A Brush with Kindness - Program Overview
What we do
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity works with low-income homeowners to repair and maintain their homes. A Brush with Kindness helps ensure families are living in safe and well-maintained homes; keeps homeowners in their homes, protecting their financial investments; and restores homeowners’ dignity and pride of homeownership.
Partnering with a mix of organizations to identify struggling homeowners, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity provides the volunteers and resources to repair their homes. ABWK works year-round, serving about 100 families with 2,000 volunteers.
The end result is homes that are safe and well maintained, homeowners who are able to keep their homes, and neighborhoods that are renewed.
How we do it
We accept applications and reach out to cities and neighborhood organizations to identify homeowners whose homes are in the greatest need of repair. These tend to be seniors, disabled and single-parent families.
We help homeowners with minor repairs, painting, and other maintenance. This typically includes fixing broken windows and doors, loose siding, rotting soffits and fascia, peeling paint, missing shingles and overgrown landscaping.
We match volunteers and donations to complete the repairs.
Why it matters
This work is important because it…
- Helps ensure families are living in safe and well-maintained homes.
- Keeps homeowners in their homes and protects their financial investments
- Restores the homeowners dignity and pride of homeownership
This kind of homeowner-by-homeowner approach translates into stronger neighborhoods and communities.
Many low-income homeowners live in challenging circumstances which create issues that are beyond what they can handle alone. You may know of a neighbor, parent or grandparent who is struggling to keep their home in a livable condition. Homeowners must often choose between paying for food, medication, taxes, and basic utilities.
When basic family expenses exceed income month after month, home maintenance is the usual casualty. Years of deferred maintenance can cause a downward spiral of home deterioration and unsafe living conditions. Outside forces also play a role in putting the squeeze on low-income homeowners. Often they are faced with city code violations and homeowner insurance cancellation when their home is in disrepair.
Many of the homeowners we partner with have worked years to maintain their homes and now find themselves in an awkward and sometimes embarrassing position of asking for help. A Brush with Kindness helps ease wary homeowner concerns by providing home preservation services that are sensitive to homeowner circumstances.
After completing an application process, A Brush with Kindness provides caring volunteer groups who are willing to come alongside and assist homeowners in completing the necessary work. Able-bodied homeowners work side by side with volunteers in a cooperative effort.
A Brush with Kindness is about connecting people and restoring homes through simple acts of kindness so that homeowners can once again live in a safe and decent home.