2022 Fall HomeFront Days

Press Release
Written By Sean OBrien

Volunteers from Branford, Bridgeport, Danbury, Darien, East Hartford, East Haven, Milford, New Canaan, New Milford, North Branford, Norwalk, Stamford & Wethersfield Revitalize 13 Homes and One Community Center for Low-Income Families

September 14 — Hundreds of local volunteers have teamed up with HomeFront to help low-income families facing fears over inflation and the coming winter. From Sept. 10th—October 8th, some 14 community groups are revitalizing local homes in need at no cost to the beneficiaries. Their good works will touch 13 cities in CT. This heroic effort brings HomeFront closer to its goal of assisting 70 struggling families in 2022. Older adults on fixed incomes, veterans, persons with disabilities, single-parent households and families grappling with illness or unemployment eagerly await improvements that will make their homes safer and better prepared for winter. HomeFront volunteers plan to deliver much needed energy-efficiency with newly installed windows, repaired siding, weatherproofing and new exterior doors. A focus on safety is also foremost with special attention paid to installation of smoke detectors, electrical repairs, flooring, step and railing fixes, as well as the removal of trees threatening homes. Fresh coats of paint figure to protect the exterior of homes from the elements while beautifying neighborhoods.

This outpouring comprises HomeFront’s third annual Fall HomeFront Days. For 30 years, the program focused its volunteer group mobilization during the Spring. The pandemic hastened HomeFront’s drive to fix up homes in need year-round. According to HomeFront’s Board Chair, Kenneth Wiegand, “In the face of growing demand for home repair aid and rising costs everywhere, it is gratifying this year to build back to the level of assistance we had been delivering prior to the pandemic. We are humbled by the volunteers and supporters who have stayed with our mission and look forward to future impact even greater than our pre-pandemic results.” In addition to the program’s Spring and Fall volunteer group events, HomeFront has ratcheted up assistance through a new initiative called Critical Pro Repair (CPR). Through CPR, skilled HomeFront staff team up with one or two pro volunteers to deliver crucial exterior repairs, such as wheelchair ramp installations, step and walkway overhauls and deck repairs to struggling families. More than 70 local families have already received essential construction aid from HomeFront through CPR since COVID’s arrival.

The collective compassion of hands on volunteers, product contributors, foundations and other donors brings HomeFront to the mark of more than 3,100 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

Community Builder Level

  • Charter-Spectrum Communications, Stamford, CT

  • Hologic, Inc., Danbury, CT

Civic

  • Kiwanis Club of Wilton, CT

  • New Canaan Exchange Club, CT

  • Valenti Family & Friends, New Milford, CT

Faith-Based

  • Christ the King Parish, Wethersfield, CT

  • New Canaan Congregational Church, CT

  • Saint Edmund Campion Parish, East Hartford, CT

  • Saint John Bosco Parish Teams I & II, North Branford, CT

  • Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church, Darien, CT

  • Saint Raphael Parish, Milford, CT

  • Talmadge Hill Community Church, Darien, CT

  • Temple Sinai, Stamford, CT

MAJOR SPONSORS

Community Leader Level

  • The Mithun Family Foundation, Minneapolis, MN

  • The Home Depot Foundation, Atlanta, GA

  • The John H. & Ethel G. Noble Charitable Trust, New York, NY

  • The Norbert H. Hardner Foundation, Amherst, NH

Housing Partner Level

  • Disabled Veterans National Fund, Lanham, MD

  • Twenty-Seven Foundation, Glastonbury, CT

Good Neighbor Level

  • City of Norwalk—Redevelopment Office, CT

  • Disabled American Veterans, Erlanger, KY

  • The Katharine Matthies Foundation, Seymour, CT

  • The Office for Catholic Social Justice of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Bloomfield, CT

Project Builder Level

  • First County Bank Foundation, Stamford, CT

  • Near & Far Aid, Southport, CT

  • NewAlliance Foundation, New Haven, CT

  • St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, Wilton, CT

  • The Auer Family Foundation, Calabasas, CA

  • The James T. Lee Foundation, New York, NY

  • The Ridgefield Thrift Shop, CT

  • Webster Bank, Waterbury, CT

Other Major Sponsors

  • Downey Family Foundation, Westport, CT

  • St. John’s Community Foundation, Stamford, CT

  • The Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, CT

  • The George A. & Grace L. Long Foundation, Hartford, CT

  • The Goodnow Fund, Darien, CT

  • The Savings Bank of Danbury, CT

PRODUCT & SERVICE CONTRIBUTORS

  • Allway Tools, Bronx, NY — tools

  • Behr Paint, Santa Anna, CA — paint

  • Classic Tile, Rockaway, NJ — flooring tile

  • DAP Products, Baltimore, MD — caulk

  • H.J. Hoffman & Co., Norwalk — screenprinting

  • Marypat Design, Westport — graphic design

  • Matthew Saunders, LLC – power washing

  • Mercury Excelum, East Windsor — windows

  • Pro Bono Partnership, NY & Fairfield County — non-profit legal assistance

  • Ring’s End, Bethel — doors and construction materials

  • Schlage U.S. Allegion, Carmel, IN

  • The Home Depot, Danbury — building materials

  • The Watertown Lions Club — wheelchair ramp

  • Wooster Brush Co, Wooster, OH — paint sundries

Sean OBrien
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