ESVA Housing Mission seeks to provide emergency home repairs to those in need

The Chesapeake Housing Mission is seeking to start a similar endeavor in Accomack and Northampton Counties.  The new group, when fully established is expected to use a system of combining charitable giving and volunteer workers to assist needy local residents providing emergency home repairs including ramps. A presentation was made to a room full of community leaders at Eastern Shore Community College Tuesday.

According to Don Taylor of the Chesapeake Housing Mission, statistics show that of the 14,152 households in Accomack County,  2,051 are at or below the poverty level.  Of the 5292 residences in Northampton, 853 are at or below poverty.

Taylor said that in the over 65 population, falls are the primary cause of disability and sometimes death. He said this “Healthy Homes Initiative” has been proven to reduce the number of falls  therefore reducing the number of Emergency Room admissions and EMS calls. The majority of Chesapeake Housing Mission upgrades involve replacing defective steps with new ramps allowing residents who can be confined inside due to their inability to exit their residence to be able to easily get out for things like doctor’s appointments, trips to grocery stores, attending church or just getting out of the house in good weather.  Taylor said it greatly improves their quality of life.

The project currently has the support of Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital and Perdue. Perdue spokesman Bill See announced a $10,000 challenge grant from the Perdue Foundation for the group.

Taylor said that the group is looking for a pool of volunteers to help in the construction of the ramps.  Volunteers come from all walks of life and all skill levels.  Supervision will be provided at the building site to help those with no construction experience learn to participate in the construction projects.

Volunteer groups can come from civic and social clubs,  churches,  schools, individuals and any other group willing to donate a few hours to help their neighbors.

Taylor said that the typical project lasts approximately 6 hours and 4 to 8 volunteers are needed.  All materials and tools are provided. He said that any group that signs up to help is not obligated to work on all of the projects.  They can do anywhere from 2 to 20 projects in a year’s time as their schedule permits. Taylor said the goal is to attract a large enough pool of volunteers so that the projects can be completed without infringing on the volunteer’s private time.  Also, administrative volunteers are also needed.

If you are interested in participating in this you can contact  Donna Smith at [email protected] or call her at  757-442-9652 or Jennifer Shelton Barnes at [email protected] or call  757-789-5000.