In an effort to rebuild homes and revitalize communities, Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago is repairing housing for those in need while focusing on one community at a time.
This month, the organization is zeroed in on the Austin community.
Volunteers are replacing water-damaged drywall in the basement of a home in the 1400 block of North Mayfield. They will also paint, repair the roof and make accessibility modifications.
The volunteers are all employees of Lowe's, which helps provide funding for the project.
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"One of the things Lowe's is really passionate about is supporting and volunteering to help out in the communities that we serve," Raymond Hernandez said.
Hernandez is the store manager of the Lowe's Brickyard location.
Lowe's often partners with Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago on community revitalization projects like this. It's one of six happening in Chicago's Austin community.
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"This is a really wonderful community that’s very rich and vibrant," Wanda Ramirez, CEO, Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago said.
"A lot of the homeowners that we've met have lived here for decades, so preserving this community is really important to us."
The idea is to help maintain communities so that homeowners, many of whom have been neighbors for decades, are able to stay in their homes and keep the property in the family for generations to come.
"As we all get older, our bodies change, our needs change," says Chad Ruckauf, director of construction for Rebuilding Together Metro Chicago.
This project would typically cost around $30,000, a price that the homeowner is not able to afford.
The homeowner, Ms. Rosetta Scott, has lived in this house for over 40 years, and said she is beyond grateful.
"I want to stay here and I want my family to be here when I’m gone," Scott said.
