EAST END – Rebuilding Together Houston is revitalizing homes in Houston’s East End District.
Christine Holland, the organization’s CEO, said they’re currently completing homes 99, 100 and 101 in the East End neighborhood, a project that began post-Harvey.
In total, Rebuilding Together Houston has helped more than 15,000 families since 1982. They serve military families anywhere in Harris County, as well as, underserved families in neighborhoods like the East End and Third Ward.
“This program is offered to homeowners who are under 80% area median income, and there’s no cost to the homeowner. We want to serve people who intend to continue to live in their home and we’d like them to be able to pass the home on to the next generation of their family,” Hollands said.
Working on aging houses like the home the Rodriguez family has lived in for 49 years, not only preserves the character of the neighborhood, it also keeps their home safe.
“We are installing window heater AC units so the family can control the temperature in the house in the summer and in the winter. We’re installing ceiling fans, an air purifier, fire prevention tools and also looking for any tripping hazards and adding grab bars and anything else that might make the family safer inside the home,” Holland said.
Thanks to Rebuilding Together Houston, the house also has a new roof, the home’s structure was stabilized, and contractors made electrical and plumbing upgrades.
KPRC 2 volunteers will paint the exterior of the Rodriguez home to give it a fresh new look.
Rebuilding Together Houston has aided families after Hurricane Harvey and damage from winter storm Uri’s freeze. Their work continues to fortify homes in preparation for future weather events. According to Holland, “In our non-disaster work, we have two goals. We want to make the house safer to live in, and we want to make it more resilient against the next disaster. And very specifically, we want to make it resilient against the next hurricane.”
Go to Rebuilding Together Houston’s website for more information on how to get help for your home or if you would like to donate or volunteer.
KPRC 2, Telemundo Houston and Mega 101 are partnering with Rebuilding Together Houston for the “Rebuilding Juntos” campaign in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.