Wayne Nelson from Gloucester is shown in the photo above with “Food Fixins”, which the employees of the rural housing partnership Irene Albert and Babs Zuhowski deliver from left in the photo below.
Rural Housing Partnership, an organization based in Gloucester, has filed numerous repairs for authorized customers from 1992 as Gloucester Housing Partnership, an offshoot of the Samaritan Group.
The all-volunteer group started building ramps for people who use wheelchairs or hikers, said Babs Zuhowski, managing director of operations. Small repairs were then started to make a home safe, as was necessary, including the patching roofs, the repair of HLK systems, the attachment of floors and windows and the addition of bathing rooms as well as the installation of ramps.
In order to fulfill his mission, to help home owners aged 62 and older in their own houses, RHP not only changed its name in 2022, but also changed its approach to a “one and finished” model to fix all problems in a house at the same time, instead of “a patch here,” said Zuhowski.
“If people in their house are safe and can agree, they won't be homeless and their house will not be dilapidated,” she said.
In order to make more extensive repairs, RHP is now looking for grants from the USDA Rural Development 504 program, said Zuhowski. This program contains up to $ 10,000 scholarships for senior citizens limited. It also offers low interest rate loans of up to $ 40,000 for people limited in income of all ages. The organization is preparing to exclude its first loan for a customer who needed a completely new sewage pit system, new windows and a new bathroom with a bathroom -friendly bathroom.
Zuhowski said the process begins with a call from someone who needs help or transfer of social services or a community organization. The person then has a screening date to ensure that they are entitled to services, including those who are 100 percent of federal poverty or lower and have their own home. If the person is not indeed listed at home, RHP cannot help them, she said, but if the certificate has to be corrected, the organization will help with this task up to one year.
Zuhowski said that in addition to the certificate there are other documents that applicants have to provide to determine their justification, including proof of income, review and savings account explanations, property tax documents, etc. All applicants are examined in one day in one day in one day. You will be asked to think about how to navigate doors, steps, shower, shower and other parts of your house.
“We are dealing with all health and security problems,” said Zuhow ski, “warmth, air conditioning, whether they are able to heat up with oil or maybe heat a mini split system. We are working to do everything at once, including installation of a free smoke detector to protect our customers.”
If the customer “goes well”, said Zuhowski, there is a courtesy security inspection of a licensed contractor to check whether additional security needs were overlooked during the first screening date. Finally the construction can begin. The entire process can take up to a year, she said.
“We are not an urgent organization,” said Zuhowski. “We have neither the infrastructure nor funding, but we try to react as soon as possible.”
If someone has a leaky tap or gutters who need cleaning or another little job that has to be done relatively quickly, said Zuhow-Ski that she demands one of the RHP church partners Auf-Bethany United Methodist, Apostle Lutheran, Susannah Wesley or St. Therese. She said the organization was actively looking for more church partners and hopes to have 10 church partners by the end of the year.
The Lural Housing Partnership no longer offers repairs for mobile homes, unless they have been built in the past 10 years, they are owned by the homeowner ownership and in a full house plate made of cement or Macadam, said Zuhowski. The same applies to modular houses, except that they can be on a regular foundation. She explained that such houses often have problems with moisture out of the ground that “in the one below”.
Zuhowski had some advice for homeowners.
“If you have a water leak, don't wait for the floors to be spongy,” she said. “If there is an active roof leak, you already have a problem. Try to improve a tarpaulin immediately. It causes damage, possibly in the attic, the tunnels, insulation, the rays.”
Steps instead of ramps
Zuhowski said that a ramp does not fit well for every customer, so RHP now offers “graduation steps” in some cases. While a ramp delivers a smooth surface with a long climb, graded steps are those that are not higher than two inches and are deep enough to absorb a scooter (a hiker with a seat) or a wheelchair.
Partnership with bread for life
Zuhowski said she remembered a customer who needed repairs at home, but feared that her grant would not be approved so that you did not buy food if you had to pay the repairs. This person would not go to a pantry because she “was afraid to be seen,” she said.
After this incident, Zuhow-Ski turned to the RHP board to help customers with food uncertainty. A partnership with the Bread for Life Food Pantry was born. RHP undertook to deliver a Thanksgiving Turkey to all 20 people who had received services over the course of the year, and bread for life supplemented the deliveries with preserves and boxing foods. Now the board has committed itself to all customers who “be proud or cannot be transported or cannot convey food into their kitchen”. The first delivery, given the nickname Food Fixins “because we repair things,” said Zuhowski on Valentine's Day, with bread for life delivering the deliveries.
“It is like taking the pantry and saying:” Let's do more, “she said.” We have a partnership to help people in other ways. It is not our mission, but the bigger good is to help more people and do the best we can. “
According to the numbers
In 2024, the rural residential building partnership made 16 inspections for the safety of homes, whereby free smoke detectors were installed. 13 house safety repair projects completed; Completed three USDA rural development 504 applications; And made 82 recommendations to connect people who do not fit with the services of RHP to support them.
The 25 RHP volunteers made 20 turkey bag deliveries to active customers in November, borrowed two metal ramps for short-term needs and bought a new volunteer trailer to do work. They also helped people in three counties – Gloucester, King and Queen and Mathews.
Further information on the rural housing partnership can be found at Ruralhousingpartnership.org or by phone at 804-792-5079.
One of the projects of the rural housing partnership last year was to replace a number of wooden levels with graduates accessible on the left.