U.S. Signal took on Home Repair Services’ inaugural landscape beautification project for a homeowner who had received a wheelchair ramp.

“It was rainy and cold. All of us were soaked by the time we were done, but we were laughing and smiling and joking the whole time,” says Laura Kinch, one of the volunteers. “Not one person complained. I don’t have any landscaping or gardening experience, but they told us how to install the plants and we did it.”

Giving wheelchair-bound homeowners a way to get in and out of their homes is the focus. But providing that extra “something” made this project that much more special, says Mike Zamarron of Home Repair Services.

“The family was very quiet, but the day the landscaping was done the lady had a smile from ear to ear,” Mike says. “The landscaping happened two months after the ramp was built, but she expressed as much appreciation on that day as she did the day she got the ramp.”

Mike says the goal is to landscape another four to six ramps in 2014. There’s a need for donated or discounted plants, and a need for volunteers to plant them. In addition to picking up the plants from a nursery before preparing the planting area and placing the plants, crews might also help by completing basic trimming and pruning elsewhere in the homeowner’s yard, if needed. The whole process takes about four hours.

“It was a great experience for all of us. Everyone said, ‘I can’t wait for the next opportunity to come up,’” Laura says. “The lady we helped was almost in awe that we were not only volunteering, but were able to leave our place of business on a cold and rainy day to help spruce up her yard. It was just a few hours, but it brought so much joy to everyone.”

To volunteer or to make a donation for a 2014 project, please call Stan Greene, (616) 241-2601, extension 223.

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A job well done! Volunteers help with yard cleanup.

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Retired Couple Armed with “Can-do” Attitude Tackles 1950s Kitchen as First Major Home Remodeling Project 2014 Resourceful Homeowner Celebration Honors Creativity, Determination of Lower-Income Home Remodelers

Barry and Doris Brownridge had never undertaken a major home remodeling project in their lives, but that didn’t deter them from making over their 1952 vintage kitchen. They began the project thinking that they’d simply replace the cabinets and do some painting. But it wasn’t long before Doris figured that they needed to redo it all, or it “just wouldn’t look right.”

Their efforts and those of the three other finalists for the Resourceful Homeowner Award -- Monica Dickson, Matt and Karlie Rittenhouse, and Jesse and Esther Teniente -- were honored by 270 guests at the 2014 Resourceful Homeowner Celebration at Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park.

Barry, a retired supervisor for an insulation installer, and Doris, a retired 31-year postal worker, move through life with quiet determination. That can-do

attitude carried them through a hectic renovation of the busiest, and most needed, room in their home.

A lifelong friend of Barry’s worked alongside him “from start to finish,” Barry says, and Remodeling Together Coach Steve Sielaff showed them the how-to techniques to patch walls and install new cabinetry, a sink and flooring, among other tasks.

“The work entailed a lot more than I thought it would,” Barry says with a hearty chuckle, remembering the unfinished cabinets the couple purchased from the Home Repair Services woodshop. “You have to sand, stain, sand again, and stain again, until it’s smooth. Then you put on the top coat to get the shine you want.”

Doris echoes his determination. “I just got so sick of looking at our old cabinet sitting over there with the paint

scratched off, and I decided if I’m going to do anything, I’m going to do it now,” she says. “A friend told us about Home Repair Services and reminded us that we could get some help.”

“We believe strong homeowners build strong communities,” says Executive Director Dave Jacobs. “When these do-it-yourselfers choose to invest in new cabinets or floors, they are not just making a good financial choice for themselves, they are improving the value of their neighborhood.”

 And if anyone asks the Brownridges about their experience of working with Home Repair Services, Barry says with a grin, “I’d ask them do they want a ride to Home Repair Services, and I’ll take them down there. Just talk to BJ (Jordan) and Mike (Zamarron). You can’t go wrong.”

Left: Reverend Mike Hoogeboom of LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church prepares to offer the invocation.

Middle: RHA finalists (from left) Monica Dickson, Jesse & Esther Teniente, Matt & Karlie Rittenhouse and Doris & Barry Brownridge.

Right: Guests gather for the 2014 Resourceful Homeowner Celebration.

Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDGrand Rapids, MI

Permit No. 981

1100 S. Division Ave.Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1024

Vote YES! Senior Millage Ballot Proposal August 5

Our mission is to build successful, sustained homeownership for lower-income families, thereby strengthening neighborhoods and the community.

In addition to critical repairs and financial counseling provided by Home Repair Services, the Senior Millage also provides crucial funding for:

• Homemodificationassessmentsandequipment • Homeweatherization • In-homehealthcare • Homedeliveredmeals,andcommunitymeals • Prescriptionassistance • Legalassistance

This newsletter is a publication of Home Repair Services of Kent County, Inc. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization; all contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Your questions and suggestions are always welcome.

Address: 1100 S. Division Ave., Grand Rapids, MI 49507Phone: (616) 241-2601Website: www.HomeRepairServices.org