In our city, the Preservation Resource Center did a "Christmas in October" in which seniors homes in historic districts got exterior re-do's from painting to shoring to retro fitting for handicapped ramps & entrances. All the work and materials were free and the homes were partnered with large corporations. Houses in our neighborhood were done by Chevron & Schlumberger teams. You have to qualify and be on a list for a few years but well worth it.
My mom got a ramp put in through a federal Community Block Development Grant funded outreach program done by the Council of Governments through her neighborhood association. She paid for the materials but everything else was through the grant. The neighborhood association (a 501 - c -3) found the properties via word of mouth of members. There are COG's throughout the US who do & get funds for regional planning programs. You just have to research them.
About scouts, BSA usually require that all service projects be co-ordinated through the local troop sponsor in tandem with the area council. So if your local troop charter is held by a Methodist Church or Rotary Club, they need to umbrella it within whatever outreach they do and then have it approved within area council.So if your Rotary has a senior or community outreach program in place and yard maintenence is a part of the community outreach of it, then it can work. But Scouts to individuals is a big NO for all kinds of reasons.
If you do benefit from a grant program, please do read the fine print on the agreement. Many grant programs are now placing covenants on the property. Where we live, many folks took grant $ to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. For many, the grant includes a covenant to the property that you signed off that for the lifetime of the property, you promised to keep the property full insured. Makes sense to do, right. Well before Katrina, flood, wind & homeowners $ 800.00 a year, & totally manageable. Now in 2013, windstorm could be $ 3K - 10K, flood could be anywhere from $ 300.00 - 20K depending on where you are in the new flood maps. No way those increased costs were anticipated and you have to either buy it and pay for it or have it forced placed onto your mortgage or repay the grant. So please pay attention to what the grant could require you to do in the future. Good luck.
Contact your local government. In my city, there are funds for interest-free loans for elderly homeowners who need to do expensive repairs. Try your local area council on aging. Habitat for Humanity. Call your state rep or senator, or your congressperson to ask help in finding resources. Let them do something useful for a change!
Many colleges maintain jobs postings for students, and some even have painting and yardwork crews. Maybe you can call a few local community colleges, etc. and ask about this. I wish you well. BTW - where are you located? in MN this is very common and there is even a crew named "College Painters" that does such work.. They usually staff summer-off-work teachers and college students.
There are organizations that help but you have to seek them out within your area. You could call churches and ask them if they know of any in your area. I do not know of any organization nationwide that you could contact. I have been looking for someone too, at 60 I am a bit to old to be climbing up on roofs to cut back trees like I use to but my 84 year old mother thinks I should be able to re-roof the workshop by myself, alas I have let her and her dementia down.
Even the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts could help out w/yard work chores. Mowing the grass, raking leaves, trimming bushes, planting flowers, painting a fence etc. They are always looking for community service projects for their badges and giving back to the community. Many hands make work light!! I agree w/ the aboveposting too....churches and their youth groups are always willing to help and possibly do the painting on the house. You could throw a pizza party or hot dog/hamburger party to thank them for all their hard work.
Could you explain your situation? If you're a member (or former member) of a church, organization or congregation and have absolutely no funds to care for your house, they may have an group to help you. My church here in Texas has a team called "His Handymen," and they are amazing. They also involve our teens in jobs that don't require special skills, like plumbing and electricity.
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My mom got a ramp put in through a federal Community Block Development Grant funded outreach program done by the Council of Governments through her neighborhood association. She paid for the materials but everything else was through the grant. The neighborhood association (a 501 - c -3) found the properties via word of mouth of members. There are COG's throughout the US who do & get funds for regional planning programs. You just have to research them.
About scouts, BSA usually require that all service projects be co-ordinated through the local troop sponsor in tandem with the area council. So if your local troop charter is held by a Methodist Church or Rotary Club, they need to umbrella it within whatever outreach they do and then have it approved within area council.So if your Rotary has a senior or community outreach program in place and yard maintenence is a part of the community outreach of it, then it can work. But Scouts to individuals is a big NO for all kinds of reasons.
If you do benefit from a grant program, please do read the fine print on the agreement. Many grant programs are now placing covenants on the property. Where we live, many folks took grant $ to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. For many, the grant includes a covenant to the property that you signed off that for the lifetime of the property, you promised to keep the property full insured. Makes sense to do, right. Well before Katrina, flood, wind & homeowners $ 800.00 a year, & totally manageable. Now in 2013, windstorm could be $ 3K - 10K, flood could be anywhere from $ 300.00 - 20K depending on where you are in the new flood maps. No way those increased costs were anticipated and you have to either buy it and pay for it or have it forced placed onto your mortgage or repay the grant. So please pay attention to what the grant could require you to do in the future. Good luck.
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