Fall 2010

News from
Home
Fall 2010
The Newsletter of Home Repair Services
of Kent County, MI. Vol. 12, Issue 2
www.HomeRepairServices.org
Sawdust and Self-Respect: Woodshop Volunteers
Build Value and Dignity Along with Cabinets at Home Repair Services
The fragrance of fresh sawdust and
the whine of table saws fill the air around
Home Repair Services’ woodshop where
volunteers work to create one of the
kitchen cabinet sets they’ll produce
this year for lower-income homeowners
to purchase.
In many ways, these volunteers
exemplify the lifeblood that pumps
through all of Home Repair Services,
and our clients need them more now
than ever before.
In the past couple of years as the
economy has taken its toll on builders,
donations of ready-made cabinets have
declined significantly; getting a complete
set of cabinets into the Builder’s
Abundance store is now a rarity.
Remodelers have helped meet demand
by donating surplus cabinets from their
projects. Still, the demand for low-cost
cabinets in Builders’ Abundance has
increased as more Kent County residents
come to Home Repair Services for help.
“Cabinets are a key element in the
Builders’ Abundance Store. Without
them our clients can’t complete
projects to upgrade their kitchens and
bathrooms,” says Procurement Specialist
Mike Zamarron.
Inside This Issue...
Secrets of the Fix-it School............ 2
500+ Foreclosures Averted ........... 3
People Who Make a Difference.... 3
Community Repair Day............... 4
Auction Night with Photos!.......... 5
Coming Soon: RHC 2011............ 6
Procurement Specialist Mike Zamarron and volunteer Ben Snoeyink
build cabinets in the Home Repair Services woodshop. To learn how you
can volunteer, visit www.HomeRepairServices.org or call 241-2601.
“We have four volunteers who come
in twice a week to cut raw material and
assemble cabinets. A few groups from
churches and other places fill in the gaps,
but we could use a lot more help. Our
goal is 30 volunteers here every week.”
Mike says it’s helpful, but not
necessary, for volunteers to have
carpentry experience. Templates enable
volunteers to cut wood into standardized
components. Those are stored on shelves
for other volunteers to assemble the
components into finished cabinets and
attach the hardware.
“We’d like to build two complete
sets of cabinets each month,” Mike says.
“But it all depends on the number and
the skills of volunteers. When we put the
cabinets in the store they sell right away.
The demand is pretty high.”
Besides the efforts of volunteers,
companies like AmStore and Wolverine
Hardwoods help turn the wish for
cabinets into reality through their
generous donations of materials.
“We couldn’t meet the demand
for cabinets in the Builders’ Abundance
store if not for donations of lumber
and hardware and the volunteer labor
to handle assembly,” says Executive
Director Dave Jacobs. “Thanks to those
committed friends in the woodshop, we
hope that half a dozen families will have
new kitchens this year.”
“We have men and women who
come into the woodshop not sure if they
have the skills needed to do the work we
have for them, then they leave amazed
at what they were able to accomplish,”
adds Mike. “Volunteering at Home
Repair Services can be life changing
for the volunteers just as their help
is life changing for the lower-income
homeowners they serve.”
“Secrets” of the Fix-it School: Empowering Do-It-Yourselfers
Want to make your home warmer this winter and reduce
your energy bills? Is your inadequate kitchen lighting driving
you nuts? Is
your remodeling
project on hold
because you
suspect your
older home has
lead-based paint?
Home Repair
Services’ Fix-it
School has the
solutions you
need and they
won’t cost you a
penny.
The Fix-it
School offers
free weekday,
Saturday and
evening classes
for any Kent
County resident.
Classes cover a
span of topics
that include
making your
home more energy efficient, lead-safe remodeling, money
management, installing tile, drywall or kitchen and bathroom
cabinets, basic plumbing and carpentry repairs, and womenonly classes. All classes are offered in English, with money
management and home maintenance classes also offered in
Spanish.
So, how can Home Repair Services offer these classes
free? Because dedicated instructors volunteer their time and
expertise. Without them, the Fix-it School wouldn’t be able to
offer the number and variety of classes on the schedule.
“Our teachers have so much experience,” says Education
Coordinator Judy Jordan. “The teachers ask you what repair
issues you have at home and what you want to learn about. By
the end of the class, you know how to fix the problem yourself.
Our students go home happy.”
Judy says that the Fix-it School is always in need
of volunteers to teach classes. If you have skills in home repair,
plumbing or carpentry and would like to teach a class, please
call Judy at (616) 241-2601, x231.
Some classes, such as Ask The Plumber, Rainy Day Money
and Bath & Kitchen Countertops are one-session classes
where students learn what they need to know in just a couple
of hours. Other courses are offered as a series of classes. For
example, Your Energy Efficient Home includes four classes
covering a variety of energy-saving topics.
“Home Repair Services does a wonderful job of educating
people in plumbing, carpentry and other home maintenance
skills,” says John Canepa, a longtime supporter of Home
Repair Services.
“I’ve been to a
couple of their
classes and have
used what I
learned to fix
things at home.
“I regard
Home Repair
Services as a
resource in our
community,”
John says.
“They work
with all kinds
of property
owners who are
willing to invest
their time in
improving their
own houses
and their whole
neighborhood.”
“The
classes are open
to the public, and many of our clients are single women who
can’t afford to hire a contractor,” Judy says. “After they take
the classes, the women often tell me they couldn’t believe how
simple the repairs were. Our classes really take the mystery
out of it.” To see the schedule of upcoming classes, please visit
www.HomeRepairServices.org.
Hands-on learning and personal
demonstrations are used in almost
every Fix-it School class at Home
Repair Services. Here students learn
how to weatherstrip a door with
instructor Ed Morgan.
2
G
N
I
T
N
O
R
F
CON
It’s a good news / bad news situation.
The good news is that Home Repair
Services’ financial counselors stopped
502 home foreclosures in the fiscal year
that ended on June 30 – a new record
over last year’s top number of 366
foreclosures averted!
The bad news is that the
foreclosure crisis is far from over. For
many Kent County homeowners, that
means they and their children continue
to face uncertainty. “People wonder when the
foreclosure crisis tide will turn, but if
this pace carries through the end of
the year it means that we haven’t even
500+ Local Homes Saved in 2010
Tracie Coffman, manager
of the Home Repair Services
Financial Counseling team, talks
to a homeowner facing foreclosure.
If you or someone you know is at
risk of losing a home, Tracie’s group
may be able to help. To learn more,
call (616) 241-2601 or visit us at
www.HomeRepairServices.org.
crested yet; the crisis is very much
alive and growing,” says Financial
Counseling Manager Tracie Coffman.
“We’re on pace to experience 15% more
foreclosures in 2010 than we saw in
2009. While we’re not at the peak levels
we saw in 2008, it’s still very serious.”
This year Home Repair Services
added a sixth financial counselor to
handle the increase in volume. As
the intake center for Kent County’s
Foreclosure Response initiative, Home
Repair Services received 1,478 calls last
fiscal year. In addition to managing
cases for Home Repair Services’
clients, the agency also schedules
some appointments for Lighthouse
Communities, another local participant
in Foreclosure Response.
“Home Repair Services is a HUDcertified homeownership counseling
agency and we provide free counseling
services” adds Tracie. That’s not true
of everyone who offers help to families
facing foreclosure, however. A number
of unscrupulous firms take homeowners’
money yet do little or nothing to help.
Tracie cautions: “If someone you
know says they were asked to pay an
upfront fee to help fight a foreclosure,
tell them something’s wrong. They need
to call us for free help.”
People Who Make a Difference: Starlina Gutierrez
Compassion, patience and the gift of listening.
That’s what Starlina “Star” Gutierrez gives to the hundreds
of worried people each year who call on Home Repair Services
to help them save their homes from foreclosure. Star is the first
person those callers “meet,” and it’s her desire
to help them that becomes the life ring they
need when feelings of helplessness threaten
to pull them under.
Star manages the calendars of Home
Repair Services’ six financial counselors and
also has access to the calendar of Lighthouse
Communities, a partner in foreclosure
intervention. For families facing foreclosure, a
timely appointment with a financial counselor
is the first step on the road to a resolution.
Star makes sure that first step happens.
“Due to the emotional nature of the calls,
we need a compassionate, knowledgeable
person who can be that stable voice to provide the level
of customer service our clients need and deserve,” says
Tracie Coffman, Star’s supervisor.
“Star doesn’t rush them off the phone because she wants
to be sure that they know they’re being heard. And she does
all our follow-up calls with foreclosure clients six months after
we’ve helped them to see if they’re still on track or if they need
help.”
Star began as a volunteer, donating her
time and bilingual skills to help Home Repair
Services clients. For the past year she has been
a full-time staff member after accepting an
AmeriCorps-funded assignment.
Without Star, the financial counselors
at Home Repair Services would have to
spend time taking intake calls and doing the
scheduling, instead of using their expertise
to help clients save their homes.
“Star is essential to this department’s
functioning,” Tracie says. “We truly deem
Star’s job as a critical and crucial position; but
it’s not just the position, it’s Star. It’s her in that position that
makes it so effective.”
To us, Star is truly a star.
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To learn more, visit us online:
www.HomeRepairServices.org
(Above left) Volunteers Todd West, John Wilson and Trip Romig were among 75 participants
in the 2010 Community Repair Day. Above right, two Job Corps members prepare lumber
for an access ramp. Below right, Volunteer Reed Rollins anchors part of an access ramp.
Community Repair Day: Sept. 11, 2010
Volunteers Contribute Their Time Throughout Kent County
Year after year, dozens of volunteers
and thousands of dollars of donated
building materials have come together
on one special day to give more of
Kent County’s lower-income physically
handicapped residents something many
of us take for granted: Freedom.
This year, Home Repair Services’
Community Repair Day – on Saturday,
Sept. 11 – had the same life-changing
impact on our clients throughout
the county as in years past. Despite
the tough economy, our friends from
the Home & Building Association of
Greater Grand Rapids (HBAGGR)
volunteered enough work hours and
materials to complete 17 projects.
Seventy-five local volunteers
contributed 344 work hours ($5,765
worth!) and 10 companies donated
nearly $16,000 in materials to construct
13 wheelchair ramps, repair two porches
and complete two electrical upgrades.
“Volunteers built a wheelchair
ramp for a woman who wrote to us
afterward and told us how happy she
was that she could now go outside and
get her mail,” says Dave Jacobs, Home
Repair Services’ executive director.
“Those volunteers created a little bright
spot in someone’s life. Multiply that by
the number of jobs we completed this
year and the 20 years we’ve partnered
with the HBA to sponsor Community
Repair Day, and you get an idea of how
much this means to the community.”
“The projects we do are not just
for one person; they help everyone
who loves that person,” adds Mike
Zamarron, Home Repair Services
coordinator for Community Repair
Day. “They can’t say thank you enough.
It might have taken just a few hours
of your time, but once you have that
feeling of helping these people you’ll be
back to do the work again and again.”
To volunteer your services for any
of Home Repair Services’ projects, or to
inquire about group projects for your
church, school or other organization,
call (616) 241-2601.
Thank you to the following companies for generously supporting Community Repair Day. Our entire community is grateful!
Sponsors
Bank of America
Bayes Water Treatment
Miller Johnson
VML Insurance Agency
Material Donors
Biewer Lumber
Lumbermen’s Inc.
Midwest Timber
Monsma
National Nail
Quickrete
Standale Lumber
Standard Lumber
Universal Forest Products
Zeeland Lumber
Deliveries and Site
Volunteers
Advanced Building
and Construction
Balk Builders
Bosworth Builders
Creekside Construction
Eastbrook Homes
Eikenhout Inc.
Fox Brothers Co.
Hullmark Homes
Morris Builders
Mullen Builders
ResCom Electric
Rockwood Construction
Roersma & Wurn Builders
Scott Christopher Homes
/Surpass
Standard Lumber
TJ Thompson
Vugteveen Builders
Wireworks Electric
Zaskowski Builders
4
Making It Home Auction: A Night to Remember!
More than 200 Gather to Support Home Repair Services
Wow! More than 200 people attended the 7th
Annual Making It Home benefit auction on Oct.
21 at Home Repair Services. Dozens of exciting
auction items were sold, ranging from customdesigned jewelry and sailboat outings to furniture
and a luxury vacation in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The live auction was especially competitive
this year, thanks to auctioneer Dane Wysocki.
Dane’s coaxing generated a winning bid of $2,700
for a dinner at the Frank Lloyd Wright designed
Meyer May House, prompting item donor Steelcase
to offer a second dinner at the same price.
Delicious food and beverages were provided
by San Chez - A Tapas Bistro and The Art of
the Table. All told, we raised nearly $40,000; all
proceeds will be used to support the work of Home
Repair Services. A special thanks to everyone who
attended, donated items, purchased tickets and
worked on this very special event!
Thursday
Oct. 21, 2010
Benefit Auction
Thank you to our 2010 sponsors for your generous funding of
the Making It Home Auction. We are deeply grateful for your support!
Gifts of $5,000 or more
Chase
Northern Cross Foundation
River City Foundation
Gifts of $2,500 or more
Anonymous
Chemical Bank
Eikenhout, Inc.
RoMan Manufacturing
Gifts of $1,000 or more
Eastbrook Homes
Elaine Carr Design
Fence Consultants of West Michigan
Gumina’s Flowers
Stan & Norma Sterk/Sterk & Company PC CPA
Steelcase
United Bank
Universal Forest Products
Gifts of $500 or more
Bill & Anita Crawford
CPR
DressMeDaddy.com
Habitat for Humanity of Kent County, Inc.
Miller Canfield
The Lykins Law Firm, PLC
5
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Grand Rapids, MI
Permit No. 981
1100 S. Division Ave.
Grand Rapids, MI 49507-1024
Save the Date:
February 24, 2011
The Resourceful Homeowner
Celebration is Coming Soon!
Mark your calendars now for the 2011 Resourceful
Homeowner Celebration at the Frederik Meijer
Gardens on Thursday, Feb. 24. This unique event
brings together friends and supporters of Home Repair
Services with client families from all over Kent County.
You will enjoy:
A delicious catered meal in a magnificent setting
Inspiring true stories of courageous people
Mixing and mingling with local community leaders
Fellowship and great conversation with new friends
Doors open at 6 p.m. at the Frederik Meijer Gardens
on the East Beltline just north of I-96. To reserve your
tickets, please call (616) 241-2601 or visit us online at
www.HomeRepairServices.org. Don’t miss it!
This newsletter is a publication of Home Repair Services of
Kent County, Inc. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization;
all contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by
law. Your questions and suggestions are always welcome.
Our mission is to build value and dignity
by equipping lower income homeowners
and their families for successful, sustained
homeownership, thereby strengthening
neighborhoods and our community.
Address: 1100 S. Division Ave., Grand Rapids, MI 49507
Phone: (616) 241-2601
Website: www.HomeRepairServices.org