Students lend helping hands to repair homes for the elderly

Students didn’t hesitate when asked to repair the roof of a struggling Alachua County resident early Thursday morning.

For the first time, Sante Fe College students joined the UF Rinker School of Building Construction, which partnered with Rebuilding Together North Central Florida to repair the roof of a low-income Waldo resident.

For the homeowner, 63-year-old Chanita Ross, this volunteer work allows her to continue living in her home. She had difficulties coming up with money to make repairs due to her medical expenses and the death of her husband nine years ago.

“There are no words for me to even begin to thank them,” Ross said. “I will always remember this, and I truly appreciate them.”

At 7 a.m., about 30 students arrived and began stripping shingles from the roof.

Volunteers repaired Ross’ roof and plan to caulk around windows to prevent air leaks and add weather stripping to all doors.

“It’s amazing how much we can save on energy,” said Robert Costello, interim executive director of RTNCF.

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Facts on Rebuilding Together North Central Florida 

• There are 7,500 substandard homes in Alachua County.
• Last year, $45,000 was donated to RTNCF.

• In 2013, there were about 400 volunteers, and 25 projects were completed.

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Lowe’s and Godwin Green Roofing donated or sold materials at reduced costs to the group. The total cost to replace the roof was about $400, a price Costello called “unheard of.”

This home is the first of nine to be repaired during the next month as part of National Rebuilding Month, which begins April 1.

During the month, nearly 200 Rebuilding Together affiliates will repair the homes of low-income elderly residents nationally, Costello said.

This year, the organization is expecting more than 150 volunteers.

Projects include five roof repairs, six plumbing repairs and five accessible entryway modifications, Costello said.

Out of about 80 applicants to the program, nine were chosen to have their homes repaired.

Last year, 25 home repairs were completed across Alachua County.

“If we had the money, we could easily do 25 to 30 of those 80,” Costello said, “but we just don’t have the resources to do that.”

This home repair organization provides critical and emergency home repair for low-income, elderly homeowners, he said. It strives to increase safety, security and wellbeing for all residents.

The main benefit, Costello said, is the repairs allow elderly residents to remain in the same home for a longer period of time, cutting down on stressful moving experiences.

Jeffrey Helitzer, a 23-year-old UF construction management senior, is a second-time volunteer. He said the program gives him an opportunity to help his community in a hands-on way.

“It really gives you an open eye on what goes on in the real world,” Helitzer said.

[A version of this story ran on page 3 on 3/21/2014 under the headline "Students lend helping hands to repair homes for the elderly"]

Students and professors with Rebuilding Together North Central Florida help rebuild a Waldo homeowner’s roof on Thursday. Chanita Ross is a widow and needed the help so she could keep living in her home.