Safe and healthy housing

Giving families safe and healthy housing

Our Safe and Healthy Housing practice model is the foundation of our home repair and modification work. Rebuilding Together works to advance health equity by improving health and housing outcomes for our neighbors in need. Through a collaboration with the National Center for Healthy Housing, Rebuilding Together developed a set of 360 specs for common repairs based on the Principles of Healthy Homes. This includes 25 Health and Safety Priorities that address significant health and safety hazards in homes. Each home has varying degrees of need and some projects may only address a single priority, such as installing a ramp, or several items, such as roof repair, energy efficiency upgrades, and grab bars. These priorities provide a way for Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada to track and report the results of repairs, helping us set clear expectations with our clients and provide a platform for further partnership and collaboration.

Coronavirus response

As an organization, Rebuilding Together is deeply connected to our communities and works every day to improve the safety and health of our neighbors. In these times of crisis, our work of providing critical home repairs to ensure the safety and health of our low-income neighbors including families with young children, seniors, people with disabilities, and other at-risk populations is needed more than ever. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), community preparedness for coronavirus should include older adults and people with disabilities and the organizations that support them, to ensure their needs are met. Rebuilding Together serves these vulnerable populations and can be the primary resource delivering emergency home repairs in some communities. We are monitoring the spread of coronavirus, taking precautions to protect high-risk individuals and families, and preparing for increased demand and new ways of delivering our services. The costs and efforts associated with providing these services and protecting these vulnerable populations from coronavirus require additional emergency funding, as well as trained contractors and volunteers. Everyone in Northern Nevada should have a decent place to live, especially in times of crisis.

Revitalizing whole communities

Rebuilding Together’s Community Revitalization Partnerships model expands on the safe and healthy housing model to revitalize entire neighborhoods. In addition to repairing homes, we look to improve community infrastructure and spaces such as parks, schools, community centers and nonprofit facilities. Through collaboration with residents, volunteers, municipalities, nonprofits, businesses, foundations, and other partner organizations, we work to support safe, healthy, and thriving communities.

Disaster recovery

When natural disasters strike, Rebuilding Together provides recovery support to help families and communities rebuild their homes and lives. Since 2005, Rebuilding Together has rebuilt over 1,500 homes in disaster-impacted areas. As a member of the National Association of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, we work side-by-side with members of affected communities and in partnership with local and national disaster response and recovery organizations to help families return home.

Rebuilding Together Northern Nevada targets communities that lack the necessary infrastructure and resources to prepare for and recover from wildfire, floods and other natural disasters. Our typical clients are low-income owners who do not have sufficient insurance to fully cover the cost of needed repairs.