Seeks volunteers, sponsors, and partners to assist in its mission to repair homes, revitalize communities, and rebuild lives.
Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada (RTNNV), a recently launched non-profit organization, will repair homes of income-qualified veterans, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities in our community.
“We’re making repairs and improvements in homes ranging from installing handrails and safety grab bars to replacing appliances,” said Katie Pace, one of RTNNV’s founders and board members. “There are thousands of people in our area who need such services, so we’re looking for additional volunteers, sponsors, and partners to help us in our mission of repairing homes, revitalizing communities, and rebuilding lives.”
The need and challenges are daunting, but Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada has the vision of safe homes for everyone in our community.
An aging population is at risk of falls and severe injuries
Nevada’s senior population is growing, and it has unique housing needs. Seniors interested in aging-in-place may need physical modifications to their homes.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), about one in four adults (28%) age 65 and older, report falling each year. While not all falls result in an injury, about 37% of those who fall reported an injury that required medical treatment or restricted their activity for at least one day.
RTNNV’s work significantly reduces falls and injuries. Statistics from RTNNV’s sister organizations in other states report that 70% of seniors whose homes receive such repairs and modifications say they have low or no chance of falling. There are other benefits as well.
“Installing ramps, handrails, and safety grab bars to help prevent falls not only helps seniors avoid substantial pain, suffering, and expense, but also provides relief to our community’s medical service providers who are increasingly burdened by COVID-19’s resurgence,” said Pace. “Enabling seniors to be safe in their own homes without accidents reduces their risk of being exposed to the virus too.”
Many Veterans are at risk
Approximately 42,770 Nevada veterans live in homes with one or more major problems of quality, crowding, or cost. Affordability is the greatest housing problem among veterans.
“We hope to make a difference in many veteran’s lives by assisting with badly needed repairs,” said Dan Dykes, chair of RTNNV’s resource committee. “Each home has varying degrees of need and some projects may only address a single priority, such as installing a ramp, or several items, such as roof repair, energy efficiency upgrades, and safety grab bars. We’ll prioritize greatest needs and strive to benefit as many people as our resources make possible.”
People with disabilities face extreme challenges including accessibility and safety
“Many people with physical disabilities need homes that are wheelchair-accessible, but those aren’t the norm and this and other needed modifications can be beyond their means,” said Pace. “We hope to be able to widen doorways, raise electrical outlets, and lower kitchen surfaces so that clients who would benefit from such modifications can more easily get through their day and reduce their risk of accident.”
In addition to preventing injuries, statistics show that such repairs greatly reduce stress, increase happiness, and significantly improve overall quality of life. Better mental health is also important because of the increased stress imposed by the pandemic on individuals and the community.
Helping people repair their homes important in tough economic times
Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada plans to expand to ten10 counties throughout Nevada While these communities are growing in population, wages have not kept pace with cost-of-living increases. Over 25% of jobs in Nevada are low-wage jobs where the median annual pay is below the poverty threshold for a family of four.
“These households are particularly vulnerable to poor housing conditions and housing displacement,” said Pace. “It is critically important that homeowners with lower incomes be provided with resources to maintain and stay in their homes. We hope to be able to help lower-income persons and families as community support for our efforts grow.”
“We’d like to thank the partners and sponsors who have helped us lay the foundation of a great effort to repair homes, revitalize communities, and rebuild lives, said Dan Dykes, RTNNV’s Resource Committee chair. “We greatly appreciate the contributions made by Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab Bank, Lowes, and the Estipona Group that helped us get underway. As other businesses and individual volunteers join us, we’ll continue to make our community a better place, one home at a time.”
Persons and companies interested in donating time, materials, money, or other resources to Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada should contact Dan Dykes at [email protected] or 775-790-1820.
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