Two organizations will take part in a discussion to educate the community on efforts to help senior citizens and low-income families with safe and accessible homes.
Rugged Hands Outreach and Renewing Homes of Greater Augusta will take part in a conversation with homeowners and interested community members on Thursday at noon. The lunch-and-learn series is presented by SAW Housing, an initiative spearheaded by the Community Foundation of the Central Blue Ridge.
Attendees are welcome to bring a brown-bagged lunch for the one-hour conversation at the Staunton Public Library on March 27.
The event will cover the importance of making critical home repairs and how community members can be involved.
“We’re trying to keep the homes people are living in – that they own – safe, warm, dry and accessible,” said Sharon Coplai, executive director of Renewing Homes of Greater Augusta. “And keep it intact so that it doesn’t bring down property values.”
Rugged Hands shares a similar mission – to keep homeowners safe, warm and dry.
“We do this by performing necessary home repairs and accessory upgrades for individuals and families that are unable to cover them,” said Melody Sochacki with Rugged Hands Outreach, an initiative of Bridge Christian Church serving those in need in Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County.
When successful, critical home repair helps to keep homeowners with limited incomes, many of whom are our community’s senior citizens, in safe and healthy conditions. Without these services, their alternatives are quite limited.
Past topics of the series have included community land trusts, housing justice and the poor, accessibility for people with differing physical abilities and permanent supportive housing.
Coplai believes the entire community would benefit from participating in the critical home repair conversation.
“There might be a group that wants to volunteer on a project,” said Coplai. “Anybody who’s interested in what we’re doing and might want to hear or might want to volunteer (should come out).”
The Staunton Public Library is located at 1 Churchville Ave. in Staunton.
Related stories
For related stories, search “housing insecurity” on Augusta Free Press.
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Crystal Graham
