Rebuilding Together of the Triangle, Inc., a nonprofit organization, has been working in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill metropolitan area since 1996. Originally called Christmas in April of Wake County, we are the local affiliate of the nation’s largest volunteer home rehabilitation organization. Rebuilding Together of the Triangle serves residents in Chatham, Durham, Orange and Wake counties in North Carolina and provides program services on a year-round basis.
Our Mission
Rebuilding Together of the Triangle seeks to make a sustainable impact on preserving and revitalizing homes and communities, assuring that low-income homeowners, from the elderly and disabled to families with children, live in warmth, safety, and independence.
Our Challenge
According to data compiled by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency, thousands of homeowners in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill metropolitan area live in housing that is substandard or deteriorating. Typically such families suffer from the combined difficulties of physical disability (often from old age) and poverty, leaving them unable to maintain their homes.
Many homeowners experience difficulty going outside their homes because of disability and some are likely to face housing problems because they are disabled and poor. For a senior citizen living on a fixed income from social security, sometimes the choice comes down to whether to eat or to pay for needed repairs. Essential maintenance and repairs are left unaddressed.
Each governmental entity in our service area does provide a limited amount of funding to address these housing needs, most of which is pass-through money from federal agencies. But the funding doesn't’t come close to matching the need. As a consequence, many low-income homeowners seeking help from government sources face either extremely long waiting lists or simply don’t get the help they need.
Our Plan
Rebuilding Together was created to help these people. Our plan is about neighbors helping neighbors. We bring an entire community together to help rebuild the homes of our most vulnerable residents. Some of our projects—like installing shower hand rails and other items—can cost as little as $50.00 Others can cost thousands of dollars. By combining volunteer labor and donated materials with the financial support of individuals, churches, community organizations and businesses, Rebuilding Together delivers an average of three additional dollars of value for every dollar contributed.
By underwriting a rebuilding project, sponsors make a contribution that translates into visible change for their community. Sponsors can determine the level of involvement that best suits their group—financially, and as a volunteer opportunity for their members. In return RTT provides them with a renovation project that reflects their group’s culture, creating a unique opportunity to build fellowship. Projects range from simple yard maintenance and light repairs to major renovations and can take place at any time of the year.
One important facet of our program is our sweat-equity requirement. We view the homeowners we help as active participants in the process of repairing their home, rather than passive recipients of aid. While many are physically unable to use a hammer or table saw, most of our homeowners have been very successful in recruiting volunteers from their personal network of family and friends as well as in soliciting in-kind material contributions.
Our Results
Since 1996 we have rehabilitated more than 180 homes. Our service recipients, all of whom are low-income homeowners, include a mix of ethnic minorities (African American and Latino), the elderly, persons with disabilities, veterans, and families with young children.
Our Board of Directors
Wayne Maiorano
Board Chair
Partner
Smith Anderson Law
Malcolm White
Board Vice Chair
Director of Marketing
and Leasing Commercial Real Estate
Self-Help
Todd Jones
Board Treasurer
Vice President,
Financial Advisor
CAPTRUST
Evelyn Contre Board Secretary
Managing Director
Springleaf Strategies
