Volunteers from Clinton, Danbury, Darien, East Hartford, Enfield, Fairfield, Kensington, Litchfield, Middlebury, New Britain, New Fairfield, Newtown, Norwalk, Oakville, Oxford, Ridgefield, Rocky Hill, Southbury & Stamford Revitalize 20 Homes and One Community Center for Low-Income Families
May 5 — Those hardest hit by the toll of inflation are about to feel some relief thanks to more than 800 local volunteers. A remedy for severe home disrepair is especially out of reach today for households subsisting on fixed incomes, such as older adults and persons with disabilities, in addition to single parents and other families whose incomes have shrunk or remained flat. For them, a series of Springtime HomeFront Days could not come soon enough. Between May 6th and July 8th, 22 community groups from as many towns are mobilizing to revitalize 21 homes and one community center at no cost to the recipients. A tradition 36 years in the making, these Springtime HomeFront Days are a major step forward in the program’s goal of delivering housing stability to 75 of our most vulnerable neighbors this year. HomeFront takes special pride in many of the beneficiaries this year who are veterans.
HomeFront volunteers prioritize accessibility improvements, such as the installation of wheelchair ramps and grab bars, as well as bathroom modifications for persons with disabilities. The program also targets energy-efficient repairs such as newly installed windows, repaired siding, weatherproofing and new exterior doors. HomeFront’s community helpers pay special attention to safety enhancements, such as installation of smoke detectors, electrical repairs, flooring, step and railing fixes, as well as the removal of trees threatening homes. Fresh coats of paint protect the exterior of homes from the elements while beautifying neighborhoods. According to HomeFront’s Board Chair, Kenneth Wiegand, “It is fitting that this outpouring launches during Mental Health Awareness Month. More than anything else, our beneficiaries point to the psychological uplift that comes with a home revitalized by caring neighbors. Our Surgeon General’s recent advisory on the epidemic of loneliness also reminds us of the importance of community-connectors like HomeFront.”
Today’s HomeFront organizes Spring and Fall volunteer home repair group events. The program has also ratcheted up assistance with its new initiative called Critical Pro Repair (CPR). Through CPR, skilled HomeFront staff team up with one or two skilled volunteers to deliver crucial repairs such as wheelchair ramps, step and walkway overhauls and deck repairs to struggling families. More than 85 local families have received essential construction aid from HomeFront through CPR since 2020.
The collective compassion of hands-on volunteers, product contributors, foundations and other donors brings HomeFront to the mark of more than 3,200 homes revitalized in program history, delivering $50 million of service where needed most since 1988. HomeFront is a community-based program dedicated to keeping low-income homeowners in their homes with an improved quality of life through substantial repairs completed at no cost to them. More information on HomeFront can be found online at: www.homefrontprogram.org.
Media Contact
Sean O’Brien, HomeFront
O: (203) 658-9664 C: (203) 803-9772
sobrien@homefrontprogram.org
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LOCAL PARTICIPATING VOLUNTEER GROUPS
Corporate
- Hologic, Inc., Danbury, CT
Hometown Hero Level
- FactSet Research Systems, Norwalk, CT
Barnraiser Level
- Synapse Group, Stamford, CT
Civic
- Newtown Lions, CT
Faith-Based
- Holy Disciples Parish — St. Mary Magdalen & St. John the Evangelist Churches, Watertown, CT
- Jesse Lee Memorial United Methodist Church, Ridgefield, CT
- New Fairfield Congregational Church, CT
- North American Martyrs Parish, East Hartford, CT
- Southbury Faith in Action (SOFIA), CT
- St Louis de Montfort, Litchfield, CT
- St. Edmund Campion Parish, East Hartford, CT
- St. Edward the Confessor Church, New Fairfield, CT
- St. Josephine Bakhita Parish, Rocky Hill, CT
- St. Luke’s Parish, Darien, CT
- St. Paul Parish of Kensington, CT
- St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Fairfield, CT
- St. Raymond of Peñafort Church Teams I, II & III, Enfield, CT
- St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Oxford, CT
- United Methodist Church, Clinton, CT