ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, May 9, 1996 TAG: 9605090052
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: What's on your mind?
SOURCE: RAY REED
Q: Do Habitat for Humanity affiliates anywhere do housing rehabilitation as well as building new homes? Rehab is expensive, but it's what many families need to keep their homes from deteriorating and keep their neighborhoods healthy.
M.B., Roanoke
A: Older homes have been restored by some local affiliates, said Linda Carter of Habitat's regional office in Richmond.
Some housing rehab work has been done in Hanover County near Richmond, in Arlington and in Baltimore where some row houses have been fixed up.
Three kinds of situations cause local Habitat affiliates to focus on rehab work instead of new construction, which is Habitat for Humanity's main project.
Rural areas where people have little income and yet own their homes are places where rehab work by Habitat volunteers can be effective, Carter said. Habitat has done some rural rehab work in Pendleton County, W.Va., about 40 miles west of Harrisonburg.
Urban areas where the cost of new building sites is prohibitive are another potential rehab setting. Arlington and Hanover County fit this category.
The third situation where rehab work is effective for Habitat are urban areas where all building sites are occupied. Baltimore's Sandtown, a community of row houses, is an example.
In Roanoke, Lynchburg and even Richmond, there are enough vacant lots in urban areas to accommodate new houses.
Habitat finds new construction is practical for three reasons: inexpensive land can be found, many people with adequate skills can volunteer, and fewer nonpaid supervisors are required.
The real benefit, though, is that low-income working families become independent homeowners.
Rehab work by volunteers, in contrast, demands more supervisors and a higher degree of skills. Also, the cost of making every needed repair on an older home is hard to project accurately.
In most cities, including Roanoke, organized housing rehabilitation is done by commercial home repair companies under contract with government programs.
Roanoke's housing rehabilitation budget proposed for 1996-97 shows $650,000 from federal funds, mostly under the community development program.
These would help 72 homeowners in need of repair but unable to afford the usual contractor arrangements.
Got a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Call us at 981-3118. Or, e-mail RoatimesInfi.Net. Maybe we can find the answer.
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